《My SSS-Rank Class Is Blood Monarch!》


 Chapter 1: Chapter 1- He’s Broke

    [Have you ever thought about living in a fantasy world?] A mysterious voice spoke to Arthur.


    "What?" The boy responded with confusion. "Are you talking about RPGs or light novels?" He further asked to know what the voice was talking about.


    [No, not those that you y on yourputer, or you read in books. I''m talking about a real fantasy world, that you can very much touch with your own hands.]


    "... Well, of course I did. That''s my wet dre- Ehem, I mean, I very much did, didn''t I?" He replied with an awkward cough.


    [Hahaha, yeah, that fantasy world. A massive realm filled with mysteries and things you would only dream about otherwise. Creatures that you can''t fathom, superpowers that transcend the human limit, and adventures that wouldst you a lifetime.]


    "I would be lying if I said that doesn''t sound enticing. Exciting, even." Arthur replied as he tried to hide his grin. "Tell me more, I need to imagine this world."


    [Why should I tell you?] However, the voice shut him off coldly. [You''re already hooked. Go buy Divinity Online and try it yourself, broke bastard!]


    "That''s uncalled for, unknown voice! I treated you nicely! Return some kindness or I will beat you up!"


    [Have fun, fool. Perhaps we might never meet again.]


    "What?! No! Come back here!"


    However, as if the voice didn''t hear him, it vanishedpletely, sending Arthur into panic mode. "Divinity Online! Give me my game! DIVINITY ONLINE!"


    As he yelled the name, his eyes suddenly snapped open and he rose from his seat. Looking around him, he quickly realized where he was. Many eyes looked back at him with varying degrees of wariness.


    ''Oh right¡­ I slept on the metro back home.'' He thought to himself. ''Did they hear me scream?''


    Looking again at the other passengers, Arthur coughed. ''Yup, they definitely heard me. I''m sure I don''t look like some kind of maniac right now, right? I mean, everyone has this kind of dream every now and then, no?''


    As he was trying to convince himself that he hadn''t justbeled himself a ''Weirdo'' in front of tens of passengers, his eyes shifted to the ceiling above him. There, he saw an electronic advertisement sign that seemed to show some kind of ad.


    On it, the camera was seemingly traveling through a vast fantastical world, filled with greenery, mesmerizing structures, and flying creatures. Above it was the title of the game. ''Divinity Online''.


    "Get yourself the full set along with additional support for 999 Dors! Join Now!" The advertisement said.


    ''... 999 dors. Like I can afford something like that!'' Sighing, Arthur rested his back on the seat again, trying to ignore the voice. His eyes shifted to the outside world, and a scenic view of the city formed in his eyes. He was now in the city center where the activity was at its highest.


    However, everywhere he looked, whether it was a building or even a sign on the street, they all advertised a single thing. ''Divinity Online''. It was everywhere and still spreading across the entire globe like a gue.


    ''I''ve heard the number of pre-orders exceeded the 1 billion pre-orders. When did people have that kind of money? Are they selling their kidneys for cheap? I should start considering selling mine if it is functional.'' As he was considering his option, Arthur clenched his fist in frustration.


    He knew that he had no actual way of getting his hand on a Full-Immersion Capsule. The cheapest option was 1000 dors, and the more expensive ones even reached the tens of thousands of dors.


    That was the kind of money someone like Arthur, who had no financial support from anyone, could never afford.


    ''Where are parents when I needed them the most? Dammit.'' He rolled his eyes as he watched the shifting scenery with boredom. The light of the city reflected in his clear blue eyes like a mirror.


    When he was young, Arthur''s parents left and never came back. So, the boy was sent to live with his grandmother who died a few yearster due to old age. So, the boy found himself alone in the world, with no one to help him except for himself.


    He had to start working, find an apartment to live in and attend school in the city. It was naturally really hard, but with time, Arthur learned to ept this life he was given. Except, there was one single thing he could not ept.


    ''Boring. My life is too goddamn boring!''


    His tiring routine that goes through every single day annoyed him beyond words. Not because it took a lot of energy, but because itcked any vor. He felt as if he was living inside a cage, not able to leave nor look beyond it.


    Every night, he wouldy there and ask himself ''Is this the life I''m destined to live? Do I really have no other option avable? Am I going to die in obscurity? How did the first person discover cow milk is consumable?''


    Those questions kept bothering him every single moment of his life, until the day Divinity Online was announced for the masses.


    At first, nobody believed the rumors. After all, a Full-Immersion Virtual Reality game sounded like a pipe dream. The technology should''ve not been advanced enough to actually make that possible. Yet, by some kind of miracle, Divinity Corp, thepany that created the game, showed the proof.


    The results sent a shockwave across the entire world. This was far more important than just a video game announcement, this was a breakthrough for the human race itself. Divinity Online was ahead of its time by decades or even centuries.


    Naturally, people started questioning how Divinity Corp was able to achieve such a thing, and who funded them. But, no matter how much they tried to dig for dirt, the media couldn''t find anything suspicious about this mysteriouspany. In fact, not a single journalist reported about thepany or tried to actually investigate it for some reason.


    That led to thepany going public a few months before the release of the game and its stock almost instantly shot up to the sky, making it the richestpany in the world by a huge margin and boosting the poprity of Divinity Online even more.


    The entire world shifted its gaze to look at Divinity Corp and its unprecedented sess. They became the very center of all the news. Then, the release date for the game arrived¡­ The 19th of July.


    Everyone marked their calendar for this historical day that might be the pivotal point for a whole different era and that day was precisely tomorrow.


    ''Sigh, people must''ve already gotten their FICs.'' Grumbling under his breath.


    But, he knew there was nothing he could do. People were going to enjoy this new world while he watched from the side. He had to ept that fact and move on. Perhaps one day he will have the opportunity to actually buy an FIC of his own.


    With that, Arthur looked up and noticed that his station was close so he stood up and walked to the door. Then, along with many others, he left the metro and the subway station, heading back home after a long day of work.


    He had found a job as a cashier in a small convenience store on the other side of town. It didn''t pay him much since he was only 16 years old, but he didn''t care as this money was enough for him to buy food every day.


    The area he lived in wasn''t horrible, as one would expect. But, it wasn''t a rich neighborhood either. Arthur was lucky enough to find a kindndlord in the city that was ready to take him in for a negligible price. He did it mainly out of kindness when he heard of Arthur''s situation or that was what Arthur was told, at least.


    Still, he was quite grateful for that as it spared him from ending up living in some shady orphanage or moving into the dormitory of some high school once the year started.


    ''Sigh, what should I eat tonight? Chicken noodles or beef noodles?'' As he was contemting his options, Arthur looked up at the apartmentplex where he lived.


    There, right in front of the main gate, he saw a giant truck. The vehicle was parked right in front of the gate with some workers standing around it.


    ''Hm?'' Looking at the back of the truck, Arthur''s eyes widened. ''Isn''t that logo... Divinity Corp!''

 Chapter 2: Chapter 2- Godly Gift

    He knew that logo very well as it was literally everywhere he went. Yet, what surprised him was the fact that a truck like this was in front of the building where he lived.


    ''Did someone buy an FIC? Since when did any of my neighbors have that kind of money?'' Arthur asked himself. He was very aware of the condition they lived in and he was almost certain nobody in that building could afford an FIC, even the least expensive set.


    ''Damn! Did one of those bastards sell their kidney?'' Realizing that possibility, he could only whistle with an impressed look on his face.


    "Talk about dedication." He muttered as he walked past the workers and into the building. There, he noticed that some of the workers were heading back to the truck.


    "We have been waiting for almost two hours now. Where is the apartment tenant?"


    "It is gettingte. Maybe they''re still working." Another worker replied. "Boss is still up there, waiting. He has been acting weird the entire time. Did you notice that?"


    Passing by them, Arthur moved to the stairs. At this point, he didn''t understand what was really going on. But, he really didn''t care that much. ''I''ve had enough of feeling frustrated for the day. Whoever got the FIC, good on you, lucky bastard! I am not jealous at all!'' He rolled his eyes and went up the stairs.


    Once he reached the floor where his apartment was, he pulled his keys out, only to stop and look up. Someone stood in front of his apartment door, resting on the handrail with his hands in his pockets. He looked quite old, with a very stern expression and a rather special presence.


    For a second, Arthur was suspicious, but then he realized that the man wore the same uniform as the workers he saw downstairs.


    ''Now, what do we have here?'' Shaking his head, Arthur moved toward his apartment door while fiddling with the keys. Reaching it, he gave the man a nod of acknowledgment, opened the door, walked in, and then closed it as if nothing happened.


    As he was about to put his keys away, he heard a knock on the door. So, he opened it again.


    "Can I help you?" Arthur asked the old man.


    "Are you Arthur?" He asked as he pulled out a clipboard from somewhere.


    "Yes. Is there a problem?" Arthur raised an eyebrow. At this point, he was truly starting to feel that something was off.


    "We are delivering your Deluxe Full Immersion Capsule plus 5 years worth of Body Enhancing Serum. Can you please confirm that you received the order with a signature so that we can start setting up the capsule?"


    "..." Arthur blinked a few times as he looked at the man. Then, he looked down at the piece of paper before he slowly picked up the pen and signed down at the bottom.


    "Thank you for your cooperation. Bring the FIC!" With that, the man walked away to call for his workers.


    The boy followed him with his eyes, not uttering a single word. A few minutester, Arthur''s room was invaded by several workers. They carried several wrapped parts into the apartment and started building it up in the bedroom near his bed.


    Meanwhile, Arthur watched silently. Nobody knew what was going through his head at that moment.


    As he watched, the workers swiftly built what looked like a giant capsule with a ss front, big enough for a human to sit in itfortably. With an interior made out of soft fabric and high-quality cushion akin to a soft bed, and an exterior that looked sleek and futuristic with only a single wire linked to the electric outlet.


    The Full Immersion Capsule looked like a miracle from the future or a science fiction movie gadget in real life. Precisely because this was the best capsule, the deluxe edition, it looked considerably more advanced than the base version.


    After finishing work, the workers went out again and then started bringing up stacks and stacks of blue vials wrapped professionally in what seemed to be carbon fiber and set them up in his kitchen. The stack was so big, it took almost the entire area, leaving no room for movement.


    "That is done. Here is the guide on how to use the capsule. Please follow the steps very precisely and don''t ignore any step." The old man said as he handed Arthur arge manual.


    Taking it, Arthur looked at the manual before he shifted his gaze to the old man. After that, he said. "Pinch me."


    "Excuse me?" The old man frowned.


    "I said pinch my arm. Now!!" The sudden yell took the man by surprise and he did that.


    "Ouch! Wow¡­ This is actually real¡­" Looking down at his arm, Arthur startedughing. Hisugh was that of confusion and deep excitement. "What the hell is this?! Is god finally answering my calls?! Am I the chosen one?!


    Hahahahaha!"


    Then, he started pacing around the apartment while still in hystericalughter. The feelings that washed over his heart at that moment were unexinable. He didn''t know what was happening, but the excitement was just over the top.


    The old man watched from the side with an expressionless look on his face. After what seemed to be a few seconds, Arthur coughed awkwardly and said. "Sorry, I had to get that out of my system. You know how pent-up stress works."


    "No worries."


    "Say, Mr¡­"


    "us."


    "Say, Mr us. Can you exin what is going on here? Why am I getting an FIC?" Arthur asked. "I certainly didn''t order one."


    "We have received an order for a deluxe version and the address was this apartment." The man replied.


    "Who ordered it?"


    "Unfortunately, I cannot disclose the name of the customer under ourws, sir."


    ''Anonymous sender? Who is it? I don''t know anyone who has enough money to send me this stuff. This is at least 15 thousand dors ignoring the 5 years of serum! Those alone are double that!''


    Naturally, the boy felt suspicious as this didn''t sound quite understandable. However, in the end, he shrugged.


    ''Meh, who cares? I''ve got myself an FIC! For god''s sake, this sudden development sounds like it came straight out of a fictional story!''


    Normally, a person would be quite suspicious when they suddenly receive something they desired so much in mysterious circumstances. But, Arthur was different. Even when he gets what he wants, which is a rare urrence by all means, he never has a strong reaction.


    He grew numb toward most things in life and rarely did he get truly shocked which was ironic considering his outgoing and entric personality.


    "Hahaha, you know, us¡­ Wait, can I call you us?" Tapping the man the shoulder with a grin, he asked.


    "Of course."


    "Good! You''re a bringer of good luck, man! I cannot thank you enough for this gift. You have made my day!"


    "... I am simply doing my job, sir."


    *TAP* *TAP*


    "I like your humility. You will go ces with that, us. Hahahaha!" Laughing loudly, Arthur turned to look at the other workers. "Thank you for your efforts, boys. You have made one person the happiest in the world today."


    "..." The men looked at one another confusedly before they nodded their heads.


    "Now, if you would excuse me. I think I have a lot to do." Arthur said as he pped his hands. "If you would excuse me."


    "Well, as he said. Time to leave."


    The workers then started gathering their belongings and leaving one after the other. Thest one to leave was the old man as he turned to look at Arthur at the door. His eyes shed with a weird glint before he said.


    "I wish you a long adventure, Arthur." He said.


    "..." The boy stared back at him confusedly before he nodded. "Thank you, I guess."


    With that, the man walked away and Arthur finally closed the door. "What a weird thing to say. But, I guess that''s a part of their motto or something?"


    Shrugging it off, he walked into his bedroom and stood in front of the capsule, examining it with his eyes. "Who thought¡­ Who actually thought I would get my hand on one of these so soon? It is not only an FIC but also the best model avable! Did Mother Luck finally realize how good I am? Hehehe."


    ''However, I know for certain this isn''t just some kind of generous gift from someone. I''m not that stupid. Whoever did this, wants something from me. But, that is a problem future Arthur will have to deal with. Good luck with that, my brother.''


    With that, the boy sat down and opened the manual. "Now, let''s see how this works."

 Chapter 3: Chapter 3- Assimilation

    Arthur started reading through the manual very carefully. Luckily for him, he was quite into reading in his spare time so it didn''t feel tedious to go through this very detailed manual to use the FIC.


    There wereprehensive steps and drawings to apany each step. It was as if the developers didn''t want their users to mess up even a single step.


    ''That does make sense since this is apletely new technology.'' the boy thought to himself as he moved to the next page. ''What''s weird is they aren''t mentioning what could happen if one person made a mistake in one of these steps. Are they that confident people will be correct? I wouldn''t be that confident, Divinity Corp. People have their colorful ways of doing the dumbest things.''


    Shrugging, he continued to read the content of the manual from start to finish. When he was done, he looked up with a smile on his face.


    "This seems easy enough." He muttered. "No, this is actually amazing. I need to try now."


    So, without waiting, he stood up and approached the capsule. Then, with a focused look on his face, he extended his arm and put the palm of his hand on the ss front. Almost immediately, the entire capsule shed with a faint light as if it was signaling it activated.


    The light then quickly moved down the capsule''s entire frame and umted around Arthur''s hand.


    "Identification process has begun. Please don''t move your hand." A robotic voice spoke from within the capsule.


    ''This is insane, hahaha!'' Arthur could only grin in excitement. This was pure magic in his eyes, no other word to describe it.


    Meanwhile, the light continued moving around Arthur''s hand as if it was absorbing all the information necessary from him. A few secondster, the robotic voice spoke again. "Identificationpleted. How should I address the host?"


    "... Hmm¡­"


    ''I need to choose my user name, huh? How about¡­ Hmm, the Dark Eater! Or no, Void Breaker! Wait, what am I even thinking about? I''m not a kid anymore. Those names aren''t cool!''


    "Ehem, Arthur it is."


    "Name registered: Arthur. Do you confirm?"


    "Yes."


    "epted. The host''s name has been updated: Arthur. If you wish to change the name, please apply for a request."


    "Yeah, yeah. I have no reason to change it for now."


    A momentter, Arthur noticed that the light had suddenly spread everywhere and vanished before the ss front started opening up swiftly.


    "Wow." With a curious look, Arthur peeked inside to check the interior. The capsule inside was quite cozy and simple in contrast to its futuristic outer design.


    "The cushion is so soft. It''s way better than my bed!" He eximed as he tapped the soft fabric. "Well, at least I won''t worry that I will have a strained neck after a session. It says here that sleeping in the capsule is exactly like sleeping on a bed if not way better. That''s very convenient. I won''t have to worry about spending an all-nighter inside the game."


    Arthur didn''t know how exactly they were able to pull it off but it was certainly a very good feature. The only thing that stopped people from ying a game the entire night was sleep, if they could do both at the same time, then it was perhaps perfect.


    "Ok, now the next step is to put the Physical Enhancers in the Capsule."


    One of the most prominent features of the FIC and the one that put it at the far front of all news was the serum that came with it. These serums promised to actually improve the human body''s physical power while the user simply yed.


    Using the in-game actions, the serums would be injected into the body, and by some kind of miracle, their body would get stronger, better, and healthier. In other words, this serum reced trainingpletely.


    Not only that, but it also promised faster and better results in way shorter periods of time. The only condition was for the user to regrly enter Divinity Online and y the game.


    ''I still don''t understand how this small thing can really have such an effect.'' Cutting one of the stacks, Arthur pulled one vial and looked at it. The liquid within looked sky blue in color and a little viscous.


    "Interesting." With a curious look, Arthur approached the capsule and started inspecting the upper part of it. Eventually, he clicked on a small button, and a little socket opened up, revealing three vial holders where he was supposed to put it.


    "Three holders? I guess the Deluxe versiones with three instead of just one. Does that mean I will get muscr quicker? Hahaha, I wish." He muttered as he started putting the vials in their appropriate spots.


    Almost immediately, the machine started absorbing the content of the vials as it lit up with a sky-blue color.


    "Cleaning internal system¡­"


    "Absorption process has begun. Please don''t pull the vials out."


    A few moments passed as the vials were almostpletely absorbed before the process finally ended. Then, right above the ss front, a screen lit up. On it, Arthur saw that the capsule was fully recharged.


    "Don''t forget to recharge the capsule." The robotic voice said.


    "Yeah, got it." He said. "Well, what''s left now? I think that''s it. I can enter the capsule now?" He checked the manual onest time before he nodded and carefully entered the capsule.


    "Ugh, sofortable. My back is in heaven." He muttered as he almost fell asleep just lying in there. "It is also air-conditioned. What else did they add? This is insane!"


    Somehow, the capsule was shattering Arthur''s expectations even though they were already very high. He didn''t know how to describe his feelings at that moment.


    "Ehem, close the capsule."


    The moment he said that the ss door closed on him.


    "Arthur has been detected. Capsule is activating. Have a long journey, Arthur." The robotic voice said.


    ''Ok, now I''m supposed to fall asle-''


    Before he could even finish that thought, Arthur''s eyes grew heavy and he lost all ability to think as he fell asleep almost instantly. Darkness engulfed his vision for a second before it suddenly shifted into a bright white color.


    In a split second, Arthur found himself floating in this white world as if he had wings. Looking down at his body with shock, he muttered one word.


    "What?! Am I inside the game? This feels so real! No, this is reality!"


    Touching his body, Arthur couldn''t feel any different from how he felt in the real world. ''They didn''t lie when they said that this was basically another reality. I can''t tell the difference.''


    "Wee, yer Arthur, to Divinity Online."


    At that moment, the boy heard a beautiful, feminine voice speak to him. Looking up, he saw something he didn''t expect.


    An extremely gorgeous woman had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. She was d in beautiful ceremonial white robes and had two pairs of white wings that made her look like an angel. She had long blonde hair and blue eyes that made her appear ethereal and divine.


    For a second, Arthur admired this beauty as she was by far the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.


    ''Damn, I already like this game and I didn''t even y it yet.'' He thought to himself as he blinked.


    "I shall take your information. Please rest still." The woman added coldly as she extended her hand. A ball of energy formed on her palm.


    Arthur didn''t know what that meant but he followed her orders. He already realized that this was perhaps an NPC they integrated into the main menu if this could even be called a main menu.


    "Please, do whatever you want to me, Miss Angel." He said with a smile as he extended his arms.


    "It is done." Retracting her arm, the angel replied.


    "Oh, already? So quick." Saying that, Arthur''s vision was suddenly assaulted by something.


    [Name: Arthur.]


    [Age: 16.]


    [Height: 160 cm.]


    [Weight: 55 Kg.]


    [IQ: 95.]


    [EQ: 150.]


    "What the hell?!!" Reading through the weird blue boxes that just appeared in front of him, Arthur waspletely shocked. No, shocked was a light word, he was bbergasted. "What is this?!"


    "I have created your profile. Please confirm the information so that we proceed." The angel replied casually.


    "..."


    ''I have been¡­ I feel like I have been vited. What the hell is this profile? Why is my IQ 95?! She called me stupid in such a roundabout way! I didn''t consent to this!''


    Feeling like he was about to cry, he looked at the angel. "Uh, Miss Angel?"


    "Please confirm the profile." She replied coldly.


    "But¡­"


    "Confirm the profile."


    "Can I at least change some details?"


    "Divinity Online is the second reality, changing appearance or integrated information isn''t allowed at the current stage." She replied.


    Arthur pursed his lips before he sighed. ''They''ve really been faithful to this ''Second Reality'' motto. Fine, if I''m gonna have my own body here, so be it!''


    "I confirm."


    "User has confirmed the profile. Creating Avatar." The Angel said in a rather robotic tone. Then, the system windows shifted in Arthur''s vision. Now, there was a holographic 3D image of a boy.


    He was rather short with a skinny stature, he had very dark ck hair and bright blue eyes. He wasn''t particrly handsome or cute, but he wasn''t ugly either. Just a very in young man with no features worth noting.


    ''Wow, that is quite literally me. They got me down to the smallest details!'' With an awe-struck look, he examined the appearance of his Avatar. Even the smaller details like e and moles were there.


    "Please confirm the Avatar."


    "I confirm."


    After saying that, the holographic image vanished and the woman retracted her hand again. "Avatar has been registered. Thank you for your cooperation."


    After saying those words, the Angel suddenly vanished from sight as if she was never there in the first ce.


    ''So cold? What was that for?''


    [Ding!]


    [Profile has beenpleted.]


    [Information has been registered in the database.]


    [Assimtion process initiated. Please don''t leave your capsule.]


    The boy read the new notifications with interest. A secondter, his body suddenly started emitting a bright blue light. The light started from his legs and spread up to the rest of his body. He couldn''t really feel anything weird so he assumed this was a normal procedure.


    For almost two minutes, he floated in his ce, waiting for the assimtion to finish.


    [Assimtion processpleted sessfully!]


    [Connection initiated!]


    [Ding!]


    [yer Arthur has been connected!]


    [Time left before release: 3:25:45.]


    "Hmm, three hours, huh? Well, that''s exactly midnight." He muttered. "I guess there is no point in staying here then. I should go eat some dinner and get ready."


    With that in mind, Arthur looked up and said. "Log out."


    The moment he said those words, his eyes suddenly opened and he was back in the real world very quickly. Looking around him, he didn''t feel as if he had been asleep as there was no drowsiness or sluggishness. It was as if his mind had suddenly traveled somewhere else and then came back.


    ''This is so weird. But, I don''t hate it! I might get addicted to that feeling even!'' He thought to himself as he opened the capsule and stepped out.

 Chapter 4: Chapter 4- Class Options

    After that, Arthur went to eat some dinner. Although the entire kitchen was filled with serum, he somehow was able to reach the fridge and pull out a noodle packet. After that, he quickly prepared a simple meal before he sat down on his old couch to watch TV.


    ''Holy¡­ Every single channel is talking about the game. Even news channels that aren''t rted to gaming kept talking about this game every single day. However, the information they have about the game before its release is minimal if non-existent.''


    The secrecy around this project was perhaps the strongest anyone has ever seen. Not even Divinity Corp''s public records led the reporters to any possible leaks or even information about the world, the lore, or the gamey if it can even be called gamey.


    However, that wasn''t a negative thing as that made the aura around this mysterious game even more interesting. Everyone wanted to know what awaited them inside that world. Perhaps they would find things that would transcend theirprehension or even more mysteries they had to unravel.


    In either case, Arthur was one of those people who looked forward to the adventure aspect of the game. The glimpses of Divinity Online''s world were already analyzed frame by frame and some theories already formed about the world and its stories.


    But, nobody could conform to none of those theories.


    ''Now that I think about it. Those streamers are going to be the ones to benefit the most from this.'' Opening his old phone, Arthur checked the streaming app to see what was happening. Watching live streams was something he did regrly so he knew a lot about it.


    "Well, look at that. Someone already has 3 million live viewers and the game is still three hours away. I wonder how much money they''re making." He sighed. "Probably more than I could ever even imagine."


    ''Well, Divinity Online promised a real-life currency exchange so people are most definitely going to get extremely rich and extremely popr due to this game. Maybe¡­ I would be one of them?''


    The moment he asked himself that question, he felt an urge tough. "Like that would ever happen, hahaha! Well, if I can at least make some allowance from this, I would be satisfied. I''m not in it for the money either way."


    With that, Arthur continued eating the noodles and watching the TV. Many celebrities were talking about how they were going to y it. Nobody Arthur knew wasn''t interested, it was almost as if Divinity Corp had everyone held in a chokehold.


    After finishing the food, Arthur quickly took a cold shower and changed clothes. Then, he went around the house doing chores and finishing everything he would usually do before getting into the game.


    ''I luckily don''t have work tomorrow so I might spend the entire day ying if I can.''


    After he was done with everything he wanted to do, Arthur sat down and stared at the clock. He didn''t even feel like using his phone or watching TV with how excited he was. Time passed slowly until it was a few minutes before the release.


    "I''m gonna wait the rest of the time in the capsule." He muttered as he opened the ss door and went in. A few secondster, the boy found himself in that same white world again with the holographic window floating in his vision indicating the time left before the worldwideunch.


    [Time left before release: 0:01:30.]


    "Ok,e on, I''m ready!" He said as he sat casually in the emptiness. Time ticked by, very slowly until it was only a few seconds before theunch. That was when Arthur finally lifted himself up and got ready.


    [Time left before release:0:00:15.]


    His heart rate slowly increased as he watched thest ten seconds with anticipation. He was so excited he didn''t even bother to make any stupidments. This was perhaps the biggest thing he wished to experience ever since he was born. Not even seeing his parents again felt as desirable as entering this world.


    [Time left before release: 0:00:10.]


    ''I''m finally here. I will make sure to enjoy every single second of it.''


    "I hope this adventure will indeedst me a lifetime." He smiled widely, his eyes shing with a myriad of emotions.


    [Time left before release: 0:00:00.]


    [Ding!]


    [''Divinity Online'' officialunch!]


    [Wee, yer Arthur.]


    [Please choose your ss.]


    A series of notifications assaulted Arthur''s eyes. At the end of them, he saw a long list of names he had to choose from.


    "ss, huh? I guess that''s expected from An RPG. There are a lot of sses."


    The first thing Arthur noticed was that the sses were separated into four main categories: ''Melee sses'' which include sses like Knights, Pdins, Samurai, Vanguards, etc. Then, there are ''Arcane sses'' which include Battle Mages, Defensives Mages, Spellweavers, Pyromancers, etc. Then, there are ''Stealth sses'' which include Assassins, Thieves, Nightdes, Shadowdancers, etc.


    Finally, there were ''Support sses'' which included Herbalists, Healers, Combat Medics, Commanders, Chemists, and Scavengers.


    All in all, the variety of sses surprised Arthur. He easily counted 50+ sses, each with their unique name and role.


    ''Hmm.'' Rubbing his chin, Arthur tapped on a random ss. Immediately, a new window opened that exined to him the ss''s role and its stat distribution.


    [ss: Knight


    Description: Knights are stalwart defenders and paragons of chivalry, specializing in heavy armor and meleebat. They''re skilled with a variety of weapons and capable of withstanding significant damage. They have a bnced battle style so they shine in most situations.


    (Basic Abilities):


    Swiping sh: Quick and effective sh that does 20% extra damage upon contact.


    Victory Roar: Increase defense and offense upon use by 15% each. Lasts 15 seconds.


    (Basic items):


    Iron Sword: A normal yet robust iron sword. It has a long range and a bnced build.


    Iron Armor set: A normal yet robust armor set. It negates 10% of all physical damage and 5% of all Magic damage.


    Stats:


    Health: 15


    Strength: 14


    Agility: 9


    Stamina: 14


    Mind: 2


    Presence: 1


    "Wow¡­ This is a lot to take in." Reading through the ss exnation, he realized how deep this goes. Even the basic ss had such deep details behind it.


    So, Arthur started skimming through the sses, reading each one that he found interesting. The variety of sses really showed the range of this game. He was certain nobody would be like another person no matter how much they tried.


    Each yer will have their unique build and their unique y style.


    "Hmm, what should I choose for my ss? It''s definitely going to be offensive, though. I like to deal damage." He muttered.


    Although the rest of the categories were interesting, Arthur was still a battle-oriented yer at heart. He liked the feeling of dealing damage and being at the far front, killing enemies. So, he started looking more into the offensive sses, trying to weigh their pros and cons and trying to link them with his style of ying.


    A few minutes passed and Arthur only felt even more lost. He really liked so many of the sses which made choosing a single one even harder. Eventually, he decided to go with one particr ss.


    "Well, I guess the best ss is Knight. It not only has the most bnce, but it can also possibly have way more possible variations down the line. As much as the other sses sound more special, I want something versatile." He muttered.


    He had considered every possibility and the only wise answer was to choose the Knight ss. So, with that in mind, Arthur finally looked at the confirmation button. Then, he tapped on it.


    ''Finally, it''s time to actually y the game.'' He thought to himself as he smiled. "Let''s see what this game is all about."


    However, instead of the world around him shifting, Arthur was suddenly met with something he never expected at all.


    [Ding!]


    [ss selection failed!]


    "What?" Arthur frowned. "What do you mean failed?"


    [Ding!]


    [Divine Bloodline has been detected.]


    [Ding!]


    [Special ss has been revealed.]


    [Special ss has been automatically selected.]


    [Blood Monarch.]


    The boy looked at the series of notifications with his mouth hanging open. He was inplete confusion.


    "... Huh?!"

 Chapter 5: Chapter 5- Blood Monarch

    The boy had to take a few seconds to register what just happened. He didn''t quite understand why his ss selection failed.


    ''What is this ''Divine Bloodline''? What the hell are they talking about?'' Frowning visibly, he blinked. ''Is this¡­ Wait, this awfully sounds familiar. I have seen such things happen before.But, they almost always happen in fictional stories. The protagonist would somehow be special and get something only he would ever get. Is this simr to that?''


    Although it sounded veryical, Arthur couldn''t find another exnation. But, that didn''t make it any less shocking.


    "It can''t be¡­ You have to be joking with me¡­" The boy muttered as the possibility started weighing on him. The despair shed in his eyes. "You can''t make me the protagonist! I don''t want that!! What the hell?!" He yelled.


    ''No, no, calm down, Arthur. This can''t be true. It must be some kind of feature that came with the capsule since it''s a deluxe version. I''m sure everyone else is getting a special ss. I can''t be the only one.'' He tried to calm down with a nervousugh. ''I don''t want to be a protagonist-like person, please.''


    As much as Arthur was a fan of fictional stories, he was never really someone who liked protagonists. Most of them had this perfect ideology of being the hero at every moment and trying to save everyone. However, he personally didn''t think that was something he wanted to be.


    Arthur simply wanted to y the game and do whatever he wanted. Saving others was never something on his list.


    "Oh man, this is such a horrible situation. Sigh¡­" Running his hand through his hair. "Well, this nonsense has been forced down my throat so I can''t do anything. God! Why did you do me like this? I''m nothing but a small fry that wants some fun!


    ''Blood Monarch'', you could''ve not chosen something that doesn''t sound like the fantasy of a 7-year-old boy?''


    However, he naturally received no response.


    "Oh well, if that''s how it''s gonna be, fine. I don''t care anymore. I will take this stupid ss." With a low grumble, Arthur tapped on the ss.


    [ss: Blood Monarch


    Description: The Blood Monarch is the ruler of all that is living. With a swipe of his hand, blood moves and stops. He is invincible in battle, boasting horrifying close-range and far-range abilities that can wipe out an entire army.


    (Basic abilities):


    Blood Eater: Absorbs a percentage of the dead target''s stats upon usage.


    Blood w: Create a w out of blood, that could be used in fights. Itsts 20 seconds and can be used multiple times.


    (Basic Items):


    Sanguine de: A red cursed sword that deals physical damage and has a chance to heal the wielder a portion of the damage dealt


    Blood Hero''s Ring: A ring symbolizing glory, granting a small boost to Presence.


    Stat distribution:


    Health: 12


    Strength: 12


    Agility: 8


    Stamina: 10


    Mind: 12


    Presence: 13]


    "Oh my god, this looks so powerful!" With a surprised look, Arthur read through the ss. Even though he was already aware this was some kind of secret special ss. It still hit him hard.


    "The abilities and items sound really cool! But, uh, it''s a little disturbing that it''s all blood-themed. I guess I will have to learn to deal with blood." He muttered.


    What was more alerting, however, was the description of the ss itself. Reading through it, Arthur could only purse his lips. It felt as if he was reading something really ominous rather than an RPG ss.


    ''This ss does sound weird. It seems to be very battle-oriented. At least that''s good.''


    The more Arthur examined the ss, the more he started to like it. Although he was still very apprehensive about the ''Divine Bloodline'' thing, he really had no idea how to actually know why this happened.


    "Maybe the game will reveal something to me." He muttered as he finally looked at the confirmation button. "Whatever it is, I will get to know it at some point."


    With that in mind, he took a deep breath and hit the confirmation button. "Now, can the game start, please? No more unwanted surpri-"


    Before he could even finish his words, the world all around him suddenly shifted. The white color vanished and was reced with pure darkness. Then, that darkness shifted again and became blue, then red, then yellow, and slowly went from one color to another.


    Arthur''s vision was assaulted with all these colors, and yet it didn''t feel straining for his eyes. In fact, he was quite mesmerized by it. It was as if he had somehow entered a world of rainbows.


    Eventually, all of that died down and Arthur found himself in darkness again. However, this time, he wasn''t alone anymore. The angel he met earlier had manifested in front of him like a godly being.


    Her aura was still as scared as ever and it only brought Arthur to feel impressed. ''They really nailed down the aura. I can feel it as if I''m really standing in front of an Angel.''


    "Wee back, yer Arthur."


    "... Hi!" Arthur waved at her with a smile. "Are you here to help me?"


    "Indeed. I am here to guide you through the introduction to Divinity Online." She said with a cold expression. "I am the Angel Fermen."


    "Fermen? Oh, nice name!"


    The woman ignored hispliment and continued. "Are you ready?"


    "I was born ready." Arthur grinned which made Fermen nod her head before she lifted her hand up and snapped her fingers together. The sound of it reverberated across the entire empty world as if there were walls around them.


    Then, in a very swift and seamless manner, the dark worldpletely changed again. This time, Arthur found himself somewherepletely different.


    "Woah!!" Looking down, Arthur realized that he was now floating in the sky, near the clouds. Beneath him, he saw a vast green world that stretched as far as the eyes could see. His vision was filled with the green ins, the beautiful colossal mountains, the massive cities in the distance, and even some of the creatures that passed beneath him.


    The sight was a little familiar. "The world¡­"


    "Wee to the world of ''Divinity Online'' or ''The Divine Realm'' as it is called."


    "The Divine Realm¡­" Arthur muttered the name as he kept looking around him. ''Looks very Divine to me. It''s almost like I just entered some kind of sacred world.''


    "The Divine Realm has existed for millions of years. Its size is unknown for its inhabitants as no one has reached the end of it yet. However, what is certain is that this world had secrets far beyond what anyone canprehend." The Angel exined as she lifted her fingers up. "However, this world hasn''t always been like this."


    *SNAP*


    The moment she snapped her fingers, the scenery beneath Arthur suddenly changed to something far darker. The sky turned a terrifying shade of red and the greennd became a barren wastnd. He could see fire and destruction everywhere.


    "..." The boy frowned. ''War?''


    Beneath him, countless creatures seemed to be in a raging battle. The sound of screams and blood being shed filled his ears as massive abominations sted everything into smithereens. Screeches of unknown origins echoed everywhere.


    "Thousands of years ago, the Divine Realm was submerged inplete chaos. War ensued between all the races and countless souls died. All for one single purpose." Fermen said.


    "What purpose?"


    "Look behind me." She said.


    Since he had been focused on everything happening beneath him, Arthur didn''t realize the presence of something truly captivating behind Fermen. In the far distance, he saw a gigantic structure that pierced the sky and reached beyond the clouds.


    The structure looked man-made, but its existence alone perhaps contradicted that idea. The giant tower-like structure was so tall, that it put everything humans built to shame. With his eyes alone, Arthur could see that the tower was dozens of kilometers long.


    "What is that?" He asked with a curious look.


    "That is one of 7 unique towers. They are called ''The Shard Towers''. Inside that tower is one of the Great Shards, left behind by a dead God."


    "..." Arthur listened carefully to Fermen''s exnation.


    *SNAP*


    The Angel then snapped her fingers again and the scenery changed. Right in Arthur''s retina, 7 figurespletely clouded in darkness appeared out of nowhere.


    "A very long time ago, A supreme entity created this world, and with it, seven Gods were born. Since each God was supreme in their own right, their powers were naturally unimaginable. So, to make sure nobody tries to steal that power, each God hid their power in a Shard away from anyone''s eyes. With that, a long Age of peace started.


    These Gods ruled their own people and regions, spreading peace and prosperity everywhere. Until one day¡­"


    As Arthur was examining these unknown figures, Fermen continued exining. But, when she reached that point, her voice grew more serious, and along with it, the seven figures vanished like mist.


    "The Gods vanished never to be seen again."

 Chapter 6: Chapter 6- First Step Village #487

    The information Fermen dropped captured Arthur''s interestpletely. "Vanished? How did they vanish?"


    The sudden twist in the story was something he half expected. After all, if wars were waged amongst all kinds of races for these Shards, it meant their original owners were no more. However, it was still unexinable how Gods can vanish.


    ''Aren''t Gods supposed to be invincible?'' He thought to himself. "Did they get killed?"


    Looking at Fermen, he realized that the Angel wasn''t focused on his words. Instead, she continued. "After they vanished, all races in the Divine Realm tried to get their hands on these Shards. War infested every corner of the Divine Realm and death became the sole constant people believed in." She said.


    "..." Arthur pursed his lips.


    "Thousands of yearster, the world had regained its peace with some of these shards were obtained by the strongest creatures. But, that could perhaps end anytime now. The greed of those who seek power is limitless and there are still shards out there with no owner."


    "... I assume that''s where we enter the equation. The yers, I mean." Arthur replied. Everything the Angel had said seemed to point in one single direction.


    "Whatever you desire to do, yer Arthur, it is all up to you. However, bear in mind that each action has its consequences, and those consequences could be dire. The Divine Realm is as mystical as it is dangerous."


    The words Fermen said sounded more like a piece of advice rather than a Lore exnation. That naturally surprised Arthur since he didn''t expect to hear the Angel give him anything more than that. She didn''t even answer the questions he had. Still, he smiled and nodded his head.


    "I will keep that in mind." He said.


    The Angel didn''t give any visible reaction to his words and simply lifted her hand again. "The exnation is over. I shall transport you to the ''First Step'' region now. I wish you a long journey, yer Arthur." She said.


    "Wait a second!" However, Arthur called for her, only for the Angel to ignore him and snap her fingers. For a moment, nothing happened and then, Arthur''s body started slowly descending as Fermen watched him.


    The speed of his descent was slow at first, but then quickly increased. In a matter of seconds, Arthur was flying down at an incredible speed, like a shooting star.


    "WOAAAH!! I''m not a fan of heights!!" As he was falling, he threw his arms everywhere as a natural reaction. But, he eventually calmed down and realized that he was right above what seemed to be a small vige in the middle of a vast forest.


    Eventually, he made contact with the ground. However, surprisingly, there was no huge explosion or even a powerful impact. Instead, Arthur was gently put on the ground like a mother carrying her child.


    Standing up, the boy looked at the sky with amazement in his eyes. ''That was crazy!! What kind of powers does she have I wonder.'' He thought to himself as he finally looked down.


    However, the sky above him was now empty with no traces of that Angel left. So, he quickly lost interest and finally shifted his gaze to the ce where hended. The vige was quite beautiful, with stone roads that stretched as far as the eye could see, coiling around the small buildings.


    He could see some vigers moving around, going about their day as if no one had just fallen from the sky right in the middle of the vige. However, what surprised Arthur even more was how realistic everything looked. From the people to the buildings to the dirt on the side of the road.


    Everything looked so real that if he didn''t know this was a game world, he would''ve never guessed that it wasn''t. "They have actually done it. A Full Immersion, fully realistic game. This is the future!!" Laughing to himself, Arthur was about to finally check the very first thing an RPG yer would check.


    However, before he could do that, someone suddenly fell to the ground next to him. The boy flinched as he looked at the neer. Then, not that long after, another one descended on his left. Then, another one, and another one.


    In quick session, dozens and dozens of new yers descended to the ground all around him. Meanwhile, Arthur watched with amazement. The numbers were rapidly increasing and filling the entire za.


    "What was that?!"


    "I almost had a heart attack."


    "He could''ve warned me before that!"


    He heard annoyed grumbling from the yers around him. They also quickly and curiously started examining one another.


    ''They have health bars above their heads.'' He thought to himself. Right above each yer''s head, there was a red health bar. But, there was no name and no level, just a health bar.''


    It didn''t take long for people to start talking to each other.


    "It seems the rumors were true, huh." One yer said.


    "You didn''t know? It seems not everyone is ying on the same server. The number of yers is too huge to do that. That is why there are at most millions of yers ying in this server like us." He exined.


    ''Oh, different servers? I guess that makes a lot of sense.''


    Even with their technological advancement, trying to shove billions of yers into one single server is impossible. No server could handle that level of traffic.


    "But, still, why are there only a few hundred people here? Where are the rest?"


    "Look guys, open your main menu!" One girl suddenly eximed as she looked at the air in front of her with a surprised look.


    Saying that, everyone naturally did what she asked, including Arthur. He assumed the way to open the menu was to simply think of the word and that seemed to be the case.


    [Profile]


    [Map]


    [Inventory]


    [Log Out]


    "Oh! there is a map." Arthur muttered as he tapped on it. Almost immediately, a bigger window opened in front of him. In it, he saw a huge map, most of it made out of grey color, obstructing many areas. To the side of it was a set of detailed coordination indicators. The only spot that wasn''t obstructed was the ce where his ''yer Marker'' was.


    It showed a color, highly detailed map of the vige which turned out to be surprisingly big. When Arthur focused on the vige, something else popped up right above the vige map.


    [First Step Vige #487]


    "Oh!" Immediately, he understood everything. "It''s not a single vige. There are many viges like this one. Probably scattered around this entire region?"


    This concept wasn''t foreign. Beginner viges are usually more than one as the number of yers can''t fit in one small vige. It seemed Arthurnded in the First Step Vige number 487.


    ''Which means there are at least 487 viges. If each one takes one to two thousand yers, that''s close to one million yers!''


    Then it hit him. If there are that many viges or even more, then how big was the First Step Region?


    Just trying to briefly imagine what made Arthur''s head hurt and the map didn''t show him the entire region yet, probably pushing him to explore in order for the map to be revealed. The others seemed to realize that too as Arthur noticed the excitement in their eyes.


    ''Fermen didn''t lie when she said nobody reached the end of this Realm yet. Even what is supposed to be a beginner''s region, is probably unimaginably huge!'' Without realizing it, the boy had a wide grin on his face.


    "All for me to explore." He licked his lips.


    After that, Arthur closed the map and looked at the rest of the options in the main menu. There was surprisingly no settings menu for some reason. So, he decided to check the first one, his profile. He wanted to know what kind of stuff he was working with, and perhaps find out even more about how this world''s system worked.


    After all, the ss selection was but a small dot in a huge pond and if they were this thorough with the world design, then he was certain the system was going to be perfect.


    [Name: Arthur]


    [Gender: Male]


    [Level: 1]


    [Main ss: Blood Monarch (Locked) 1/10]


    [Rank: SSS]


    [Secondary sses: None]


    [Main Abilities: Blood Eater (Level 1)/ Blood w (Level 1)]


    [Secondary Abilities: None.]


    [Stats:


    Health: 12


    Strength: 12


    Agility: 8


    Stamina: 10


    Mind: 12


    Presence: 13]


    [Bonus Points: 5]

 Chapter 7: Chapter 7- All Eyes On Me

    "Oh!" Arthur was quite surprised by what he saw. The system panel was quiterge with a lot of information and new things he didn''t see before. Apart from his name, gender, and level which were quite normal to see. What caught his attention most was his Main ss and its rank.


    ''This ss is SSS-Rank?! What the hell?! Does that mean it''s the rarest ss possible? Or are there rarer sses?''


    Even when he tried to think it through, he could only reach one single conclusion. He had been given an extremely powerful ss. He still didn''t see what kind of effects it was going to give him, but he was certain Blood Monarch was going to be something out of this world.


    ''But why? Why was I given something like this? It has something to do with that Divine Bloodline thing. In what world do I have a Divine Bloodline? I was born to two normal parents in a normal city. Hell, even if I had a Divine Bloodline, it probably got ruined by the sheer amount of instant noodles I consumed in the past few years.


    Divine Bloodline, more like Noodles Bloodline.'' Heughed to himself.


    There was something about it that didn''t sit well with him no matter how much he tried to ignore it. But, with no other choice, he simply decided to leave it at that.


    "Well, there seems to be a Secondary ss section. I guess I can require a plethora of sses rather than stick to one. Maybe they''re far weaker than the main ss which made them secondary." He muttered. "Hmm, other than that, it seems there are secondary abilities too other than the main ones given by the ss."


    Arthur was already excited to try these abilities since he was certain they were quite amazing purely from their description.


    "The stats are also as expected, except, it seems I''m given 5 points to allocate in my stats?" He asked himself.


    This wasn''t a foreign concept to Arthur but, he still had to stop for a moment and think. ''Should I use these points now or wait? I can''t say for sure.''


    Both options had pros and cons so he found it hard to decide. In the end, he simply chose to leave that forter. He knew that he had to first try and see how his body worked in this world and then make a choice.


    With that, Arthur finally made the profile window vanish and he tapped on the second option which was the inventory. Immediately, he was met with another window. However, this one was square-shaped and divided into equal columns, totaling 20 columns.


    "Very typical inventory." He muttered. "Hmm, my items are stored in here."


    Looking at the first 4 columns were upied by four different items. The first slot had what seemed to be a red potion with the number ''3'' in the left-down corner and the words ''Healing Potion +1'' hovering right above it. The second one was a blue potion with the words ''Mana Potion +1''.


    "Hmm, three health and mana potions. That''s useful." He muttered. Naturally, Arthur tapped on the health potion. Almost immediately, the potion manifested in his hand out of nowhere.


    "Woah!" The boy was taken aback by the sudden urrence by then looked at the potion closely.


    [Health Potion +1


    Description: A potion that restores 5% of health upon consumption.]


    "5%? Well, that''s not a lot. I guess that exins why it''s only ''+1''." Arthur rubbed his chin and put the potion back where it came from. Then, he pulled a mana potion.


    [Mana Potion +1


    Description: A potion that restores 5% of mana upon consumption.]


    "Ok, this is fair. Though, since I only have three of each, I can''t recklessly use them. I have to make sure to only use them when I need them the most."


    The third and fourth items were a red sword and a red ring. The two were the basic items given by the ss. Tapping on the sword, it manifested in his hand. The sword was rather long and looked awfully close to a katana except it had a chipped and uneven de that had a very dark red color.


    Its handle was ck with thick fiber wrapped around it for better grip.


    "So cool!" Arthur muttered as he examined the sword''s de and even the ck sheath. ''I like this.''


    [Sanguine de


    Rank: E


    Description: A red cursed sword that deals physical damage and has a chance to heal the wielder a portion of the damage dealt.


    Type: Tachi Sword


    Damage Type: Physical


    Damage dealt: 60


    Special Ability: Gives a 5% chance of restoring 5% of the yer''s health.]


    "Hm, this is actually really nice. Though, the chances aren''t looking that good. It is still going to be very useful in long battles against multiple enemies, I suppose."


    The sword was clearly better against many enemies as that''s when its true power would appear and could be crucial if Arthur''s health was down and he had no potions to drink.


    With that, Arthur put the sword back in storage and pulled the ring out. The item was quite small, perfect to put on his index finger. As for its appearance, the ring was a mix of red and ck with beautiful engravings all around it that gave it this mysterious glow which added to its charm.


    [Blood Hero''s Ring


    Rank: E


    Description: A ring that symbolizes the glory of an old hero, grants a small boost to Presence.


    Type: Jewelry


    Special Ability: +5 points in Presence when worn.]


    "Hmm, that''s good. Though, I wonder what Presence means. It''s the only stat that I don''t know much about. Is it aura?"


    The word Presence sounded vague to Arthur, but he suspected it had something to do with someone''s Aura as that is also a part of their Presence.


    "Well, it won''t harm me either way." With that Arthur shoved the ring into his index finger. "Nice, this looks good on me. Hehehe, talk about fancy."


    However, before he could even appreciate the ring fully, he suddenly noticed something. Looking up, he saw several eyes looking at him silently. These eyes belonged to the yers around him.


    At the time Arthur was focused on his items and profile, many yers started moving to explore the vige. However, there were still some yers that didn''t move. But, nobody seemed to care about him at first, until now.


    ''Why are they looking at me like that?'' He frowned.


    The curiosity in their eyes was clear as day. For a second, Arthur was confused. But, he quickly realized something.


    ''Is it the effect of the ring? Am I more noticeable now because my Presence stat increased?'' He asked himself. The boy couldn''t say for sure. But, he didn''t want to stay there and confirm either as he decided to start moving.


    Attention was something Arthur didn''t like that much. He wasn''t a shy person, but he also didn''t like to be in the limelight for long, especially in such a ce where he could be attacked by other yers.


    ''Though, it seems this vige is a safe zone so I should be safe for now. But, when I leave the vige, that can''t be guaranteed any more.'' He mused as he looked over his shoulder. Many yers were still looking at him but nobody spoke to him.


    "All eyes on me, huh." Heughed to himself and hurried his steps. "Well, who cares? Time to explore the vige and find something interesting!"


    As Arthur walked, a wide grin appeared on his face. The time for his most anticipated thing had arrived. He could finally start exploring the Divine Realm. This massive and mystical world was now right in front of him, in its full glory, waiting for a curious fellow toe along and explore it.


    The boy was more than d to be that curious fellow.

 Chapter 8: Chapter 8- Tropes Are a Pain

    Walking through the bustling streets of the vige, Arthur was fascinated by what he witnessed. All the people around him looked very realistic in the way they behaved, walked, and even spoke. There wasn''t a single instance where he thought that this was fake, or perhaps this looked quite like a game.


    Everything was nailed down to a degree where he started questioning how this was humanly possible. It simply felt far too real to be a game. Yet, by some kind of miracle, it was indeed a game and the proof was right in front of him.


    The world felt like it waspletely detached from him, moving on its own, whether he existed or not. He was but a new part of it and he liked that feeling.


    ''Their attire is also what I would expect from a fantasy world. I have the same clothes too.'' Looking down at his own body, Arthur was d in brown pants and a brown shirt which was a very typical peasant attire in a fantasy world.


    But, Arthur really didn''t find it that demeaning to wear it. If anything, he felt like he was actually a part of apletely different world now and he was now but another viger going about his day.


    However, there was one single problem with that logic.


    "Hey, beautiful, wanna have fun with me?!"


    "Look at him, goddamn! His face has so many details! I can even smell his stinky breath!"


    "How do you even create something like this out ofputer code? This is wild!"


    ''It would''ve been a goddamn good fantasy to live in if it wasn''t for these dipshits!'' Arthur clicked his tongue with a re.


    Looking around him, Arthur noticed several yers surrounding some vigers while examining them as if they were some kind of exotic animal.


    "M-Mommy! What are they doing?" One of the viger little girls asked her mother with a worried look.


    "Shh, don''t look at them, honey. They''re the ''Gifted''. Let''s move." The mother put her hand on her daughter''s mouth and pulled her away.


    "Gifted?" Arthur heard that and raised an eyebrow. "Did she just call the yers gifted? Now that I think about it, how do these vigers see us?"


    With a frown, Arthur focused on the vigers passing by. That was when he realized that something really weird was happening. The vigers were staring at the yers with a mix of fear and respect. It was a very distinct look so Arthur was able to read it rather quickly.


    ''Gifted, huh¡­ Is that the term they chose for us to represent the new yers? Well, that does make some sense.'' He thought to himself.


    Still, Arthur had some questions about it. For example, did the vigers have the same powers as the yers did? If not, then how do they get stronger? Then there was also the notion of these ''Gifted'' people. How are they integrated into the lore of the world? What was their purpose or role?


    He did ask Fermen that question and the only answer he received was that he could do whatever he wanted while keeping in mind the consequences of his actions.


    A lot of questions and no answers. Arthur wished to ask one of these vigers, but he felt that perhaps, they wouldn''t give him the answers he wanted. So, he decided to put these questions aside for now till he cane across someone who can answer them.


    With that, the boy ignored the weird fellow yers and continued his exploration of the ce. On the way, Arthur noticed many distinct shops that sold a plethora of things like food, clothes, and even weapons.


    Many yers naturally entered these ces to explore. Seeing the sheer number of these yers, Arthur immediately decided to ignore these shops. He didn''t like crowded areas.


    ''I will just find somewhere else to look for a quest or something.'' He shrugged. Looking at the yers around him, he noticed the urgency in the way they walked as if they wanted to reach something as quickly as possible.


    "I could never understand for the life of me why people hurry when they''re ying RPG games. It is supposed to be a slow burn. Just enjoy the moment instead of trying to level up as fast as possible like some power-hungry protagonists in cheap stories." He rolled his eyes. This behavior was quitemon in this particr genre of games.


    People liked to get stronger as fast as possible as if it was some kind of challenge and forget the most integral part of an open-world game, which was exploration.


    Arthur wanted thetter, and while doing it, he would get stronger too. He wasn''t aiming to be the strongest yer in the world or anything like that. He left that to those people who like to stand out and be the heroes of this story.


    ''I would happily give them the role of heroes even in my own story. Take care of the trouble for me while I enjoy the side stuff.'' Heughed to himself as he walked. However, before realizing it, the boy had found himself on the other side of the vige.


    Some yers were moving left and right, but the numbers had dwindled as most yers perhaps found some quests in the more crowded areas of the vige.


    "This seems to be a rather calm ce." He muttered as he looked around him. The streets around him had turned quiet. The beautiful sun cast its light upon the buildings and the trees nted across the entire path. The fresh air Arthur breathed felt quite rejuvenating and fulfilling. Even the weather wasn''t too warm nor too cold, indicating that it was perhaps the spring season in this region.


    "That''s good."


    Since Arthur had no actual destination, he decided to start moving into the more remote areas of the vige and he immediately found the best path to actually go through. To the side, there was a small alley that led somewhere. Yet, nobody seemed to have gone there yet.


    ''Hmm, ok, we can start there I guess.'' He shrugged and walked into the alley, vanishing from sight rather quickly.


    "This is some really tight alley, goddamn. I can barely fit in it." He muttered as he continued walking. At the end of the alley, he found two paths that went to his left and two to his right. With no actual indication of what to do, he decided to choose a random one.


    Then, for the next several minutes or so, Arthur kept walking left and right, going deeper and deeper into the more remote areas of the viges. The walls of the houses and buildings closed upon him from both sides and only left two possible paths for him, either move forward or go back.


    After what seemed to be a dozen or so turns, he found himself in front of a dead end. But, surprisingly, at the end of it was a small shop with an old hanging sign above it.


    The boy stood there for a while with a nk expression. Then, he sighed and said. "Isn''t this too obvious? I get that exploring can bring me to areas people haven''t reached before, but this is too goddamn obvious! A shop in a remote area of the vige. I bet there is some kind of entric old man inside that will give me this insane quest and I will earn a really good item from it."


    Arthur had seen too many instances of this happening for him to ignore it. He didn''t know if this was a deliberate setup from the developers or not, though.


    "But, even if this looks obvious. Who am I to deny such an opportunity? If it''s a good quest, I might do it." He smiled and started walking toward the shop.


    On the sign, Arthur read ''Open'' indicating that the shop was avable for customers. However, he still didn''t know what the shop even sold as the rest of the sign had weathered away rather quickly.


    So, with no other option, he opened the wooden door and walked inside. However, before he could even look at anything or register anything, he was assaulted by something.


    *BOING*


    Something soft hit his face and made him fall back to the ground.


    A//N: Thanks for reading.

 Chapter 9: Chapter 9- Seductive Lady

    ''Soft!'' Arthur frowned as he fell to the ground. He didn''t know where this sudden attack came from, but it certainly took him by surprise. So, as a natural reaction, he quickly put his hand on the soft thing.


    *BOING*


    "What the hell is this?" For some reason, the softball was clinging to his face so hard that he almost couldn''t breathe. So, he used both hands to pull it away and look at it. Immediately, the boy''s eyes met the eyes of the creature in his hands.


    "A cat?" He frowned. ''No, it has three goddamn eyes and two horns! This isn''t a cat!''


    The ball of soft white fur looked awfully close to a cat. But, it''s three red eyes and two long horns changed that idea really quickly.


    "GRRRRR!!" The creature red at Arthur before it suddenly wed his arm.


    "Ouch!"


    The boy immediately let go of the cat before it ran away as fast as its round body could. So, Arthur quickly stood up. His hand was now bleeding and he did feel some pain from it.


    ''Shit, I forgot this game has some pain receptors.'' He thought to himself. ''They said it''s only around 10%, but this still does hurt.'' Touching the red blood, Arthur could only whistle in surprise. The details of the blood were extremely realistic as it dripped from his hand.


    "Ragdoll, didn''t I say not to attack customers? We barely get any, you little rascal!"


    At that moment, the boy heard a feminine voice speak from the other side of the shop. Looking up, he saw a woman walk out on him and for a second, he was stunned by her beauty. She looked quite older, at least in her 40s with a rather seductive aura around her that he couldn''t quite grasp.


    She wore tight clothes that wrapped around her body beautifully and she held a cigarette in her hand as she walked toward him slowly. Her short brown hair and weirdly alluring brown eyes made her appear quite enticing.


    ''A mommy! This is a freaking fantasy mommy!'' Arthur thought to himself. Although he was quite amazed by her beauty, he quickly snapped out of it and regained hisposure.


    "Hm, what do we have here? Oh my! A cute boy!" The woman said as she looked at him with a small smile on her face.


    "Uh, good evening." He said. "Are you open for customers?"


    "Of course. How can I kick a cute boy like you out?" With augh, she squeezed his cheek and then turned around and started walking back. "So, what are you here for, kid?"


    "Uh, what do you even sell here?" He asked as he looked around him. The shelves of the store were all empty with nothing to show.


    "Hmm, take a guess." The woman grinned as she threw herself on the chair and smiled at him. "If you guess correctly, I will give you a reward~"


    Before Arthur could even answer, he heard a ringing sound in his head.


    [Ding!]


    [Quest detected.]


    [Difficulty: E


    Objective: Guess what the unknowndy is selling


    Reward: Unknown.


    Penalty: Unknown]


    [ept.][Refuse]


    ''Oh! This is a quest?! Wasn''t that a little too easy?!'' Arthur blinked in surprise. He hadn''t expected the first few seconds of talking to this woman would get him a quest. He barely did anything worth mentioning.


    But, since he received this offer, he wasn''t going to refuse. Even though the penalty was quite weird, he didn''t really care much.


    ''ept.''


    After tapping on the button, he looked at thedy and smiled back. "Ok, let me take a guess. Wait, how many chances do I have?"


    As he spoke, he approached the counter. The woman''s eyes shed with a curious look before she put her finger on her plump lips as if she was thinking. Then, she replied. "One attempt~"


    "Isn''t that a bit too stingy?" The boy didn''t look surprised at all.


    "You have to earn my reward, boy~" She retorted. "What is a reward without earning it?"


    "Tsk, ok fine, one chance it is." With that, Arthur started examining the entire ce with his eyes. A few moments of silence passed before Arthur finally turned to look at the woman.


    "So, what is it?"


    "This ce feels quite hotpared to the outside world. I can also smell some fire burning somewhere."


    "Oh." The woman''s curiosity peaked as she leaned forward. "Which means?"


    "Which means the most logical conclusion is that you''re probably a cksmith or an Enchanter since they''re known for having to deal with fire regrly. It can''t be a herbalist since there is no smell of nts or herbs." He said. Arthur still remembered all the sses he could''ve chosen before starting the game so he knew of the existence of these two particr professions already.


    "Is that your guess?" The woman''s smile widened.


    However, Arthur surprisingly shook his head. "As I said, that would be the most logical conclusion. But, something you should know about me is that I like to think outside of the box quite a lot."


    Then, Arthur put his hand on the counter. "You''re indeed a herbalist even though it doesn''t seem like it."


    The two stared at each other silently for a few moments before the woman finally closed her eyes and then startedughing. Her soft voice sounded quite pleasant for the ear.


    "I already like you quite a lot, kid."


    "Haha, I like me as well." Arthurughed. The two continuedughing for a while before the woman finally spoke again.


    "Unfortunately, I''m not a herbalist."


    "..." Immediately, the boy''s face froze. "... You aren''t?"


    [Ding!]


    [Quest failed.]


    "Huh? Hold on a second! You aren''t a herbalist?!"


    "No. Though, that was a really good guess." She replied.


    "... You have got to be kidding me. I looked so cool right there for a good few seconds!" Fcaepalming, Arthur put his head on the counter. "Can''t I have my moment? You could''ve lied, you know?"


    The womanughed again and tapped his shoulder. "I am not that good of a liar."


    ''Great, my first ever quest ended up with a failure.'' He mused. It was quite the anti-climactic ending.


    "So, what do you do, really?"


    "I''m a scroll maker." She replied. "I create and infuse scrolls with spells and abilities." She replied.


    "A scroll maker, huh? That is interesting. What about the fire burning in the other room and the smokey smell?"


    "I was making lunch." She replied. "I have been looking forward to this soup for a while."


    "Wow, I lost my reward to a goddamn bowl of soup!" Arthur cried inwardly at his horrible luck.


    "Aww, don''t be sad now, little boy. I didn''t expect your response to be that entertaining. You made this olddy''s day."


    "What about my reward, dammit! I could''ve gotten a free ability!"


    "You could''ve indeed. So, what''s your name?" The woman asked.


    "I''m Arthur. What about you?"


    "Nina. People like to call me Nina around here." She extended her hand and shook Arthur''s hand. He could feel her soft and smooth skin even from her hand.


    "I''m new around here, by the way."


    "Mhm, I have heard the Gifted are arriving today. You lot are quite an interesting bunch. You''re making this olddy quite excited for the future."


    "Oh, why is that?" Arthur asked curiously.


    "Of course, hearing about these particr individuals with godly powers that descended upon the Divine Realm to change it. I like that idea. I have always been an avid reader of folk tales and heroic deeds of the long past. Perhaps that age is starting again." As she spoke she kept idly moving back and forth on her chair while smoking her cigarette.


    Meanwhile, Arthur was absorbing the bits and pieces of information she was saying. ''Godly power¡­ Change the Divine Realm? I''m sure this isn''t just a coincidence. Everyone in this world possibly knows of our arrival.''


    The fact all these vigers were aware of it, including Nina had added even more questions to Arthur''s mind. The rabbit hole was slowly going deeper even though he barely started the game an hour ago.


    "So, tell me, Arthur. What purpose brought you to my humble shop? Are you perhaps looking for something?" Nina changed the topic and asked.


    "Hm? Oh, well, I''m here for two things. One is exploration, and the other is¡­ I would love to do something if you need my help. That is with a reward in mind, of course."

 Chapter 10: Chapter 10- Rustling

    "Hm hm hm. So you''re looking for a task to get paid for? How many coins are you asking for?" She asked.


    "Not necessarily money, if it is something useful that I can use then of course, I would love to do anything." He said. A quest was a quest, and the reward could be anything good as long as he had some kind of use for it.


    "Well, I don''t necessarily have anything I need at the moment¡­ Hmm¡­" The woman seemed to fall into deep thought as if she was trying to remember something. Then, her eyes seemed to light up as she smiled. "Wait. I do have something I need."


    "Really? What is it?"


    ''Potential quest triggered!'' He thought to himself.


    "Well, I have been making some soup, you see. But, I have run out of Blue Vaper Mushrooms. They aren''t essential for the dish, but they add a really good taste and I was a littlezy to go out and gather some from the forest. I would appreciate it if a strong, capable boy would do that for me, hm?~" She whispered seductively.


    "Hmm, mushrooms, huh? Sure, how many do you need?" Although Arthur was excited to try to fight monsters in this world, he knew he had to start with simple stuff first and then make his way up slowly.


    "Ten mushrooms."


    "And what is my reward for that?" He asked again.


    "Well, why don''t we keep that a surprise? I''m sure you will like it when youe back~"


    The boy stared at the smiling woman with squinted eyes before he nodded slowly. "Ok, I will trust you."


    [Quest Detected!]


    [Difficulty: E


    Objective: Collect 10 Blue Vaper Mushrooms. (0/10)


    Reward: Unknown


    Penalty: None.]


    [ept][Refuse]


    ''ept.'' After tapping the button, Arthur turned around and started walking to the door. "Where are the mushrooms exactly?" He asked as he opened the door.


    "Leave the vige from the northern gate and walk 10 minutes north and you shall find them. They are very noticeable and easy to harvest. So, it shouldn''t be that hard." She said.


    [Ding!]


    [Map marker has been updated!]


    The moment Nina finished her sentence, a notification appeared in Arthur''s retina. Reading it, he quickly opened his mouth, only to realize that a red marker had appeared in a particr area not that far from the vige. However, the map itself hasn''t revealed any of the grey areas yet.


    ''I guess I have to go there and reveal it myself.''


    With that in mind, he bid Nina farewell and walked out. "Well, that was a fruitful encounter, I think. Let''s see what this quest will give me. Hopefully something useful.''


    He moved out of the small alleys and back into the main streets of the vige. Then, from there, he headed straight north. He eventually found himself in the bustling area of the vige again where all the yers were. Everyone seemed to have already started forming teams and talking about quests and stuff they found.


    ''Humans and their abilities to quickly form social rtionships are such fascinating creatures. I could never understand that for the life of me.'' He mused as he watched the different groups of yers around him.


    Arthur had some social skills that helped him be a normal person, to some extent. But, apart from a few friends he made in school, he had never actually found any meaningful rtionships thatsted a long time. No best friends, and certainly no girlfriend.


    He wouldn''t say he didn''t want to have either of those things, but he simply never found the incentive to actually do that. People his age seemed to have thisser focus on achieving both of these goals for some reason that he could never understand.


    "Oh well, who am I to judge them? I barely talk to anyone myself." He shrugged as he continued moving toward the main gate. There, he saw many yers already heading out, clearly going to explore the forest and perhaps start their grind.


    "We''re going to go out and hunt some monsters!" One yer said to his group. "I''ve heard some already went out and found weird-looking wolves roaming the area. They seem like an easy target so we might get a few levels."


    ''Wolves, huh? That sounds interesting.'' Noting that information, Arthur left the vige and found himself right in the embrace of Mother Nature. The beautiful greenery and the giant, sky-piercing trees filled his vision with their giant leaves. Rays of light pierced through the cracks, casting a divine hallow on the glistening des of grass.


    The sound of birds chirping in the distance and the subtle wind that moved through the entire forest. It was a picturesque scenery of nature in its purest, most natural form. No, far more than that.


    ''This is¡­ gorgeous.''


    The Divine Realm had added this amazing charm to the forest. He didn''t know what made it look and feel better, but Arthur was certain of it. The forest was far more beautiful than any other forest on Earth, at least from the ones he had seen.


    "They really put extreme love and care into building this world. This is far beyond meticulous and even exceeded the realm of perfection." He muttered as he walked deeper and deeper into the forest.


    On the way, he kept looking around him, searching for any animals. However, the forest was as quiet as it could get. There were some exotic nts and flowers he noticed along the way but they didn''t seem that important or interesting.


    Ten minutester, Arthur stopped and looked at his map. That was when he realized something.


    "Oh, some of the maps had been revealed to me." He muttered. Looking closely at it, a particr part of the map, precisely the part he had just passed through was now visible, with clear topography and details. "I guess anything that Iy my eyes on, bes a part of the map."


    The sheer precision of this mapping was quite surprising too as it precisely only showed him where he was and where he looked and nothing else.


    "Ok, let''s see¡­ Blue Vaper Mushrooms¡­" He muttered as he started looking around and walking in the area. Eventually, the boy found several blue nts scattered around the bases of many trees. Picking up one of them, he looked at it. The mushroom was quite small with a round clear blue cap and a darker blue base.


    [Name: Blue Vaper Mushroom.


    Type: Fungi


    Description: Amon mushroom, grows around Silver wood trees. Has no side effects.]


    "Hmm, yeah, these are very normal mushrooms. Even the system can''t find anything interesting about them." Arthur muttered as he started picking them up and putting them in his inventory. There was no shortage of these things around him so the process was swift and quick.


    After he was done, he turned around to head back. Although he wanted to explore more of the forest, he wanted to finish the quest first and then get busy with that. After all, whatever he acquires from Nina could give him another boost of strength.


    At that moment, Arthur''s vision suddenly shifted a little. Right in the top left corner of his vision, three bars appeared. One was red, one was blue, and one was green. Next to the red bar, he saw ''437/437'' and next to the blue one which was considerably shorter he saw ''70/70'' and finally, next to the green one which was a little longer than the blue one, he saw ''98/98''.


    "Oh, is that? That''s my health, mana, and stamina bars, aren''t they?" He frowned. He could easily recognize those three colors as they were quitemon to use in RPG games. However, what made him confused was.


    "Why did they appear now? They haven''t been there the entire time." He muttered. He already heard some yers saying that the health bar would only appear if the yer themself thought of it. However, the only time it does appear on its own was¡­


    "When the yer is inbat." Muttering those words, he heard a rustle in the trees and bushes behind him.

 Chapter 11: Chapter 11- What You Don’t Expect

    Arthur immediately stopped and looked back with a frown. He felt his heart grow colder as he realized something was about to appear. He didn''t know what it was yet since he just realized that he wasn''t alone.


    ''Is it one of those wolves?'' He thought to himself as he slowly opened his inventory and pulled his Sanguine de. Arthur had never touched a sword in his life before so he didn''t really have any idea how to use it properly. All the knowledge he had was from watching fictional characters use swords.


    "Well, most of them probably were not correct techniques. But, I still get points for looking cool." He muttered as he tried to calm his beating heart. Being faced with his potential first enemy since he stepped into this world, Arthur was naturally really nervous and even a little scared.


    Even though deep down he was aware that this was just a game and that he wasn''t going to actually get harmed if he fought it. Still, this world simply felt far too real for him to actually pretend as if he wasn''t in a very dangerous situation.


    "Shit, I''m already sweating!" Wiping his forehead, the boy red at the rustling bush and said. "Goddamit! Just show up and stop this unnecessarily nerve-wracking situation. This isn''t a cheap B-Horror movie."


    When he uttered those words, something finally jumped out of the bushes. However, upon witnessing it, Arthur''s face froze. The thing that showed up wasn''t a monster, nor a terrifying creature. Instead, it was a rather small deer-looking creature withically long antlers that were twice its height.


    The creature looked quite beautiful with colorful fur that was a mix between sky blue and white dots. Its big clear eyes were like two ck pearls that shone under the sun.


    "... Hey there, little buddy. You really gave me a scare right there." Arthur said as he exhaled a small breath. ''Damn, that''s actually a really beautiful deer.'' He thought to himself.


    The creature appeared quite majestic evenpared to real deer. In any case, Arthur was a little relieved that it wasn''t a bunch of wolves as he knew that would''ve been quite a dangerous situation.


    "Oh well, I''m not hunting you down. You get to live, buddy." Arthur shrugged as he was about to turn around and go back to the vige. However, at that moment, the deer suddenly did something he didn''t expect.


    Opening its mouth, the deer started making weird noises as if it was coughing or struggling to get something out of its throat. A few secondster, the coughing finally brought whatever was stuck out.


    Arthur''s eyes moved to the thing and he immediately stopped again. For the next few seconds, neither side made a sound. Then, Arthur slowly pointed at the thing and asked the deer.


    "Uh, my deepest apologies, but I need to ask. Is that a bone you just coughed out? A really bloody bone?" He gulped a mouthful of saliva as a dreadful feeling washed over his body. No matter how he looked at it, that was a long bone the deer just spat out and it looked surprisingly bloody but with no flesh on it.


    The deer stared at him silently the entire time. Meanwhile, Arthur didn''t know how to react, so the first thing he thought of was to smile.


    "H-Hey man. There is no need to be violent ok? I''m just here for some mushrooms and then I''m leaving. You seem to have enjoyed a very delicious meal. Haha¡­ Ha¡­" With that, he started slowly stepping back not to alert the weird deer. Looking into its eyes, he could only see a rather terrifying glimpse of something he didn''t understand.


    It was not a beautiful creature anymore, this was a monster!


    *CRACK*


    As he was stepping back, Arthur didn''t notice a small branch behind him and he cracked it with his foot. Immediately, the rather calm deer perked its head up as it stared directly at him.


    Then, it opened its mouth again, far wider than before and revealed a set of extremely sharp teeth that should''ve not been inside the mouth of a deer. There were so many of them aligned around its mouth like a bloody chainsaw. After that, as if it lost all peace, it released a loud, monstrous screech that pierced Arthur''s ear.


    ''Oh, goddamit.'' The boy immediately realized that he had screwed up and to prove him right, the deer tapped on the ground twice and then started charging at him at top speed. Its long horns were pointing straight at him.


    "Goddamit, goddamit! Goddamit!!" Arthur immediately started running as fast as he could. The deer followed after him, slowly closing the distance. "Why is it this fast?!"


    Arthur had 8 points in agility which was his lowest stat out of everything and it was less than the average so the deer was able to easily overpower him in terms of speed. In matter of seconds, he found himself barely a few meters away from it.


    ''I can''t keep running!'' With no other way around it, the boy suddenly halted and turned around to face the deer. A secondter, the monster reached him as it thrust its antlers forward.


    But, the boy quickly jumped to the side, barely dodging the attack. Rolling on the ground, hended on his feet before he pulled his sword out of his sheath.


    ''I''m d I''m notpletely useless athletically. Also, this body feels weirdly better to move in than my normal body.''


    Although it was a minimal difference, Arthur could feel this body being more responsive than the real one. It was as if this body waspletely ready for sudden and fast movements rather than the sluggishness he was ustomed to.


    The deer continued its charge, smashing into a tree before it pulled out and stared at Arthur. Thetter had already stood up and unsheathed his sword.


    "You really won''t make it easy on me, huh? Fine! I wanted to fight a badass wolf as my first monster but I guess it''s going to be a carnivorous deer!" Clenching the handle of the sword, he took a deep breath. The two stared at each other with clear animosity.


    Then, as if they agreed on it beforehand, the two charged at one another. Arthur yelled at the top of his lungs and swung the sword down sluggishly. The de shed with the antlers violently.


    Almost immediately, Arthur felt the impact of the hit on his arms and body as his muscles and bones shook. Even that 90% pain reduction didn''t fully get rid of the sudden numbness that assaulted him.


    The deer yanked its head up, pushing the boy back as it lunged at him. As a quick reaction, Arthur grabbed the antler not to let it stab him. But, he still couldn''t stop it from making contact.


    ''Ugh!''


    The antler hit the upper part of his chest, almost piercing the skin. Meanwhile, his health bar had taken a little bit of damage, indicating that he had been hit. The deer struggled to get out of his group while Arthur lifted the sword up and stabbed it from the side. The long cut through the air and pierced the deer''s side.


    The monster screeched as it started moving even faster, hitting Arthur with its antlers and yanking his body left and right as the two brawled on the ground.


    ''This isn''t what I was nning!!'' The boy was struggling to regain control while trying to stab the monster every time he could. Blood was gushing out of both of them with the deer sustaining considerably heavier damage.


    ''It''s chipping at my health bar! I need to kill it before it kills me!''


    What was first a battle of strength had quickly boiled down to who could kill the other faster. The two were struggling to fully overpower their target.

 Chapter 12: Chapter 12- First Kill

    The struggle continued for over a minute as the two rolled on the ground as if they were two brawlers in apetition. Neither seemed to haveplete control yet. However, that situation was quickly changing.


    Since Arthur hadn''t sustained any extremely heavy damage, he was able to retain most of his strength as he slowly restrained the deer. Meanwhile, the monster was already bleeding profusely from multiple injuries so it was noticeably growing weaker by the second.


    But, that didn''t mean that the boy wasn''t in a huge problem. His health bar has been constantly getting damaged since the fight started and it was getting closer and closer to the danger zone. Even though there was no actual damage on his body that should''ve been lethal, Arthur would certainly die if he didn''t kill the deer quickly.


    "Why are you so¡­ annoying!!" At this point, Arthur was feeling really frustrated. He had been rolling in the mud and dirt for two minutes straight trying to kill it while stabbing its side and yet the deer seemed to have endless vigor as it didn''t stop fighting even when its side was punctured like Swiss Cheese.


    The boy''s calm demeanor was gone and he was nowpletely enraged. He hadn''t expected the fight to be stretched for this long. He was feeling threatened and on the edge. He didn''t know what to do at that moment except for stabbing the monster as fast as he could. But, thetter wasn''t giving him that many opportunities.


    ''What should I do? Dammit, it''s not giving me that many chances, you know!'' Clenching his teeth, Arthur yanked the monster to the side. However, at that moment, he suddenly remembered something. ''Right! I have that, don''t I?! Why didn''t I use it from the goddamn start?!''


    With no time to waste, Arthur fought his way out of the brawl and jumped on his feet. The deer also stood on its feet and faced him. Their eyes stared at one another angrily.


    "You bastard! I have tried to be peaceful with you. Now, I''m going to show you why messing with me isn''t all fun and games!" With a loud yell, Arthur lifted his hand up. ''I don''t know if this is how you do it. But, well, I guess it''s time to try.''


    Closing his eyes for a moment, Arthur suddenly felt a rush of mysterious energy course through his body like a raging river. The energy seemed to appear out of nowhere as it moved up to his hand.


    At the same time, the blue bar in the corner of his vision went down by almost 40%. However, the boy didn''t care about that as the next second, something mesmerizing happened. His hand which looked normal a second ago was suddenly covered with a thick red liquid.


    The liquid manifested out of thin air and wrapped around it like a cloth of some sort, going from the wrist up to the tips of the fingers. Reaching that point, it extended up, forming extremely sharp ws at the end. The transformation didn''t take a second and the result was a mesmerizingly cool set of bloody ws like that of a terrifying beast.


    "Holy!!" Arthur found himself at a loss for words. "This is so cool!! Blood w is no joke! You see this, Mr deer?!" Arthur looked at the creature with a grin. Thetter seemed confused at first but then it snapped out of it and dashed toward him at top speed.


    Perhaps it felt the threat that came from this sudden appearance of a bloody w. But, Arthur didn''t feel any pressure as in his right hand was the sword, and in his left hand were the ws.


    The two closed the distance between each other and shed violently again. The sound of the sword hitting the antlers echoed in the entire forest. However, this time, Arthur used a different approach. Instead of trying to overpower it, he let the antlers slide off the sword to the side.


    Granted, he had no actual technique to perform such a move to perfection so he sustained considerably heavier damage. His health bar reached the 40% mark. However, he ignored it as the next second, he moved to the side, and with his left hand, he shed at the deer.


    The ws moved on its skin, tearing it apart with shocking ease. It was as if they were cutting through soft butter. Immediately, blood gushed out of the injury like an endless tide, covering Arthur''s body. The monster screeched so loudly, that it almost ruptured the boy''s ears then, it suddenly fell to the ground, shaking and struggling.


    In a matter of seconds, a giant pool of blood umted around the dying deer before it stopped movingpletely.


    Meanwhile, Arthur heaved up and down as he stared at the dead monster with a shocked expression. "One¡­ hit?"


    His eyes slowly shifted to the bloody ws with shock. All it took these ws was one hit and the monster was immediately dead. He didn''t understand how that was even possible, but it somehow was.


    "These ws¡­ They''re insane!! The damage is ridiculous!" Laughing to himself, Arthur watched as the ws vanished a few secondster since their time ran out.


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed a level 2 Fanged Deer.]


    [+3 Strength, +2 Mind.]


    [You have gained +110% experience points.]


    [Ding!]


    [You have leveled up!]


    "Oh, nice! I already leveled up!" Reading through the information, Arthur was delightfully surprised. "So that bastard was a level 2 monster. No wonder it was almost stronger than me."


    Looking up, Arthur also noticed that his health bar, mana bar, and stamina bar all had returned to their max. "Leveling up resets them, huh? Well, good to know."


    Rubbing the back of his head, he finally sat down and exhaled a long breath. Closing his eyes, he tried to calm down. "That was unnecessarily dangerous for a first fight. Couldn''t I get like a weak rabbit to hunt for my first-ever kill? Did it really have to be a goddamn man-eating deer with a chainsaw for teeth and a telephone pole for antlers?"


    Laughing to himself, he looked at the dead animal. Surprisingly, it hasn''t disappeared yet as he would''ve expected from an RPG game. Instead, something else appeared in his retina after he finished reading the notifications.


    [Dead target detected.]


    [Would you like to use ''Blood Eater'' ability on them?]


    [ept.][Refuse.]


    "Hmm, interesting. So the Blood Eater works on its own without me needing to do anything. That would be really helpful. If I kill several enemies, I don''t want to go around sucking them all off one by one¡­ No, that isn''t the right word to use, is it?" Frowning, he shook his head.


    ''ept.''


    The moment he tapped that button, things changed. All the blood around and inside the deer suddenly started rippling and moving as if it gained a life of its own. Then, it rose into the air at the same time, forming a giant bubble of blood on top of the dead animal.


    The ball then slowly floated toward Arthur and entered his body through his hand. The boy watched the magical urrence with pursed lips. "Nice."


    [Ding!]


    [You have absorbed the target sessfully.]


    [Absorption efficiency 10%.]


    [+2 Agility.]


    "Isn''t that efficiency a little too low? Well, it''s still level 1 so that is logical. I wonder how many more points I can get from killing something once it levels up."


    The potential of Blood Eater was quite insane. Suppose he considered that most other people didn''t have such an ability in their arsenal, which meant that Arthur was getting far more benefits per kill than any other yer. That difference naturally piles up with time and will naturally make him rise above and beyond everyone else.


    As he was like that, Arthur heard some noise from a distance.

 Chapter 13: Chapter 13- Little Too Dumb, Little Too Smart

    "Is it another one of those things?" Standing up quickly, Arthur took a fighting stance. He didn''t know what that noise was so he assumed it was another Fanged Deer. "I can take on another one, or two even! Come at me!"


    Although he had just gotten out of a brutal fight, his excitement was over the roof. He felt eager to fight even more and kill even more monsters. The feeling was surprisingly addictive and even euphoric. What he wasn''t aware of was that after he gained those stat points, his body had gained more power and that sensation was perhaps the catalyst for his desire to kill more.


    Gaining strength was addictive, and Arthur was slowly falling for that.


    "Hm? Where is it?" After waiting for a few seconds, Arthur frowned. The ruckus could be heard, but nothing appeared in his vicinity yet. That naturally roused his suspicion. Aside from the fact that the noise didn''t sound like it belonged to one of those deers, it was still considerably far away.


    So, out of curiosity, the boy walked toward the source of the sounds, unaware of what was happening. Since the trees around him were quite thick, his vision couldn''t peer through them. So, he had to physically push the leaves and branches out of his way to actually see what was happening on the other side.


    However, the moment he tried to pave a path for himself, several silhouettes jumped out of nowhere.


    "Run!!"


    "Goddamit! They''re still after us!"


    "Why did you fucking anger those wolves, dumbass?!"


    "Don''t me me!!"


    Four boys rushed past Arthur as they yelled at each other. They all had panicked looks on their faces as if they had just seen something terrifying. Arthur blinked in confusion as he looked over his shoulder.


    The group made eye contact with him almost immediately.


    "Who is that?" One asked.


    "Who cares?! Run! He can be a decoy!"


    "W-Wait for us!!"


    ''Decoy?'' Hearing that, Arthur frowned. ''Are they trying to use me to run away from something? Bastards.''


    Arthur didn''t know what was terrifying them, but he certainly didn''t like how he was suddenly turned into bait for them to use. But, before he could even do anything, a few other silhouettes emerged from behind him. However, these weren''t humans.


    "Wolves?"


    "GRRRRRR!!"


    The three silver wolves growled loudly as they looked at Arthur. They were quite massive in size with long fangs that seemed to protrude out of their mouths and sharp eyes befitting a predator.


    "... Wow, three wolves, huh?" Arthur sighed as he took a fighting stance. Although the wolves seemed quite strong and there were three of them, he didn''t feel as threatened as he thought he would. Perhaps after killing that deer, he gained a lot of confidence or perhaps because he was still thirsty for more kills and more blood, he didn''t know.


    "Come at me, one at a time. Or all at the same time, I really don''t care." He said as he channeled his mana, forming a blood w on his left hand with his Sanguine de in the right one.


    "GRRRR!!!"


    As if they took that for a sign, the three wolves rushed at him at the same time. Their speed wasn''t as fast as the deer, but they certainly had more strength in their bodies. Meanwhile, Arthur dashed toward them too.


    ''My speed had increased a little.'' He mused. The change wasn''t that big, but he could notice it.


    The distance between them was cut short in a second as the boy swung his sword wildly. This was the fighting style he decided to use since he had no idea how to handle a sword properly. If he can''t really use it, then swinging it everywhere should do the trick. After all, if he didn''t know what he was doing, then his enemy certainly didn''t know what he was doing.


    Two of the wolves immediately jumped to the side while thest one tried to dodge the attack. However, Arthur grinned and suddenly retracted the de before he swung his left arm, taking the monster by surprise.


    The ws shed its face, leaving a deep bloody mark behind and piercing one of its eyes. The monster shrieked as it fell to the ground, fighting the horrible pain. Meanwhile, the other two wolves took that opportunity and jumped Arthur.


    "Ouch!!" Their fangs sunk into his arms, piercing his flesh from both sides as they started pulling him left and right. His health bar started dwindling down quickly as the damage increased.


    "I''m not your ything, bastards!" The boy yelled as he yanked his right arm out. His strength had reached 15 points which was apparently barely enough to get his arm free. Then, he stabbed the sword into the right wolf, piercing its neck. The animal cried loudly as it jumped back.


    At the same time, Arthur used his leg and kicked the second wolf in the face. The creature tried to fight him back. But, Arthur only needed that one moment of freedom to use the ws. shing down, he cut through the thick fur and flesh, immobilizing one of its legs.


    Using that moment, the boy jumped to his feet.


    ''Dammit, I''m still bleeding and my health bar is going down slowly.'' Clenching his teeth, Arthur took a fighting stance again. Although his arms felt considerably more sluggish since they were injured, he didn''t care.


    Instead, he quickly rushed toward the first wolf and stabbed it in the stomach before it could regain its bnce. The creature howled in pain before dying.


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed level 1 Silver Wolf.]


    [+2 Health.]


    [You have gained +50% experience points.]


    [You have acquired ''Thick Silver Fur.'']


    [Check your inventory.]


    "Not the time for this stuff, man!" Clenching his teeth, Arthur realized that the other two wolves had already stood on their feet again. They were weakened, but they didn''t die yet.


    The boy felt their endless anger and to that, he simply shrugged. "I didn''t attack you first, guys. A little too stupid, you are." He said as licked his dry lips.


    Then, he charged toward the two wolves. He knew the fight was far from over and weirdly enough, he didn''t hate that. In fact, he was enjoying the fight, and the struggle to kill these monsters. It felt quite¡­ exciting, and far away from the boredom he was used to.


    Even though he had just started fighting, he felt as if he belonged to this kind of thing. Even the way he was using his abilities and his sword, as unprofessional as they looked, it still felt as if it belonged to him.


    Arthur felt it deep down, that this ss was somehow integrated into his very soul. So much so, that it felt so natural for him to use it.


    He was slowly bing that very ss he was given.


    *DRIP* *DRIP* *DRIP*


    Standing there, all Arthur could see around him was blood. The three wolves were lying dead in a pool of that red liquid. His own body was dirty from all the blood and injuries he sustained. However, Arthur didn''t feel bad.


    "... This is nice. No, this is far too nice." He muttered as he stared at his sword. He liked it, very much so and he didn''t know why. "I''m acting a little off, aren''t I? I shouldn''t be this much of a bloodthirsty mongrel, right?"


    Even as he asked that question, he knew the answer wasn''t clear. There was something about him that felt different from before and the results of that change were right in front of his eyes.


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed 2 level 1 Silver Wolf.]


    [+3 Stamina.]


    [You have gained +100% experience points.]


    [Ding!]


    [You have leveled up!]


    [Ding!]


    [Blood w had leveled up!]


    Seeing that, Arthur smiled with satisfaction. "Nice, that''s what I''m talking about. Give me all those points."


    As his body was getting healed and his health, mana, and stamina were being restored, he sat down. "Fuuh, I didn''t really think that it would be this tough. My health reached a critical stage. I''m still far from being able to handle several enemies at once. I also don''t know what the hell I''m doing when ites to the Sanguine de. I''m aplete novice in swordsmanship."


    There were a lot of ws in Arthur''s fighting style. In fact, if it wasn''t for his quite entric offensive style, he would''ve not been able to win against these three wolves. He was smart in that approach whether he was aware of it or not.


    ''A little too smart, I might say. Sigh, I need to somehow learn how to use a sword and fight properly or I''m screwed.'' Rubbing the back of his head, Arthur was about to stand up and use Blood Eater, when he noticed some silhouettes appear from beyond the trees.


    The group of boys from before hade back.

 Chapter 14: Chapter 14- Bully

    The group heard the noiseing from the spot where they left the wolves. They heard the cries of the dying monsters and the fight that happened. Then, at some point, it all died down out of nowhere.


    So, out of curiosity, they came to check and see what happened. They were ready to see a dead yer on the ground, being eaten by wolves. After all, there was no way a level 1 yer could kill three wolves on his own.


    Even as a group, they could barely kill one wolf before getting overwhelmed by the three monsters left and they had to make a run for it. But, when they came to the spot, they were shocked to see what happened.


    The three wolves were on the ground,pletely dead and the yer they had seen was sitting in the middle, seemingly unbothered. The two sides made eye contact almost instantly and neither side spoke for a while until Arthur finally lifted his hand.


    "Yo, look who''s back. Did you guys finally grow some balls toe back here?" He asked with a smile.


    "W-What did you just say, you bastard?!" One of the yers yelled angrily.


    "What? Did I make a mistake? A group of four idiots ran away from a fight with three weak wolves. I can say that you guys definitely exceeded my expectations when ites to disappointment." Standing up, he was about to walk away since his matter was done. However, at that moment, he heard one of them speak.


    "Did you kill them?" The yer asked with a frown.


    "No, a ghost appeared and ripped them in half while I was watching."


    "R-Really?"


    "Of course not, dumbass, I did kill them," Arthur replied. "I didn''t want to fight these things, but either way, thanks. They gave me some pretty good stuff."


    ''Ok, now should I use Blood Eater while these morons are here? No, I don''t want them to see it. Should I just make them leave? Or better yet¡­'' As he was contemting his next action, Arthur suddenly got an idea and a wide, evil grin appeared on his face.


    "Now, since you guys are here, I might as well get this over with." Brandishing his sword, Arthur walked toward them. "I don''t like being used as bait for someone to escape. So, I''m going to take a fee for forcing me to fight these wolves."


    "Huh? A fee?" The yers looked at one another in confusion. They felt the underlying threat in his words, but they didn''t understand what he meant.


    "I''ve given you a protection service so I naturally need to get paid, no? That''s how services work." He shrugged.


    "... And what is that fee?" The one at the front who seemed to be their leader asked. He seemed to have chosen a defensive-type ss since he looked like a tank with heavy armor and a big halberd in his hands.


    "Well, it depends on what you have in your inventory. I will check and see." Arthur replied, at the same time his bloody w formed in his hand.


    "This bastard! Are you insane?! We''re four and you''re alone!" One yer said as they gripped their iron sword.


    "Mhm¡­"


    "Just because you killed some wolves, you think you''re now some hot stuff? Know your ce!"


    Feeling the disrespect in his words, the group immediately turned aggressive. They didn''t like how Arthur was disrespecting them. Even if he did kill those wolves, they still overwhelmed him numbers-wise.


    "Let''s get this bastard! Killing him will get us a lot of exp!"


    It didn''t take long for their hesitation to turn into greed. Arthur now looked like a good target for them. They haven''t killed many monsters yet so he could be a very good start. Not to mention the fact that he had just disrespected them, so showing him his ce was a necessity.


    "Ok, are you done?"


    "Get him!"


    The yers rushed toward Arthur at the same time with their weapons up in the air. Since all of them had melee sses, nobody stayed behind.


    ''A long-range ss would''ve been annoying. Ok, let''s see¡­ How should I go about doing this?''


    Thinking for a moment, as if he wasn''t about to get attacked, Arthur finally decided on the best course of action.


    ''Put 4 points into agility, 3 into strength, and 2 into mind.'' He thought to himself.


    Immediately, he felt a strong rush of strength fill his entire body out of nowhere. The feeling was considerably stronger than anything he felt before and it was extremely euphoric. Every cell of his being shuddered with excitement at the notion of getting stronger. He could feel strength seeping into his body from all ces.


    The effectsted one second, and yet the change it left behind was profound. Smiling, Arthur noticed that the yers were already about to attack him.


    ''Ok, let''s see what 4 points in agility can do.'' With that in mind, Arthur instantly crouched before he dashed forward at top speed.


    "What?!!"


    For the other yers, his actions appeared rather suddenly. They didn''t expect him to move that fast and so their weapons missed their target.


    Arthur took that opportunity and stabbed with his sword, aiming for one of these yer''s throats. The de easily pierced the target, exiting from the other side. The blood exploded everywhere as the yer grabbed his throat and fell to the ground.


    At the same time, Arthur shed with his ws at another yer.


    "Stop him!!!" The leader yelled as heunched his halberd down, aiming for Arthur''s head. His heart started racing wildly seeing the sheer speed of this yer. He didn''t even think bing this strong was possible when the game had started less than 2 hours ago.


    Most yers had barely left the vige to start exploring and leveling up and yet a solo yer was somehow already getting stronger at an extremely rapid pace.


    "AGH!" The ws shed the yer''s chest, leaving a very deep mark in it.


    *BANG*


    However, even with his speed, Arthur couldn''t dodge the halberd as it hit his back powerfully. For a second, his vision shook and he sustained considerable damage as his health bar fell by almost 20%. But, he quickly regained hisposure and turned around. Putting his w hand on the halberd, he yanked it away using all 18 points of strength.


    "Wha!!" Before the tank yer could even try and fight back, his weapon was already snatched.


    Arthur then threw the halberd to the side and shoved his leg forward, kicking the boy in the guts, and making him fall to the ground.


    That only left a single yer standing, holding what seemed to be a small hammer. He had apletely speechless look on his face. In just three seconds, his three friends had fallen to the ground. One was already dying while the other two had considerably strong injuries.


    "P-Please, spare me!! I did nothing!!" Feelingpletely overwhelmed, thest yer started running away as he screamed for help. Looking at him, Arthur wanted to chase him but then decided not to. It didn''t seem like it was worth it.


    However, Arthur didn''t seem satisfied as he approached the one with the w injury and stabbed his chest before turning around to the tank yer.


    "Leave me alone!! What is wrong with you, man?!"


    "Hm? What''s wrong with me?"


    "This is just a game, dude. Why are you taking it so seriously?" Crawling back, the boy asked with a pale expression filled with fear. "We''re just having fun."


    "Can''t you see I''m having fun too? This is a whole lot of fun~" Arthur licked his lips as he stared at the boy with a wide smile.


    "..." That look sent a shiver down the yer''s spine. Even though this was a game, and that stare was most likely just numbers and pixels, the sheer fear it sent into his very soul was real, very real. Something was very wrong with this yer.


    "Y-You''re crazy." The tank yer said.


    "Pfft, so funny. I''m not crazy. I''m a very normal,w-abiding citizen with a very boring life. What I am really is something else." He said as he approached the yer and crouched down.


    "You see, my body isn''t really that strong in real life. I''m pretty short and scrawny so I never had this feeling¡­ The feeling of being able to bully someone. Well, I would say many people consider bullies to be veryme and stupid, and I would agree for the most part. But for now¡­" Putting his w next to the boy''s face, he smiled.


    "I''m gonna enjoy being a bully."


    *Swish*

 Chapter 15: Chapter 15- New Ability And Unexpected Outcome

    "*Whistle* Well, that was a rather quick fight, wasn''t it?" Arthur muttered as he looked down at the dead corpses around him. The scene was quite terrifying and the realistic details made it even more ominous. However, Arthur didn''t feel any of that.


    If anything, he liked what he was seeing. It looked like a fine piece of art he just created himself. A very bloody and frankly nightmarish piece of art, but still an art.


    "I consider myself quite the artist, that''s for sure." He muttered with augh.


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed Level 1 yer King98.]


    [You have killed Level 1 yer Soul87.]


    [You have killed Level 1 yer Darkmoon174.]


    [You have gained +75% experience points.]


    [You have gained +2 Stamina.]


    [You have acquired 3 new items.]


    "Oh, I get to receive some of their items too? That''s nice." Arthur smiled as he opened his inventory.


    There, he saw exactly four new things had been added. One of them was the fur of one of these wolves, one halberd, one normal iron sword, and one iron helmet. Checking their stats, Arthur realized that they were all base-level equipment given to each ss. In other words, they weren''t that unique or important to him especially since he already has good equipment.


    "Oh well, I will sell them in the vige for a quick buck." He muttered before finally focusing on thest notification.


    [Ding!]


    [Six dead targets have been detected.]


    [Would you like to use ''Blood Eater'' ability on them?]


    [ept.][Refuse.]


    "... Hmm, one single question I need to ask." He lifted his index finger as he said. "Is it morally ethical for me to absorb the blood of dead humans even if it''s in a game?"


    The question would sound very odd to any other person that would hear it. But, for Arthur, he frankly didn''t care much.


    "I have no reason not to. Who says no to a free gift?" He muttered.


    ''ept.''


    Then, Arthur watched a giant ball of blood form above each and every single dead target before they merged into one singr massive ball. That ball then was swiftly absorbed by Arthur''s hand.


    [You have absorbed the target sessfully.]


    [Absorption efficiency 10%]


    [+4 Agility, +2 Health.]


    [Ding!]


    [''Blood Eater'' has leveled up!]


    Feeling the newfound power, Arthur exhaled a long breath of satisfaction. "This feeling is terrifyingly nice. I don''t think I will grow bored of it."


    With that, Arthur turned around and started walking away from the dead targets. What was essentially a trip to harvest some mushrooms had turned into three brutal fights one after the other. Although Arthur sessfully killed every single thing that tried to attack him and gained a lot of power from doing that, he still hadn''t expected this trip to be such a detour.


    "I wonder what would happen if I go out with the intent to hunt." He muttered as he walked through the thick forest, guided by the map.


    A few minutester, he reached the vige and headed straight toward Nina''s shop. On the way, he found a shop that seemed to sell a variety of things. The merchant inside was a young man in his twenties.


    ''Does he buy things? I would love to sell these cheap equipment and wolf fur.'' Wondering to himself, he walked inside to inquire about it.


    There were some yers in there seemingly for the same purpose. Luckily, the man seemed to be taking their acquired items and giving them copper and silver coins in return. Some tried to negotiate more money for their items, but the man was surprisingly quite hard to negotiate with.


    "Come on man, give me more. These are hard to get!" One yer said.


    "That''s the final price. Either take it or not." The man said as he adjusted his sses.


    "... Tsk!" The yer cursed and took the money before grumpily leaving the shop. The ones after him had no luck either. Finally, Arthur''s turn came and he stepped forward.


    Putting the items on the table, he said. "Price."


    ''Those fools don''t know a single thing about negotiations. Of course, he wouldn''t budge.'' Arthur rolled his eyes as he waited for the man to make a price.


    "4 silver coins and 9 copper coins." The man replied.


    "Make them 8 silver coins and no copper coins." Arthur shook his head.


    "No, eithe-"


    "Are you really sure about that? I mean, look at this. How many yers came with this many items for you to buy? Hm?" Arthur asked.


    "..." The merchant squinted his eyes as he examined the things on the table again. "None."


    "Exactly. Listen, how about this, if you take them for 8 silvers, I will be a loyal customer of this establishment. I can say that I can bring you far more interesting things and for a good price too since you were nice to me. How about that?"


    "..." The man seemed hesitant after hearing Arthur.


    ''I just need one more push.'' Arthur smiled.


    "Well, if you''re that hesitant. I guess there is no point in doing this." Arthur sighed as he picked up the items, ready to return them to his inventory and leave.


    "Wait." At that moment, the man spoke. "I will give you 6 silvers and 5 copper coins. How about that?"


    "8 Silvers or no deal, sir," Arthur said as he turned around to leave the shop. He seemed very unbothered by the entire situation. However, everyone else in the shop looked at him with surprise in their eyes.


    "Fine, 8 silvers. You have a deal." The man seemingly unable to let go of those items, decided to ept.


    ''So easy.'' Arthur grinned as he turned around and walked back to the merchant. "Thank you for your cooperation. You have gained yourself a loyal customer, sir."


    ***


    *CLING*


    "Nice, I have gotten 8 silvers. I still don''t know how the currency works in this world. But, at least I have some money now." As he walked through the street, Arthur yed with the 8 silvers casually while also examining the prices of all kinds of goods around him to gouge the economic state of this world.


    ''Hmm, most foods like meat, fruits, and vegetables are all in coppers rather than silvers. That''s good. I guess weapons are probably no less than one silver even for the cheapest one.''


    As weird as it was, Arthur was starting to understand how it worked. There were some questions on whether this miniature example could be applied to bigger areas like cities but he at least knew that he was on the right path at that moment.


    Eventually, he found himself back at Nina''s shop. It was already afternoon when he reached her since the sun was leaning in the sky toward the horizon.


    "Nina, are you here?" Walking inside, he called for thedy. But, she wasn''t at her counter. So, he decided to wait.


    A few minutes passed with the woman nowhere to be seen. "Nina? Are you here?"


    The boy called for her again but got no response. "Where is she? Didn''t she want these mushrooms for her lunch? It''s way past lunchtime."


    As he was contemting what to do, the door from the other side opened as a head peaked in.


    "Oh, you''re back?"


    "Yeah." Turning around, Arthur responded with a smile. "Where hav-"


    Then, he wentpletely silent and stared at the woman in shock. He didn''t expect what he had just seen.

 Chapter 16: Chapter 16- New Ability

    Arthur blinked as he took in the amazing sight in front of him. Nina, who was already an incredibly seductive woman, was now in front of him, almost fully naked with a towel wrapped around her upper body.


    Her hair was dripping wet and her skin was glistening with droplets of water. Arthur''s mind almost frozepletely when he saw that. He didn''t even know a beautiful woman could make him react like this.


    Surprisingly, a few secondster, he snapped out of it. However, he didn''t know how he was able to regain hisposure rather quickly.


    ''Am I growing desensitized to beautiful women?'' He asked himself. ''I mean, she''s quite literally naked right in front of me. I didn''t even have a proper reaction. Oh no, am I not attracted to women anymore?!''


    Realizing the problem at hand, Arthur panicked for a second.


    "Arthur?" Nina noticed the myriad of expressions he went through in a matter of seconds, from shock to awe, to confusion, and then to panic.


    "Shhh, I''m thinking." He said as he held his chin. ''Technically, I did have a reaction. But, I guess it takes more than this to make me react like I would expect. Oh well.''


    "Ehem." Then, he coughed awkwardly and asked. "Why are you naked?"


    "... I heard you calling so I came to check. Hold on a second, I will change." She said as she turned around and left.


    "I don''t know why, but I''m d I was the one to discover this ce first. It''s definitely one hell of an experience." Arthur muttered as he approached the counter and waited.


    A few minutester, Nina came out, wearing some clothes on her. However, that didn''t seem to hide much of her seductive aura since that didn''t even require her to show anything.


    "So, did you get me the mushrooms?"


    "Of course. I really had to fight for these, you know? I killed one deer, three wolves, and three humans just to get them." He said as he got the mushrooms out of his inventory and put them on the table. He also made sure to sound dramatic for a better effect and perhaps a better reward for his efforts.


    "For these mushrooms?" Nina raised an eyebrow. "Well, that sounds way harder than it should''ve been."


    "I know. I guess these mushrooms are some kind of precious item or something." Arthur smiled. "In any case, here they are."


    Picking one of them up, Nina examined it before she nodded her head. "You''ve chosen some good ones. Thank you."


    [Ding!]


    [You have finished Nina''s quest sessfully!]


    [You have gained +20% experience points.]


    ''Oh, I get experience points for this too? That''s nice.''


    As Arthur was reading the notifications, Nina turned around and walked toward the door. "Wait here, I will bring you your reward."


    "Take your time~"


    ''Finally, let''s see what I can get.'' Arthur mused.


    Although the quest was only E-Ranked, he still expected something useful for his current level.


    "I can''t let my expectations be high. Anything will do as long as I can use it. I wouldn''t say no to an SSS-Rank scroll, though."


    A few minutester, Nina came back to the room carrying what seemed to be three scrolls in her arms. Sprawling them on the table, she said. "Here, I have brought you three different scrolls. You can choose one for yourself."


    "... Three huh?" Arthur raised an eyebrow as he looked at the scrolls.


    "Take a look at them." Resting her head on her arms, she smiled at him.


    "Ok."


    The boy then picked up one scroll and opened it. Immediately, he received a notification in his retina.


    [Wretched Crawler''s Eye: Increases the ability to see in the darkness by 30%. Consumes mana to activate and maintain.]


    "Oh, night vision, that sounds really useful." Arthur rubbed his chin with an interested look. Night vision was a rather simple but extremely helpful ability that could save him in many situations. If he were to hunt in the dark or end up in a dark ce, this could prove to be a very crucial ability to have.


    However, he didn''t immediately choose that and instead decided to check the other options. Putting down the scroll, he opened the next one.


    [Lonesome Warrior''s Howl: Increases physical damage by 30% for 10 seconds. Consumes mana to activate.]


    "Hmm, a physical buff, huh? Not too bad."


    Arthur was aware that buffs are also a crucial part of getting stronger. They aren''t permanent, but they are also very helpful in many situations when Arthur needs that extra boost of strength that normal leveling up cannot fill practically.


    Finally, he picked up thest scroll and opened it to see what it had. He hoped for an ability that looked far better than the others to make it easier for him to choose as the first two are quite close to one another in terms of utility.


    ''Please, give me something really good.'' He prayed in his head and opened his eyes.


    [Blood Arrows: Manifests several arrows of blood that can be controlled. Consumes mana to activate.]


    "Oh!" Arthur''s eyes widened as he eximed. "That''s what I''m talking about."


    "Did you like thest one?" For some reason, Nina''s smile widened as she asked.


    "Yeah, that''s a pretty nice ability," Arthur replied. ''No, this is just perfect for my ss, isn''t it? I literally use blood on everything. Having a long-range blood ability is just perfect for me.''


    Even when he barely saw anything from this ability, the ideas it gave him were surprising. He knew that this wouldplement his fighting style well if it was as good as he imagined it to be. No, it could very much boost his power to a whole new level since he wouldn''t have to worry about targets that use magic or other long-range abilities to defeat him.


    "Ehem, well, it''s settled. I will take this Blood Arrows ability." He said.


    "Fufufu, of course, go ahead." She said.


    Arthur nodded his head and looked at the scroll again.


    [Would you like to learn this ability?]


    [Yes.][No.]


    ''Yes.''


    The moment he thought of that, Arthur felt something enter his head. A flood of information assaulted his brain out of nowhere which gave him new knowledge he didn''t have before. At the same time, the scroll started disintegrating slowly, piece by piece till there was nothing left of it.


    ''Oh damn, I haven''t felt this before. It''s like I''m being taught something without actually being taught something. I know how to use the ability now!'' Arthur thought to himself as he blinked. The knowledge was quite clear and precise, telling him exactly how to manifest and control the arrows.


    It didn''t feel ufortable either being taught the ability this forcefully. It was just a weird feeling.


    "Congrattions, Arthur." She smiled as she pped for him.


    "Thank you, haha. I appreciate this ability. However, isn''t this too much of a reward for just harvesting some mushrooms? I mean, I''m notining."


    "Fufufufu, I did say I will give you a pretty good reward. I was just fulfilling my promise, wasn''t I?"


    "... You certainly did," Arthur muttered as he stared into the woman''s eyes. Something in them gave him a weird feeling. It wasn''t a bad feeling per se, but it did capture his attention. His guts told him that Nina was hiding something but he didn''t know what it was.


    ''Oh well, this is a fantasy world. Of course, everyone has a secret or two.'' He shrugged. If he had to focus on every person that lived in this world and what they lived through, it would be endless.


    "Say, Nina."


    "Mhm?"


    "How much for these two abilities?" He asked.

 Chapter 17: Chapter 17- Bliss Or Nightmare (Part 1)

    "Hm, these are 16 silvers each," Nina replied as she sat down again.


    ''Very expensive.'' Arthur thought to himself. He only had eight silvers so he had nowhere near enough to buy them. "Oh well, it''s fine. I will get some more money ande back for them." He said.


    Nina looked at his face silently for a few moments as if she was thinking about something before she finally opened her mouth. "I can consider a discount or even a free gift."


    "What? You will?" Arthur raised an eyebrow. He didn''t expect her to say that considering the fact that she already gave him a really good ability for 10 mushrooms. Granted, the mission turned out to be harder than he expected, but that didn''t mean that she asked for something hard to obtain.


    "Of course, I am not usually kind. But, I don''t know, I think I like you~" She said with a smile as she cupped her face. "Maybe a bit too much."


    "... I''m sorry, ma''am. But, I am not ready for a woman yet." Arthur replied with a dead-serious expression as if he wasn''t joking.


    "Fufufufu, I wasn''t talking about that, silly." She giggled softly before she turned around and said. "I have met a lot of people in my life, Arthur. Only a handful of them felt like they were worth my attention."


    "Very picky, I see."


    "Exactly. You are one of those few. Something about you is¡­" Leaning forward with a weird look on her face that Arthur couldn''t read. "Mesmerizing."


    "..." The boy blinked in confusion. ''I don''t like to be mesmerizing. This ain''t a beauty pageant.'' He mused.


    "Ehem, in any case, you said you would consider it which means there is a ''But'' somewhere in there."


    "Very smart. Sadly, I can''t really give you something without getting anything in return."


    "Wow, weren''t we just talking about how mesmerizing I am?" Arthur smiled.


    "And I want to see that mesmerizing side of you more." She retorted.


    "... Fair point. So, what is it? What should I do?" Arthur asked. "If it sounds like too much, I''m just going to leave. I might want those skills, but I''m not going to go too far out of my way to get them."


    "Don''t worry, I''m not going to ask for something you can''t do. If anything, what I''m going to tell you now will be very beneficial for you as a Gifted individual. It might even push you beyond those like you."


    "I''m listening."


    "Ok, so when I said that I didn''t have anything I wanted earlier, I was actually lying¡­ A little."


    "Lying? So you''re looking for something?"


    ''Wait, is this an extra extra secret quest?'' Arthur thought to himself. The way Nina was speaking sounded like a secret and it instantly captured his attention after all, what was better than a very secret quest since those always give really good items?


    "Mhm, I am looking for something. But, you see, as easy as it is to get it¡­ I cannot do it myself due to multiple reasons. But, I know for certain that a Gifted like you can do it for me. It''s something within your level of capability."


    "And what is that you''re looking for?"


    "The eye of a young Orc." She said. "It is for something I''m working on but postponed till I find someone who would help me."


    "I see. That''s some weird thing you''re looking for. So, where do I find this orc?"


    "You will have to go northwest till you reach a small but noticeable hill. There, you will find the mouth of a cave that will lead you down to a dungeon. That''s where a small poption of orcs live. There aren''t many of them so it shouldn''t be that hard. Your biggest problem would be the young orc since it''s going to be quite strong. But, I think you can do it."


    ''A dungeon, huh? Well, that is certainly something. I have expected dungeons to exist in this world since it''s an RPG, but am I really ready to go down one? I guess I can only find out one way.''


    "Well, I''m interested. But, I want to know more about this dungeon and these orc creatures so that I can be mentally prepared for them." He said. The key part in all of this was information. If he can get information, then it would be a lot easier to know what to expect when going down an uncharted ce.


    "Of course. What do you want to know?"


    "First of all, what are these dungeons, and why do they exist?" Arthur asked.


    Hearing that, Nina stood up and walked around the table. She then pulled a chair from the other side of the shop and put it in front of Arthur. "Sit down, I will exin."


    The boy didn''t hesitate much and did what she asked. After that, Nina put her chair right in front of his and sat on it.


    "Say, have you heard of the Great Shards?" She asked with an uncharacteristically serious tone.


    "Yeah, I know some things about them," Arthur replied. ''Do I even tell her an angel told me everything I know? That would probably not be a good idea.'' He shook his head.


    "What do you know about them?"


    "That they''re¡­ left by dead gods and that they''re now inside towers scattered around the world,"


    "What else?" She asked.


    "I also know that four of them are taken by different races and three are nowhere to be found. I don''t know anything else beyond that."


    "Hmm, that''s more than I expected. You Gifted people are truly something else." She muttered in an almost impressed tone. "Your information is mostly correct. But, you don''t seem to be aware of the effect these towers had on the world."


    "Effects? Apart from making everyone fight for them?" Arthur asked.


    "I''m talking after that era had long past. When those people finally conquered four of those towers, they triggered something unexpected. All around the regions where these four towers were situated, more monsters started to manifest, and along with them, dungeons formed in unexpected ces. Nobody knew how that happened or why it happened for the longest time.


    However, the reason was eventually discovered."


    "What is it?"


    "Apparently, with time, the towers and their shards infested the region around them."


    "Infested¡­ That sounds ominous."


    "The way it happened, it could not be described as anything but an infestation. They slowly took over every single thing around them like hungry parasites. They embedded themselves into the air, the ground, and even the smallest of living creatures. Then, when they reached a certain level of control over everything, they started spreading whatever they had within them.


    Monsters that lurked within the towers left that ce and invaded the world. Dungeons that were simply a small part of the towers were fragmented and scattered across the world."


    The more Nina said, the more interested Arthur became. This information was extremely important and he could tell that almost immediately. He was listening to a crucial part of the lore that he didn''t know before.


    "Hold on a second. So, dungeons and monsters are all things that only existed within the towers?"


    "Yes. Those towers are far bigger than you might expect. Each floor of them contains entire worlds that you can never fathom." Nina''s voice turned colder at the end. "Worlds that can be your worst nightmare or your most blissful heaven."


    Staring into her eyes, the boy waspletely speechless.

 Chapter 18: Chapter 18- Bliss Or Nightmare (Part 2)

    The atmosphere inside the shop grew a little tense for a few moments. There was no animosity or the such, but the words Nina said were definitely something very serious and Arthur took that as it is.


    "Even to this very day, those towers are being entered by countless people every single day. Ambitious people who seek power. Many of them die and even more end up regretting doing that." Nina continued.


    "Is it that bad?"


    "Let me put it this way so you can understand how dangerous and unpredictable these towers are. Let''s take the tower conquered by humans for example. Its name is the ''Tower Of Slumber'' and when humans were able to pave their way into it to acquire the shard. Do you know how many survived and actually reached it?"


    "Uh, I suppose they walked in with an army, so it should be at least a few thousand people, right?" Arthur asked.


    Purely from that vision, Fremen gave him at the start, he assumed the scales of these battles were in the millions which was something even Earth couldn''t pull off unless the war was on a worldwide scale. Yet, he had seen it with his own eyes, millions had fought on the same battlefield and perhaps even more across the entire Divine Realm.


    ''If the wars killed millions, then at least a few thousand remain who are perhaps the strongest of the human race, no?'' He thought to himself.


    However, what he heard next shattered all of that logical trail of thought he took.


    "No, of all those armies¡­ Only one human was able to reach it."


    Arthur frowned visibly as he leaned forward. "One? One human? Just one?"


    "Yes. Everyone else died." She replied. "The same could be said for the other three races and their towers. Whether it''s a coincidence or not, only one individual of each race was able to enter that tower and acquire the shard. No matter how strong their armies are or how strong each individual is, in every instance, there is just one person who is allowed into the tower. Nobody knows why."


    A cold sensation washed over Arthur''s heart for a moment as he fell into deep thought. ''Now, this ispletely unexpected. If there is only one person allowed in then does that mean the tower chooses who takes its shard?''


    He couldn''t tell for certain, but all indications led to that conclusion so far. Looking at Nina, she didn''t seem to know the answer either so both of them were in the same situation more or less.


    "These towers are extremely dangerous and while taking the shard did make them far easier to enter even for beginners, that doesn''t mean the higher floors are something anyone can take on. In fact, in the history of the Tower Of Slumber, only 5 people were able to actually reach the top after the very first shard bearer was able to conquer it. That is five people across decades of time."


    "..." The more Arthur listened, the more a picture was drawn on his head. ''So this is what the game is about huh? These towers must be the goal the developers set for the yers.''


    Slowly, the entire purpose of this game started unraveling for Arthur. It wasn''t fully clear yet, but he was slowly understanding what the Divine Realm was offering them. If he was right, and in this case, there was a very high chance he was, then that meant that there was infinite power waiting for them.


    ''No, I think far beyond that. If one of these yers actually conquers one of the remaining towers, then they''re gonna acquire far more than just power.'' He frowned.


    It was hard to imagine what could happen or how things would turn out as he was certain people would realize this sooner orter. It wasn''t hard to see the sheer scale of the conflict that could happen.


    ''The strongest yers are going to take this very seriously and that will drag the weaker yers too. Everyone will target these towers, just like how the people of the Divine Realm already did before. Haha, history repeats itself, doesn''t it?''


    "You Gifted people were put into the Divine Realm to shake the very foundation of it. It is said fate is wrapped around your very soul, twisting and turning with each action you do. The day you descended on the Realm is the day a massive change will happen and that day has finallye." Staring beyond Arthur''s face, Nina spoke with a dreamy tone.


    Although her words sounded rather pessimistic, she didn''t look like she felt worried or scared of the uing chaos.


    If anything, Arthur could swear she looked like she was anticipating it with every fiber of her being. However, he decided not to mention it as it was none of his business.


    "Ehem, in any case, I don''t suggest you try and tackle one of these towers yet. At least not before you''re strong enough and confident enough." She coughed with a smile.


    "Where is the closest tower?" He asked.


    "It''s up north, leaving this region, you will travel a few weeks to the nearest city within the Last Empire''s territory. There, you will find your means of transport that will take you to the capital where the tower is." She said.


    "The Last Empire, huh? That sounds poetic." Arthur muttered.


    "It''s the human''sst standing nation and their strongest front by far. Poetic or not, it is indeed the Last Empire, because it is the only one left for humans. Other races aren''t faring any better for the most part." She replied. "It seems when each party is trying to take down the other with underhanded methods, nobody really benefits from that."


    "..." Arthur nodded his head. ''They''re too busy trying to scheme against one another and forgot to try and solidify their foundation in the first ce.''


    "Sigh, ok, I will do this little request of yours for these two abilities." He said as he stood up and stretched his limbs.


    [Quest Detected!]


    [Difficulty: E+


    Objective: Acquire the eye of a young orc.


    Reward: Two new abilities


    Penalty: None.]


    [ept] [Refuse]


    ''ept.'' He thought to himself as he turned around and walked out of the shop. Looking up to the sky, the sun was still there, as shiny as ever. But, he knew that it was already far into the afternoon. It has been a few hours since he started ying and yet, it didn''t feel like hours at all.


    ''I''m really having a lot of fun. So far, the world, the story, and the gamey is something out of this world. I have never felt like this while ying a game before. No, this cannot even be called a game, it transcended that concept from the very beginning.''


    This very world felt real and looked real. There was nothing about it that indicated it was a game except for the fact that it has a leveling system and that he can log out of it. Now, that world felt far closer to him now that he knew more about it.


    He was aware that he only scratched the surface lore-wise, but this surface was so interesting that he couldn''t wait to unravel the secrets lying under it.


    "I feel like I''m living the dream! Hahahaha!" Laughing to himself, Arthur started running with excitement, heading to the vige exit again. However, as he was running, something weird happened thatpletely took him by surprise.


    [GAME WORLD ANNOUNCEMENT.]


    [TO EVERY PLAYER.]


    [Please read carefully.]


    Loud ringing sounds echoed in his head and all around. The boy''s eyes widened as he stopped and looked at the notifications with a frown.


    "Announcement? What is it?"


    Every single yer around him also stopped moving as they looked at the announcement with deep curiosity. This was the very first announcement in the game and it certainly didn''t feel like something unimportant. After all, this was a message from the developer, Divinity corp.


    [It has been 4:00:01 since the officialunch.]


    [New feature unlocoked!]


    [Gifted Ranking!]


    "... Gifted ranking?"


    (A//N: Support the book! Mhm!)

 Chapter 19: Chapter 19- Gifted Ranking

    Arthur could hear confused noises all around him as everyone read the name of this new feature. Nobody knew what it meant for a good few seconds until they read what it had to offer.


    [The Gifted Ranking is a ranking system, created for the sole purpose of ranking all the Gifted yers. The ranking is based on the points they gather from doing quests, killing monsters, and doing general actions the game deems ''Important''. The ranking will be based on a global yer base and on a server-to-server base.]


    Reading through that, Arthur raised his eyebrows. "A ranking of all yers? That came out of nowhere. But, I guess that makes some sense considering the fact that it''s an online game. Still, why four hours after the game started, why not when itunched?"


    It seemed as if the developers were waiting for something to happen before they triggered this feature. But, what was that thing? Arthur couldn''t tell.


    "A ranking?! Now that''s what I''m talking about!" One yer said with a smile.


    "I''m aiming for that top spot, baby!!" Another added excitedly.


    In a matter of seconds, the confusion turned into a rather positive reaction and Arthur knew the reason for that very well. People naturally likepetition, and having a ranking-based system alleviates thatpetition to a whole new level.


    Even more than that, those who are at the top spot not only will gain worldwide recognition, it will perhaps turn them into the richest, most powerful individuals in the world, even beyond the level of actors and singers. This ranking was instantly proving to be perhaps the most crucial addition to the game.


    [Each yer will be given the choice of revealing their names on the leaderboard now. Please keep in mind that this option ispletely up to the yer and nobody can alter or affect that choice. The yer can also change the option and reveal or hide their name as they wish.]


    "With this message alone, they dodged a billionwsuits." Arthurughed to himself. "Even they''re scared of the bacsh some idiots will hail down on them."


    [Ding!]


    [Would you like to show your name on the leaderboard?]


    [ept.][Refuse.]


    "Now, what should I do about this?" Sitting down in the middle of the road, Arthur rubbed his chin. "There are two ways here, either I go the full protagonist route and hide my name, or go the more reckless route and be some kind of celebrity. That is if I will even show up in the rankings in the first ce which is probably impossible." He muttered.


    It was clear from the very moment Arthur read the notification that he had no business trying to evenpete with the top-notch yers slowly rising up. He was just having fun and doing whatever he wanted. Competition was never something he wanted.


    "In that case, revealing my name shouldn''t be a problem. But¡­" He muttered. "I really don''t want to risk it. Even if I''m in the top 10000, that''s still a fraction of the yer base which will make me a celebrity either way. There is no way I''m going to ruin my life just for that."


    Whether it was recognition or love, Arthur had none in his life and he had no ns to gain any. He just wanted to keep to himself and have a lot of fun while he can. In that case, the answer was very clear to him.


    He had no reason to show his name, for now.


    ''Well, I can change that anytime I want so it isn''t that risky of a choice. Refuse.'' He thought to himself.


    [Ding!]


    [Thank you for your cooperation.]


    [Time left before ranking revealing: 01:00. Please choose before the time runs out or the default choice will be to reveal your name.]


    Seeing that, all the yers immediately started choosing. Looking around him, Arthur could easily tell who was going to reveal their name and who wasn''t.


    ''Anyone that looks like they''re edgy and mysterious, they''re going to hide their names and anyone that wants to be some kind of celebrity, they''re going to reveal their name. The funny part is, none of their choices will ever matter just like how mine will never matter either.''


    Everyone around him, for the most part, had astronomically low chances of truly reaching the top. That is one for every hundred million people or so.


    ''Oh well, maybe our hero will appear from this very vige. I''m going to ask for an autograph from them if that''s the case.'' Arthur shrugged as he looked at the sky, waiting for the time to run out.


    Eventually, a minute passed and the notification rang in his head. Everyone wentpletely silent as anticipation grew in their hearts. For a second, it felt like the entire world had stopped for this very sudden moment.


    "Ok, let''s see if I''m anywhere near the top 10 or even 100 thousand. I hope it''s not too low or I will be a little sad." He muttered with a smile as looked at the notification.


    In front of him, arge leaderboard appeared out of nowhere. At the top, it had two options ''Global Ranking'' and ''Server Ranking''. Arthur couldn''t see his ranking yet so he decided to tap on the server option first.


    That was when arge list of names appeared. Each column had the yer''s username, rank, ss, and points. Right at the bottom of it, outside the ranking itself, he saw his name.


    "Ok, yer Arthur¡­ Mhm, ranking¡­" His eyes fell on the number. "Good, I''m number 1. That''s not bad. I actually expected something lo-"


    At that moment, Arthur''s brain froze as he stared at the rank silently. His breath stoppedpletely as if he was frozen in time. His expression was so stunned it appearedical.


    "Rank 1? Rank¡­ 1?" Blinking, he rubbed his eyes to try and see if he was hallucinating. However, he could see it very clearly. Next to his name, he had the number 1 and at the very top of the leaderboard, his name was colored with a bright blue color, indicating that he was indeed above everyone else.


    When all of that sunk in, Arthur inhaled a long breath. "WHAT THE FUCK?!!"


    His scream caught everyone by surprise as they looked at him. That snapped Arthur out of his shocked state and made him cough.


    ''Why the hell am I number 1?! This makes no sense! I''m even 500 points above the second ce! How did that even happen?! I just killed a deer, three wolves, and three dipshits, how is that a thousand points?! Is this game on drugs?!''''


    Looking at his points, Arthur had 998 points while the second ce had 498 points. That made absolutely no sense to him since he didn''t think whatever he had done in the past 4 hours would be worth that many points.


    But, the truth was there, right in front of him and he had to ept it. ''What do I even call this?! What the hell do I even do?! I''m being turned into a protagonist by some bored god or something! I don''t really want that! Goddamit, is it that hard to understand?!''


    Arthur clenched his teeth in frustration. "Curse you, unknown power! I won''t let you screw me over with these cheap tricks!"


    As he was insulting whatever was turning his life around, he tapped on the ''Global Ranking'' to see where he was there.


    "Please don''t be anywhere near the top 10, please!" At this point, all of his assumptions that his rank would be in the thousands had vanished like mist. His only hope for salvation was to not be the number one in the Global ranking.


    Just the idea of being number one amongst billions of other yers was terrifying to him. But, with a hesitant feeling, he looked at his name.


    However, unfortunately for him, things weren''t going as he wanted, at all.


    (A//N: Support The Book! Mhm!!)

 Chapter 20: Chapter 20- The New ‘Persona’

    Looking at the ranking, Arthur gasped slightly. He didn''t see his name in the number 1 spot, or the second spot. Instead, his name was the third one in the ranking. The second spot had 999 points, while the first spot had 1010 points.


    ''I don''t know how I feel about that. Should I be happy that I''m at least not number one, or terrified over the fact that there are two monsters above me?'' Rubbing the back of his head, he sighed.


    What made him even more alert was the fact that the two above him didn''t hide their names as he did.


    ''''Darkmoon'', and ''ckde''. Who are they I wonder?'' He mused. He was almost certain these two had acquired special sses like he did, perhaps sses that were way stronger than his or at least on an equal footing.


    Looking at the rest of the ranking down to the top 100, he noticed that most of them showed their names. He didn''t know if that was just a coincidence or if every single one in the top 100 was an arrogant idiot. Either way, Arthur was one of the very few who didn''t reveal their names, so in a way, he stood out like a sore thumb.


    "I''m the only one without a name in the top 10. Brilliant." Arthur sighed as he stood up and dusted his clothes. ''I didn''t want to stand out, and I had the exact opposite effect. You''re very smart, Arthur. Someone needs to hand you a goddamn award for your massive brain.'' He rolled his eyes and looked around him.


    The entire vige was now even more noisier than ever. Everyone was talking about these rankings, sharing their spot, and trying to spot any known figures in the highest spots.


    "Who is Darkmoon, I wonder? They''re already the strongest yer in the game and it hasn''t been four hours!"


    "There is also ckde. What an ominous name!"


    "Guys, what about the ''Unnamed'' third spot? That one feels far more ominous since they don''t want to even show their names and they aren''t falling that far behind. They''re the number one in this region!"


    He heard countless whispers and talks amongst the yers, and many of them included the unknown third ce in the global ranking. The curiosity of the yers peaked and theories were already forming on the spot.


    Arthur tried to ignore all these talks as he headed to the vige exit. Hearing them talking about him felt really weird. He felt like he was under the spotlight even though nobody knew that it was him.


    He was never ustomed to being the target of attention. He had always been a part of the background and he wanted to keep that same lifestyle as long as he lived. Granted, he was now faced with a rather peculiar situation where he reached a spot where he shouldn''t be, but at least nobody knew him yet so he can keep his private life to himself for now.


    Reaching the exit of the vige, he looked behind him at the masses of yers before sighing and walking away, vanishing into the forest.


    ***


    *In the outside world*


    After itsunch, the entire world directed its eyes to Divinity Online. Those who didn''t enter the game world had to jealously watch how the others were ying. Naturally, the news on TV and all across the inte focused on Divinity Online.


    Many celebrities didn''t wait to start recording their journey in the game, garnering a viewership in the tens of millions.


    However, what started as an already massive event that took over the globe,pletely shifted upon the reveal of the ranking leaderboard. The reaction of the poption was surprise and then immediate curiosity.


    In a matter of seconds, the leaderboard spread across the inte, reaching countless people. Forums were created as people started dissecting the ranking, taking each name and trying to find every single piece of information they could find about it.


    A good number of the top spots belonged to rich upper-ss people and celebrities with impressive athletic abilities. They had the advantage over normal people since they knew how to fight already, and they simply applied their knowledge to the game so their progress was faster than the average yer.


    However, by far, the ones that took the spotlight in terms of attention were the top three global ranking yers. Not only because they''re the very best, but also because they''re now arguably the most important people in the world.


    Especially the unknown number 3. Since they were the only ones that didn''t have a name attached to their rank, they stood out like a sore thumb and the inte naturally saw that as their biggest target.


    "That rank 3 is really suspicious."


    "Why are they hiding their name? Are they trying to sound mysterious?"


    "So corny! I bet they didn''t have anything worth mentioning and they suddenly found themselves in that spot."


    "Guys! Who wants to be that they will fall very quickly once the actual yers start taking the first ce!"


    "Mdy Emily can step on me!!"


    "All hail ''Persona''."


    In a matter of minutes, the unnamed yer''s poprity skyrocketed. People started trying to figure out their identity in hopes of knowing who this person could be. Videos were posted about the matter, garnering millions of views in record time.


    What was at first just a third yer, somehow became the most eye-catching one out of the top three.


    His nickname became ''Persona.'', the mysterious yer with no name. Surprisingly, many were already starting to be fans of him. They liked his mystery, and how nobody could find anything about him yet. It made him feel like a ghost, or perhaps some kind of mysterious hero.


    They didn''t even care that the game had barely started and that there was a chance he would fall off quickly. After all, people love mystery as much as they get scared of it when it involves them and Persona was the perfect target for that amidst all the rage that is Divinity Online.


    Meanwhile, Arthur, who was the target of all of this attention, waspletely unaware of what was happening.


    ***


    "She said to look for a hill around this area," Arthur muttered as he opened the map to check where he was exactly. "Hmm, it seems to be close by. This map is really useful. You can''t really get lost using it, at all."


    Although his map only showed a fraction of the terrain, it was already more than enough for him to actually know where he was and how toe back.


    Moving through the thick trees, Arthur emerged in an open area in the heart of the forest where he saw a hill protruding in the middle of it. From this angle, it looked like an inconspicuous area.


    But, when Arthur walked around its perimeter to the other side, he found the mouth of a big cave carved into its side. The cave was quite dark with rock protrusions emerging from the ceiling, giving it a very terrifying atmosphere.


    "... I guess this is the ce," Arthur muttered as he stood in front of the cave. "Orcs and a dark cave. Could it get any better? Probably not. Oh well, let''s get this over with.


    It''s just an orc, this shouldn''t be way harder than the previous quest."


    With those words as his encouragement, Arthur walked into the cave. His goal was clear, and supposedly not that hard.


    A//N: Give me all your ps!

 Chapter 21: Chapter 21- Orc Settlement

    *Step*


    As he walked through the darkness, Arthur''s steps echoed through the giant walls of the cave, spreading everywhere around him. The sound of droplets of water falling from the ceiling on the ground constantly yed in Arthur''s ears.


    ''You really didn''t have to program this part, guys. I can''t even see the goddamn droplets of water.'' He sighed as he tried to keep his calm. Although Arthur was never really someone who gets scared by horror games and the like, this was totally different.


    With how realistic Divinity Online is, he couldn''t really deny the fact that at that very moment, he was scared shitless. However, scared or not, he didn''t stop walking for even a second.


    ''I don''t need to be courageous, I just got to pretend that I am.'' He mused as he gulped a mouthful of saliva. His hands gripped the Sanguine de for dear life as he kept his senses alerted for any movement around him.


    However, for the first few minutes or so, he didn''t encounter anything alerting. The cave was as empty and as quiet as ever.


    "I would really appreciate somepany here, guys. Even if it''s a hideous creature. Something I can kill!" He muttered. Arthur hated that he couldn''t see well in here and the fact he hadn''t encountered a monster yet.


    *Crack*


    As he was walking, Arthur suddenly heard a cracking sound that made him instantly stop in his steps. He wasn''t paying too much attention to where he was stepping since he was too upied with his surroundings. However, when he looked down at where he was about to step, his heart stopped.


    Barely an inch away from him was a long drop into somewhere. The hole was quite big and there was no way to pass it or jump over it.


    "... *Gulp* I almost fell." He muttered as he examined the hole. "It seems this is the only path forward. But, can I even jump in this?"


    Since it was very dark, Arthur couldn''t really tell if it was a giant hole or a small drop. Jumping in there could kill him if it was long enough.


    ''Hmm¡­'' Squinting his eyes, Arthur picked up a small rock and threw it in the hole and listened. A second or twoter, he heard the rock smash into something at the bottom.


    "It''s not that deep of a hole, I guess."


    Standing up, he took a deep breath. "I''m not a fan of heights. But, all for a good reward, am I right¡­ Hahaha¡­ Ha? Goddamit, I''m such a greedy bastard."


    Then, without wasting a moment, he stepped forward and descended into the hole. The darkness engulfed himpletely and he found himself unable to feel anything for a moment which terrified him. Eventually, he felt his feetnd on the ground with a loud thud.


    "Ouch!" Rolling on the ground, Arthur stopped and stood up. ''I''m really d the pain in this game is minimal. They didn''t go full psycho mode and put 100% pain level. Still, I doubt people would''ve cared. Some perverts would''ve loved that.''


    Although when it was first announced that the game has pain receptors, it received some bacsh for that since many didn''t want to feel pain. But, that bacsh didn''tst long since those who liked the concept overwhelmed them in number.


    Arthur was on neither side of the spectrum. He had no problem with adding pain to the game, but he also didn''t like pain either. For him, it was just another feature that added realism to the game.


    With that, Arthur continued walking through the narrow passage for a while. He didn''t encounter any monsters yet which put him on edge even more. Theck of sounds and movement was almost hypnotizing in a sense.


    Being this deep inside a cave, alone, engulfed by darkness was no fun experience. It felt almost like Arthur was being suffocated by these walls.


    However, all of that suddenly changed in one single moment. After walking for a while, Arthur saw the end of the tunnel not that far away. So, instinctively, he rushed toward it. But, upon reaching it, he saw something shocking.


    "... What the hell¡­?" He frowned visibly from surprise.


    The exit of the tunnel led to a massive chamber in the cave. The chamber was easily a few kilometers long with gigantic walls that reached dozens of meters in the air and a terrifying ceiling that covered the entire ce. Since the tunnel Arthur emerged from was high in the air, it overlooked the entire ce and gave him a good view of everything.


    However, what was the most eye-catching thing in this entire ce was the things he saw at the bottom, in the heart of the chamber. There, Arthur saw several huts built out of what seemed to be old wood. These huts were surrounded by wooden, broken walls and what seemed to be gs made out of cheap clothes.


    "Is that¡­ a settlement?" Arthur muttered. No matter how he looked at it, the huts looked like a very crude settlement built by a bunch of cavemen. his moved across the entire settlement until theynded on two figures standing near the gates of the settlement.


    The two figures were rather tall with exceptionally muscr bodies. Their wrinkly, old-looking skin was a hideous green and their faces looked like those of horrid abominations with tworge tusksing out of their mouths and no nose.


    Their appearance was very familiar to Arthur. "Very orc-looking orcs¡­ Uh, maybe they''re looking a little too old for a healthy orc." He muttered as he crouched down.


    From what he could see, there were only two monsters. But, he was certain that beyond those walls, even more were waiting for him.


    ''This is a rather sticky situation, I can''t lie. Can I take them down effectively and find the eye of a young orc? Uh, well, I guess I have to try to know.''


    So, with that in mind, Arthur slowly approached the ledge and slowly made his way down while making sure not to catch the attention of the two old orcs. Since the entire ce was very quiet, any small noise he would make was very likely going to catch their attention.


    However, Arthur was luckily able to pull it off. Using his newfound power, he could easily carry his own weight with his hands which made climbing down a lot easier. When he reached the bottom, he slowly made his way around to get a closer look at the settlement and the monsters.


    He reached a small boulder in the corner and crouched behind it as he watched the two creatures move around. They seemed to be working as some kind of guards as they patrolled the area around the settlement.


    ''Good, they aren''t always together. I can take them down one by one.'' He thought to himself. But, the most crucial part in all of this was naturally the stealth.


    Arthur had to effectively take each one down without letting it alert the rest of the orcs. If he were to face a dozen or even more of these things, he was certain that he would die.


    ''It''s not like it''s high stakes or anything. I''m just going to lose my sword. Haha¡­ Ha¡­ *Gulp*''


    Feeling the pressure on his shoulders, he decided to focus as he watched one of the orcs move toward him. At the same time, the other one vanished on somewhere, leaving Arthur and the monster, alone.


    "Hmm, I guess this is the perfect opportunity to use Blood Arrows."


    Since he didn''t want the monster to see him, an effective kill from a long range would be the best course of action and coincidentally, he had the perfect ability for that task.


    Taking a deep breath, Arthur channeled his mana through his body. Then, when he activated the skill, Arthur felt that energy umted in his hand. He watched the process with curiosity mixed with awe.


    The energy then left his body and manifested on the top of his hand in the form of red, long arrows. The seamless transformation happened quickly and effectively. There were exactly three arrows floating on his hand.


    ''Oh, I like this!''


    A//N: Hand me your PS!

 Chapter 22: Chapter 22- Stuck With Me

    The shape of the arrows wasn''t precisely like that of normal arrows as they had several tweaks and changes. However, Arthur could feel their sharpness without even touching them. He knew they would pierce their target with ease.


    All he had to do was direct them correctly andunch them at the perfect moment. That naturally required a lot of patience and intelligence.


    *Step* *Step*


    The old orc, unaware of the human targeting it, continued walking around the wall of the settlement idly. The darkness around it made it hard to see with some torches hanging on the wall that helped a little with that.


    It had been guarding the wall for hours now and it was growing tired. Its shit was close to ending so that it could go back and sleep the rest of the day. All it had to do was finish its duty and then go home.


    However, as it was walking, its senses suddenly went off, and it heard something pierce through the air like a sh. Before it could even react to it, an intense pain assaulted its throat. Its eyes widened as it looked down, only to see a red object imnted into it very deeply.


    Its first instinct was to shriek loudly and ask for help and then attack the sudden intruder. However, when it tried to make a sound, all that came out was a small grunt that didn''t even qualify as a noise.


    Then, as if things weren''t already bad, it heard another object cut through the air as it pierced its body. This time, it hit it right in the eye. Blood sshed everywhere as the monster fell to its knees, struggling to make a sound from sheer pain. Blood umted around its body in a puddle.


    At that moment, while it was looking around in disbelief and hostility, a silhouette emerged from the darkness carrying a red sword in his hand. Approaching the monster, he looked at it silently for a second before he lifted the sword and sliced its head off.


    The head dropped to the ground along with the body as the monster instantly died. Meanwhile, Arthur looked at it with a calm expression. However, deep in his head, he wasn''t as calm.


    ''Blood arrows¡­ these are no joke. I didn''t even think their precision was this good. It was able to his throat right where his vocal cords are.''


    When Arthur ordered the arrows tounch, he tried to target the throat in hopes of killing it swiftly or at least obstructing its ability to make sounds. However, never did he expect the arrows to actually hit their target that precisely. What further confirmed that was the second arrow that hit its left eye.


    ''Although they do consume a considerable amount of mana, this is still really good.'' He thought to himself as he looked at his mana bar. The three arrows have consumed around 20% of his mana bar purely by summoning them and then another 10% for theunch.


    Since Arthur''s mana bar wasn''t that big, to begin with, this wasn''t a small amount. His mana regeneration wasn''t that fast either as it restored one point of mana every two to three seconds. Which meant, for his mana to fill up again, it will take several minutes at least.


    Mana potions do help, but those weren''t a permanent solution. Arthur had to increase his intelligence stat a lot to improve his mana reservoir and regeneration speed.


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed level 2 Older Orc.]


    [+1 Health.]


    [You have gained +20% experience points.]


    [Ding!]


    [You have leveled up!]


    [+2 Bonus points.]


    [You have acquired one item.]


    Reading through the notifications, Arthur nodded his head before he crouched down again and moved toward the gate. He was quite surprised things worked out perfectly, but he still was far from over. He didn''t even let himself celebrate his first sessful stealth skill.


    ''The other doesn''t seem to be aware of anything. Good, keep it that way, big guy.'' Arthur thought to himself as he crawled around the wall to where the other orc was. Although he could''ve easily entered the settlement if he wanted at that moment, he decided to y it safe and kill the orc before doing that to reduce the chances of beingpletely trapped in case things went south pretty quickly.


    Moving right behind the orc while keeping a good distance, he watched its movement. The old orc was unaware of everything around it as it walked. That brought an idea to Arthur''s head.


    ''I can''t really target him with arrows from the back. He would definitely start screaming the moment it hit him. I need to¡­ Kill him with my sword, swiftly.''


    With that in mind, Arthur slowly made his way behind the orc, getting closer and closer to his target while keeping very quiet. The boy was surprised at how calm and collected he felt at that moment even though he was standing behind a giant monster. All his fear was gone.


    When Arthur reached a close enough range. He aimed his sword up and then, like a sh, he stabbed forward using all his strength. The sword cut through the air sharply as it stabbed the monster right in the nape.


    The old orc felt the sudden rush of pain as it quickly tried to turn around. But, Arthur had already anticipated that as his left hand had formed bloody ws and he shed forward, cutting the monster''s throat brutally. The attack was deadly.


    However, what Arthur was trying to avoid happened.


    *ROAR*


    The old orc, as shocked as it was, screeched loudly with all its strength as it fell to the ground. Arthur''s eyes widened as he quickly pulled his sword out of the orc. At the same time, he heard several roarsing from within the settlement.


    ''You have got to be kidding me.'' The boy clenched his teeth as he immediately looked around and made a run for it. At the same time, he heard loud steps rushing out of the settlement very quickly.


    He didn''t even need to look behind to know to whom those steps belonged. Instead, he quickly found a hiding spot and threw himself in it. At the same time, several silhouettes came out of the settlement, roaring loudly like wild beasts.


    ''Did they see me?'' Arthur held his breath and watched carefully as the orcs turned to talk to one another in an unknownnguage before they scattered around the area, seemingly searching for something.


    Eventually, they found the two corpses and their roars loudened in anger. Arthur immediately knew that they weren''t going to let this slide off.


    ''Should I just try to leave?'' He asked himself. However, that idea immediately left his head as he realized that he was on the opposite side of the settlement and that trying to reach the exit of the chamber was going to be extremely hard.


    Unless something else happened, he waspletely stuck in there with these old orcs. The boy, however, didn''t feel anything strong from this idea. Sure, he was in a problem due to his own mistake. But, wasn''t this a part of the fun? To solve such problems and finish these challenging tasks?


    As weird as it was, Arthur smiled to himself at that moment. ''Well, if leaving was never an option. Then I might as well do what I came here to do. Whether it works or not, who knows?''


    Unlike what many would feel being stuck in a cave with hideous monsters searching for them, Arthur felt like they were stuck with him, not the other way around.

 Chapter 23: Chapter 23- Tough Spot

    The entire chamber was quickly invaded by the old orcs. Their outraged cries reverberated through the walls as they searched for the culprit that was responsible for killing their kin. They looked behind every rock and every corner, viting the entire ce with sheer violence.


    Meanwhile, Arthur watched that with sharp eyes. Although he was at aplete disadvantage at that moment, he didn''t let that get to his head and instead started nning for his next move very carefully.


    ''There are three in my general area, and the other 4 are very close by. If I do anything noisy, seven orcs would potentially attack me. Even more if I don''t kill those seven in time which is pretty much impossible. My only choice here is stealth. Not just stealth, but perfect stealth.''


    Although the trio were moving together, there was enough space between each one for Arthur to deal one single blow that could kill the target. If he can find the perfect moment and deal with the perfect attack, he could get it.


    However, to do that, he needed strength and speed. Looking at his stats, sadly didn''t have that many extra points to put into either stats. But, he still decided to use the two points he had gained from leveling up. One for strength, and one for agility which made both stats reach 19 points, almost double what he started with.


    Then, when he was done, he pulled his sword out and summoned two blood arrows. All that was left after that was to wait for the perfect opportunity. He continued watching each move they made as they slowly got closer and closer to him. They stopped for a few moments to speak to one another before they scattered around the area, each one searching an individual spot.


    Eventually, one of them got very close to where Arthur was hiding. The boy kept his breath really quiet and his body motionless like a predator waiting for his prey.


    ''Not yet.'' He mused.


    The orc was barely a few feet away from him. But, Arthur still waited. The monster took a few more steps toward him, unaware of his presence.


    ''Not yet¡­'' Arthur pursed his lips. His eyes squinted as his muscles tensed. ''This is the most reckless idea I coulde up with. But, whatever!''


    Then, at the veryst moment, when the orc was about to search behind the rock Arthur snapped his finger. Instantly, the two arrows shot in opposite directions, going right and left. Then, Arthur jumped out stabbing with his sword right at the monster''s throat. He followed with a w sh that took a good chunk of the monster''s throat, followed by a sh that cut its head swiftly.


    [Ding!]


    [...]


    Arthur ignored the notifications before they could even appear as he rushed to the right. Looking up, he noticed that the orc was upied with something. ''Good, the arrow captured its attention.''


    Over his shoulder, he could also see the other orc busy searching for the source of the noise. Arthur''s n was simple: use the arrows to distract the two orcs and then deal with one, before killing the second and following with thest.


    As the orc was busy, Arthur closed the distance between them before he sneak attacked it, cutting its head with a swift sword sh. ''This sword is so powerful. I don''t even need to use all my strength to cut its head off.''


    Although in its description, the sword does 60 base damage, the game had far more realism than pure damage on a health bar. If the yer targets a vital spot like the head, heart, or neck, the damage multiplies several times. If the attack is lethal enough, it can even ignore the entire health bar and kill the monster instantly.


    Now, Arthur didn''t know if this applied to every single creature in Divinity Online. But, he was already making good use of this feature at this very moment.


    ''Two down. I need to kill the third.''


    Moving swiftly, Arthur reached the oblivious third orc and cut his head off with good precision. The boy noticed his sword skills improving as he used the Sanguine de. Granted, he was still far from good, but he was able to understand how to sh and thrust to a certain extent.


    As the third monster fell to the ground, the boy quickly ran back to his hiding spot. At the same time, the rest of the orcs noticed the ruckus and rushed toward the dead orcs. Seeing their people dead on the ground, their anger soared to a whole new level.


    Unfortunately for Arthur, what started as a normal search, turned into a giant rampage of several angry orcs. They ran everywhere, roaring and destroying everything in their way. They didn''t seem to care about their well-being anymore as they rammed into everything.


    ''Shit! This isn''t good.'' Realizing that he was about to be discovered, the boy quickly went into action. Looking around him, he noticed a small spot where no orc was looking. So, without waiting, he rushed there andy prone under the wall. There was a small gap dug into the rocks that fit his body.


    ''This isn''t optimal. I can''t stay here for long.'' Arthur cursed as he tried to stay as quiet as possible. He hoped that the orcs would calm down after their rampage. But, several minutes passed and yet they didn''t stop.


    It seemed Arthur had exceeded the limit after killing five of their people. However, he hasn''t lost hopepletely yet. Instead, a weird idea popped in his head out of nowhere.


    ''What kind of god-awful idea did I juste up with? Is my brain made out of stupid?''


    However, as ridiculous as it sounded, he still felt deep down that he could pull it off. "I sometimes hate myself. But, I can''t really say no to an idea I came up with. Ugh, screw it, if I die, it is whatever."


    Feeling that courage, he quickly left his hiding spot. Using hisst idea, he quickly turned around and rushed toward the main gates of the settlement. ''Fucking run!!!''


    His n was very simple: run for his life. The other orcs noticed that and quickly followed him. However, the boy was very fast and was able to reach the inside before he turned around he mmed the wooden gates shut with all his power.


    At thest moment, he heard a loud booming crash as the orcs mmed into the thick door and yet ended up unable to destroy it.


    "Hahaha, suck it, bastards! You didn''t expect me to lock you out of your own settlement, didn''t you? Well, now, you better ask yours truly for the goddamn keys!" Arthurughed as he turned around, only to freeze again in shock.


    Right in front of him, a dozen old orcs stood there in a group, staring directly at him. They seemed quite taken aback by his sudden appearance and so was Arthur. The two sides stared at each other for an ufortably long time before Arthur slowly lifted his hand and said.


    "... I-I¡­ Ehem, I want to talk to your chief." He said.


    His words seemed to snap the orcs out of their shock as they roared loudly. Arthur felt his ears shudder from the sheer noise. Then, the dozen orcs rushed toward him at the same time.


    At that very moment, only one thought rushed through Arthur''s head.


    ''Fuck me¡­''


    A//N: Hand me all your PS!

 Chapter 24: Chapter 24- Fetus Orc (Part 1)

    What is fun?


    If you ask Arthur that question, his answer would be rather simple. ''Fun is whenever I can do whatever I want and I''m happy doing that.''


    His definition was rather simple and based purely on his experience and what he felt was the right answer. However, the moment when he actually felt true fun could be counted on one hand. He quickly realized that being poor and parentless wasn''t going to make life any easier for him.


    He had heard countless kidsining about their parents before and how they wished to live without them. However, he truly scoffed at that kind of mentality as those kids had no idea what living with no parents felt like. It was hard, humiliating, and a huge eye-opener.


    He didn''t understand how those kids didn''t realize that their parents were their shield from a very harsh reality. Those same kids when they reach adulthood would always wish toe back to those simpler days where they didn''t have to worry about anything and simply enjoyed their time as much as they wanted.


    For him, fun was precisely that. Imagining himself as a kid with no responsibilities and simply doing whatever he wanted.


    Weirdly enough, that exact feeling was now with Arthur, in a very unorthodox situation that many would''ve hated.


    ***


    *ROAR* *BOOOOOM*


    The orc settlement was inplete chaos. A dozen orcs rampaged through it violently without any restraint. Many of the huts were destroyed and the rest were barely holding on. Their anger was over the roof and their desire for blood reached a new height even they didn''t know existed.


    All of that was because of one single small boy. Their target kept running left and right like a slippery fish, jumping and dodging their attacks to the best of his ability. At the same time, bloody arrows flew at them from all angles, assaulting their bodies where they least expected.


    Arthur was in a really tough spot. Many orcs were chasing him around the ce without stopping. Luckily for him, there was enough room inside the settlement for him to run and hide whenever he could. At each opportunity he found, he would attack one of the orcs with his sword and ws.


    However, even with his ability to run there was only so much he could do without taking damage. Due to several mistakes, Arthur ended up getting stuck and was captured by one orc.


    The monster squeezed his body powerfully, chipping a good chunk of his health bar. However, Arthur was able to pierce its brain with his sword, killing it on the spot. Several other mistakes cost him a lot of his health bar.


    There were also his mana and stamina, which were quickly running out. That naturally pushed Arthur to consume the potions he had in his inventory.


    Several minutes passed as the battle grew more intense. Arthur was able to take down many orcs with his cheap methods of sneak attacks and running while the Orcs were able to deliver heavy damage to his body whenever they caught him.


    "Hah¡­ Hah¡­ Dammit, I need a second to regenerate some stamina, guys!" Arthur heaved up and down as he jumped back, avoiding tworge fists. Thest three orcs red at him with a strong gaze.


    ''Only three, huh? I guess I killed most of them. I didn''t even think that was possible.'' He thought to himself.


    The boy thought facing a dozen orcs was going to be suicide. But, surprisingly, he was able to somehow take them down one by one. He knew that he was stronger than them and was still getting stronger with each kill. Every orc he killed would give him more experience points, more stat points, and even more levels for each skill he possessed.


    He was evolving at an extremely rapid pace which helped him a lot in facing the rest of the orcs. Now, Arthur was considerably stronger than before, and yet he was at his end. He couldn''t fight anymore as his stamina and mana werepletely empty. Even his health bar was below half.


    Holding his sword tiredly, he stared at the three orcs with a strong look. ''Well, I can only push myself at this point, it ain''t going to be easy. But, I can do it.''


    "What are you waiting for, idiots? Come at me. I will pluck your heads like flowers!"


    His words infuriated the orcs as they were about to rush toward him. However, at that moment, their fight was interrupted by a very loud screech. The noise reverberated through the entire ce and even beyond it.


    "What the¡­?!" Arthur squinted as he held his ears. The other orcs did the same too as they started groaning in pain.


    At the same time, a silhouette emerged from within one of the huts. The creature was crawling on its arms and legs as if it couldn''t even walk properly. Arthur frowned upon its sight. It was a very old orc, perhaps even older than the ones he had been fighting.


    Its skin was so wrinkly and saggy that he couldn''t even see its face properly. However, its considerably long hair and weaker build gave him a hint.


    "Is that¡­ a female?" He asked himself. The creature looked on the verge of dying as it screamed loudly. Its screech was so inhumane that he couldn''t even listen to it.


    *ROAR*


    The other orcs roared and rushed toward the female with worried looks on their faces. The female stopped and flopped on her back, revealing her unusually gigantic belly. Veins coursed through her belly, a deep shade of blue.


    The other orcs quickly surrounded the female as they tried to pick her up. However, she stopped them and simplyid there, not moving an inch. The other orcs seemedpletely lost.


    At that very moment, the female''s belly started moving, or to be more precise, something within was starting to move. The boy could clearly see the belly distorting and changing in shape as if something was punching holes through it.


    ''What the hell is happening?'' Arthur asked himself and yet he had no answer. ''Is she giving birth?!''


    The abrupt realization made him even more shocked. "What kind of birth is th-"


    *RIIIIIP*


    Suddenly, the female''s belly was torn open with a loud noise. Ignoring the creature''s long howls of pain, a hand emerged from within, then a second one. The two hands moved around a few moments before they slowly grabbed the belly and ripped it apart as if it were a piece of paper.


    Blood and guts exploded everywhere and then, under the horrified eyes, a creature stepped out, dripping with blood. As for the orc, she was already dead.


    But, nobody really cared, as their eyes werepletely focused on the creature that stepped out. It was tall, almost 6 feet and 4 inches tall. Very skinny, with pale green skin and long limbs. It had a sickly face and a massive jaw.


    Its ck eyes were hollow like the dark sky as it stared around it silently. The orcs were the first to snap out of their shock as they suddenly went down on their knees, not daring to stare at the abomination.


    "..." Meanwhile, Arthur simply watched, not uttering a word. He had nothing he could say, and certainly no sarcastic joke to spout. The sight was simply that horrifying. But, unbeknownst to him, the terror had just started.


    What he witnessed after was bound to be a core memory and a glimpse of the true Divine Realm¡­ In it''s nightmarish form.


    [Ding!]


    [Boss enemy detected!]


    A//N: Hand me all your PS!

 Chapter 25: Chapter 25- Fetus Orc (Part 2)

    ''A boss?!'' Arthru''s eyes widened as he read the notification that just appeared in his retina. He didn''t understand what was happening at first, but he started to realize the situation he was in.


    The creature in front of him was not simple, and he had felt it from the very moment it emerged from that orc. Its aura, presence, and appearance were all so terrifying that Arthur''s heart started beating faster.


    He instinctively felt like running away. However, his curiosity was just that tad bit more powerful than his fear so he simply stood there, looking at the monster. ''It just came out of that orc''s womb. Is that¡­ Wait, could that be the young orc Nina was talking about?''


    At that moment, the boy remembered what he was looking for and things suddenly linked together. Ever since he stepped into this ce, Arthur had only been fighting old orcs. He didn''te across a single young orc which raised some questions in his head.


    But, he assumed that since they were young, those orcs must be hiding inside the settlement while the older ones take responsibility for protecting them.


    However, even when he entered the settlement, he didn''te across any young orcs. Granted, he was too busy to actually think about that, but now that he was standing right in front of one, he could only think of one thing.


    "How could it be¡­ stronger than the older ones?" Arthur sucked in a deep breath. The creature was not only stronger than the other orcs, it was stronger by a mile!


    There was not even a base topare the two. It was as if this creature was something of its own and everything about it further proved that.


    A second passed just like that as all those racing thoughts passed through Arthur''s head quickly. Meanwhile, the orc newborn waspletely upied by the orcs kneeling in front of him.


    Their heads were looking down as if they feared to look at it. But, Arthur could see a deep respect in their kneeling too.


    ''...'' Arthur watched that scene with interest. Deep down, he feared that the creature might attack him along with these three orcs. In that case, Arthur readied himself to run away as that was a fight he simply could not take.


    However, even then, Arthur''s eyes were deeply focused on the monster. Not only because of its strength and his fear but also because he weirdly felt a rush of excitement course through his body. One thought came to his mind.


    ''I want to fight it.'' He mused.


    He knew that it was stronger than him. But, that didn''t stop him from thinking that he wished to actually trybatting this creature.


    ''Well, the worst that could happen is me dy-''


    Before he could even finish that thought, the infant moved. Its hand lunged forward like a sh, grabbing one of the orcs by the throat. The creature shrieked in pain as it started struggling. However, the infant ignored that and effortlessly lifted it up in the air with one single hand. Then¡­


    *CRACK*


    With a simple move, it snapped the monster''s head as if it were a twig. The orc''s body turned into a lifeless corpse instantly. But, as if it wasn''t done horrifying Arthur, it pulled the orc in and opened its mouth, revealing a set of sharp teeth that looked like knives. Using them, it bit the monster''s neck, taking a massive chunk of flesh in its mouth before throwing the monster away.


    "..."


    Then, it did the same to the second orc, and then the third. None of them dared to move as they awaited their fate. The entire area around them turned into a bloody mess of corpses. The infant looked down at the dead orcs for a second before it slowly lifted its eyes up and stared straight at Arthur.


    At that moment, a long health bar appeared at the bottom of Arthur''s vision. Above it, two words were written ''Fetus Orc''.


    "*Gulp*..." Arthur''s expression waspletely frozen for a second. But, he didn''t break eye contact with the monster. The two stared at each other for a few seconds before the fetus started moving forward slowly.


    "..." The boy pursed his lips before he also unsheathed his sword and summoned his blood ws. He also started walking slowly toward the monster with his hand gripping the sword tightly.


    The two closed the distance between each other in silence until they were eventually a few inches away from each other. Arthur had to look up at the fetus. But, he didn''t show any intimidation anymore. Instead, his eyes were now sharp and focused.


    The fetus on the other hand had no real emotion within its eyes. Only pure darkness that had no end. What seemed like an eternity passed as the tension reached the roof. It felt as if death was looming over the heads, smiling wickedly. All it waited for was a spark.


    That spark came rather abruptly.


    *Swish*


    The fetus suddenly threw its hands forward considerably fast. Arthur anticipated that attack and quickly jumped back, avoiding it. Then, he dashed forward and thrust his sword, aiming for the monster''s face. Thetter simply tilted its head to the side as the sword barely passed it.


    A small trickle of blood moved down the fetus'' cheek as its gigantic health bar took a chip. But, Arthur''s face grew darker as he realized the instant mistake he made. As he attacked, the monster''s hand was already targeting his side.


    *BANG*


    "Ugh!" The boy grunted lowly as he wasunched back, rolling on the ground. When he stopped and looked up, the fetus was already rushing toward him quickly as it shed down with its sharp fingers.


    ''Fast!''


    Without wasting a single moment, Arthur formed two bloody arrows andunched them forward.


    *Cling* *Cling*


    The fetus instantly shifted from attack to defense as it deflected both arrows as if they were nothing. But, Arthur wasn''t looking for those arrows to deal damage, instead, they were but a decoy.


    Using that opportunity, he moved around like a sh and stabbed the fetus in its blind spot. He was almost certain the attack was going to work.


    *Swish*


    "Wha-?!"


    In a split second, and against all of Arthur''s expectations, the fetus suddenly twisted its body to an unnatural degree, dodging the swordpletely. Then, it returned the attack with one of its own, mming Arthur down powerfully.


    One single attack and 30% of Arthur''s health were gone. Arthur was in a critical situation and he didn''t have much that could save it. Even though he had just leveled up, and even though he was much stronger than before, it didn''t seem to be enough.


    Two instances of the fight were more than enough to put him in a horrible situation. Meanwhile, a looming massive health bar was right beneath, showing him that if he wanted to kill this fetus, it was far from easy.


    It felt... crushing and yet...


    "Haha..." Arthur slowly stood up and wiped the blood off his face. "You''re nasty bastard, aren''t you? So much for a newborn. Fine, I won''t go easy on you." He licked his lips as he took a fighting stance.


    Meanwhile, the fetus orc''s eyes seemingly shed with a weird glint. Then, the fight resumed.


    A//N: Hand me all your PS!

 Chapter 26: Chapter 26- Fetus Orc (Part 3)

    The world around Arthur became aplete blur. His vision seemed to have shifted as all he could see was the silhouette of his enemy moving left and right as it attacked him relentlessly. He didn''t know why, but he feltpletely different from usual.


    He was in a state of tranquility where nothing seemed to bother him, except for what he was doing. He didn''t understand why he was feeling this way, but this fight was certainly the reason for that.


    As he fought, his entire focus umted into the brutal fight, ignoring everything else. It was as if his brain reacted to the threat and put all his mental power into killing his target. His sword and ws were but an extension of his arms.


    *Swish*


    From an outsider''s point of view, this was a horrifying battle between two individuals, aiming to kill one another without hesitation. The sound of deflection and ground-shaking explosions echoed inside the cave. The fetuspletely dominated the entire ce as it relentlessly attacked Arthur as if there was no tomorrow.


    Its speed and precision were by far the most dangerous thing Arthur had encountered in his entire life. He felt as if he was fighting a massive shadow. His eyes were able to follow the movement of his enemy, but even then, he was struggling to actually deflect and counterattack.


    His speed might be double that of what a normal human can pull off, but that was far from enough. Still, he didn''t die. His health was critical, but he was able to stay alive against all odds. The reason for that was very simple. Arthur was surprisingly good at defense and dodging.


    The fetus was powerful and fast, but he was also a master at running and dodging. Funnily enough, this was a skill he realized he possessed just recently. But, it seemed to work wonders in prolonging the fight.


    What should''ve ended in less than a minute was prolonged to several minutes as Arthur took the entire wrath of the infant and kept his ground.


    *CLING* *CLING* *SWISH*


    Deflecting two quick attacks, Arthur tried to stab the monster, only to deal a very small injury to its torso that only chipped some of its health. Arthur then had to jump back to dodge a kick aimed at his neck.


    "Hah¡­ Hah¡­" Sweat and blood umted on Arthur''s forehead as he heaved up and down. Looking up, Arthur cringed at how bad his status bars were. They were all critically low, not leaving much in his gas tank on every single front.


    ''I have like three other attacks worth of stamina and mana, give or take. I need to somehow kill it in those three attacks.'' He thought to himself as he stared at the fetus coldly. The monster''s body was covered with blood from all the umted small injuries Arthur dealt to it.


    Although the boy waspletely defensive, that didn''t stop him from hitting the creature a few times, taking a surprising amount of its health bar down. If he had to estimate it, he had taken down almost half of its health bar or maybe less.


    ''The fact I did this is already an achievement in and out of itself. This thing is a goddamn nightmare to fight!'' He mused. ''It''s fast and has multiplebo attacks that follow each other. Can fucking dodge my stabs like a fish and has so much health! How this is even in a beginner area is beyond me!''


    The monster looked at the sad state its enemy reached and seemed to grow even more excited. Arthur could see that in its bodynguage as it clenched its fists. Weirdly enough, he smiled at that sight.


    "You''re enjoying the fight just like I''m doing, huh?" He asked.


    "..."


    The creature didn''t reply, but its eyes were more than enough to give him the answer.


    "Pfft¡­ I''m also having fun. As much as this is apletely unfair fight. I''m not going to me you since I have invaded your small home and killed your people." He shrugged. "Come on, let''s finish what we started."


    Arthur said as he picked up his sword again and dashed toward the monster with a loud yell. Although he seemed like he had the same intentions as before, Arthur was actually forming a n in his head at that very moment.


    ''I have an idea. But, I doubt it''s going to work. It''s too much luck and too little actual skill required. My chances are less than one. But, this is better than dying without trying.''


    Resolving himself, Arthur immediately started working on making the n work. At the same moment, he engaged with the monster again. The two shed powerfully, swinging at each other with brutal power and precision.


    However, this time, Arthur seemed far more aggressive than before. He didn''t hold back at all as he went in with full risk. Using all the power left in him, he attacked the monster as if he were the stronger one in the battle. That naturally took the fetus by surprise since Arthur didn''t do this at all the entire time.


    However, that was it, the monster knew that it still had the upper hand and that quickly appeared as it easily deflected and then attacked Arthur when he was unable to dodge or deflect. The boy tried to minimize the damage before continuing to attack like a reckless beast.


    ''Less than 5% health left. I think this is enough.'' He looked at his health bar mid-fight before he jumped back.


    "This is it! I''m killing you! Haaaaaah!!!" Arthur yelled as he rushed forward, lifting the sword up to swing it. However, when he got close to the monster, Arthur tried to take a step forward, only for him to slip on a rock.


    ''Wha-'' The boy''s eyes widened in shock as he noticed himself falling forward. His heart stopped for a second as all he could see was the monster''s hand moving forward.


    *Swish*


    The hand prated his stomach, exiting from the other side easily. Arthur felt some pain assaulting his mind as he coughed a huge mouthful of blood. Staring up in shock, he made eye contact with the monster who was also staring at him with apathy.


    The fight was over.


    The monster was about to lift Arthur up and finish him offpletely. It was certain that this blow was deadly and Arthur couldn''t recover from it. Naturally, it dropped its defense as it got ready to kill the boy.


    However, at that moment, it suddenly felt a chill run down its spine. Immediately, it looked over its shoulder and saw one arrow flying toward it like a sh. Its alert senses went off as it immediately moved its hand back.


    Fortunately, it was able to deflect the arrow before it could even hit it. The sneak attack Arthur prepared didn''t work.


    "Haha, you dumbass."


    The fetus heard Arthur''s mockingugh and tried to turn around only for it topletely stop again. The sound of something dripping to the ground echoed in the entire cave.


    *Swish*


    Arthur slowly pulled his sword out as it was covered with blood. Looking at the monster''s face, all he could see was a terrifying hole in its skull. Blood gushed out of the hole like a fountain as the monster''s hand fell down, dropping the dying Arthur along with it.


    Then, the fetus fell to the ground, motionless.


    "..." Arthury there, looking up at his health bar. Everything happened in a split second so it didn''t getpletely depleted yet.


    ''Come on,e on,e on¡­'' He prayed in his head with a frown. ''Please!''


    Closing his eyes, he waited for something to happen. Then, he saw it.


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed level 12 Fetus Orc.]


    [You have gained +700% experience points.]


    [Ding!]


    [You have leveled up 4 times.]


    [You have gained +8 Bonus Points.]


    [+5 health, +5 strength, +5 stamina, +5 Presence.]


    [You have acquired 3 new items.]


    [You have gained one new side ability.]


    A//N: Hand me all your PS!

 Chapter 27: Chapter 27- The True Number 1

    Arthur''s eyes widely stared at the notifications as he heaved up and down. At the same time, his injuries vanishedpletely as all his status bars recovered to their maximum and more. He felt a strong rush of strength course through his body like a raging tide.


    His muscles shuddered from the sheer pleasure of that feeling. It was by far the strongest sense of euphoria he had received from this game so far. After all, he had received 4 new levels, and 20 points worth of stats in one fell sweep.


    What was even more important, however, was that he was able to escape death at the veryst moment. Using the level-up recovery feature, he was able to pull himself out of the brink of death.


    "Haha¡­ Hahaha¡­ Hahahahahaha!!" A few secondster, Arthur opened his mouth and startedughing loudly. Hisughter echoed in the entire cave. "It worked! Yes!!! Hahahaha! I''m the best!


    The goddamn best!"


    As heughed, he covered his face with his hand. What felt even more overwhelming than the newfound strength was the sense of aplishment from killing something that was stronger than him. Arthur had somehow defeated a boss that was 8 levels above him in strength. He was level 4 and the creature was level 12.


    It should''ve never been possible for him to even fight it, let alone defeat it. Granted, he had to rely a lot on luck. But, what else could he rely on in such a situation?


    "The only way I could kill it was to make itpletely drop its guard and then use a decoy to take its attention. That way, it cannot defend against one deadly blow and that was all I needed." Arthur muttered as he stood up and looked at the dead monster.


    "I''m sorry, man. When ites to fights, honor is thrown to the side, only victory is important. I''m not honorable at all." He shrugged as he finally turned away and opened his status window.


    [Name: Arthur]


    [Gender: Male]


    [Level: 8]


    [Main ss: Blood Monarch (Locked) 1/10]


    [Rank: SSS]


    [Secondary sses: None]


    [Main Abilities: Blood Eater (Level 2)/ Blood w (Level 4)]


    [Secondary Abilities: Blood Arrows (Level 3)/ Soul Fear (level 1)]


    [Stats:


    Health: 22


    Strength: 24


    Agility: 19


    Stamina: 20


    Mind: 17


    Presence: 18]


    [Bonus Points: 8]


    "Nice! My stats are looking insane!" He smiled upon witnessing the numbers. They were truly far beyond what he expected. "All my abilities have leveled up too. This is really good! But¡­ I did receive one new ability.


    Hmm, Soul Fear? Very ominous."


    [Soul Fear (Level 1): Inflicts fear on weaker enemies for a set amount of time per level. Requires mana to use.]


    "Oh! A fear attack? Nice! That is actually pretty useful! Makes fighting weaker enemies a lot easier." Arthur rubbed his chin thoughtfully.


    Soul fear seemed like a rather simple skill, but it still was quite amazing when applied. The boy could already imagine a lot of usage for it in many situations. Precisely when he was encountered with many enemies that were weaker than him. Inflicting fear would certainly change the situation a lot.


    After that, Arthur opened his inventory to check the three new items he had just received. "The eye better be one of them or I''m rioting!"


    Looking at the three new items, he was delighted to see that one of them looked like a ck eye. Reading the name, it said ''Fetus Eye''.


    "Good! That''s really good! I don''t know if this is the same young orc''s eye Nina was talking about but well, I got her what''s better than the eye of a young orc¡­ This is the eye of an orc that should''ve not been born yet." Arthur muttered as he looked at the second item on the list.


    "Fetus orc skin? Eww, that''s nasty. His skin looked like that of an old hag." Arthur shuddered. "I will just sell it."


    Then, for the final thing, he was quite confused. He had never seen anything like that but if he had to describe it, it looked like a rope of some kind. When he read the name, it quickly became apparent what it was. "Umbilical cord? Why the hell am I getting its umbilical cord for?"


    Although that question was the very first obvious thing he thought of, what made this particr item eye-catching was the fact that the slot where it was had changed color from a nd grey to an eye-catching red. That particr detail was something Arthur was familiar with since he yed a lot of RPG games.


    "Is it the boss'' special item perhaps?" He asked himself. Even when he tapped on it, the description only said that it belonged to the Fetus Orc, but it didn''t give him any actual exnation on how it could be used. "I should ask Nina about it since she could know something."


    With that, Arthur closed the inventory and exhaled a very long breath. "Ugh, it''s finally over. Damn, this trip took longer than I expected. Oh well, time to go back and log out of the game. I''m tired."


    It had been almost 7 hours since Arthur started ying Divinity Online. Although it didn''t feel like it, time had passed rather quickly. Arthur was having so much fun that he didn''t even notice it and that was something he didn''t feel in a very long time.


    "This game is so much fun, it''s actually concerning." He muttered. "I didn''t even think I would like it this much. I''mpletely hooked!"


    He felt it the very moment he stepped into the game, and he felt it even more with each passing second. This game had reached his expectations, smashed them, and then soared to the sky like a dragon.


    He had never expected that he would truly find something like this that could truly put an end to his boredom. Yet, here it was, Divinity Online had rubbed that itch he had been struggling with.


    As he was walking back to Nina, he kept thinking about the future, and what he wanted to do. "I want to first leave this region and head to thest empire''s borders. I''m curious about those towers and what they have inside them. Then, I don''t know, maybe I can find some way to make some money if I can.


    Then, uh, I won''t be able to have too much time ying since school wille back, but I will figure something out." He muttered as he noted down his next steps carefully.


    The future seemed quite exciting and Arthur surprisingly was looking forward to it. That feeling waspletely foreign to him so it took him some time to understand what it was.


    ''Dammit, it isn''t fair for me to be this happy! I can''t stop grinning like an idiot! Even these dipshits are looking at me like a weirdo." As he walked through the vige, Arthur was kept being stared at by everyone he passed by.


    This wasn''t something new for him so he didn''t care. But, what bothered him truly was the talking of the people around him. Some kind of uproar had suddenly taken over the entire vige.


    "Look at the global rankings dude! Something insane happened!!"


    "Huh? What?"


    "Persona! Persona is ranked 1 now! Look at the points!!"


    ''Persona? Who the fuck is Persona?'' Arthur frowned. ''Is this a new yer that showed up?''


    Feeling curious, Arthur opened the rankings to check like everyone else. That was when he was met with a sudden realization. A realization that only sunk in when he looked at the rankings.


    "I¡­ I just killed a level 12 boss, didn''t I?... A level 12¡­ How many points would that add to my ranking¡­? Hmm, let''s count¡­" Looking at the rankings, the math easily made sense.


    [Rank 1: Arthur


    Points: 3250]


    A//N: Hand me all your PS!

 Chapter 28: Chapter 28- Visitor (Part 1)

    "..." Arthur''s face waspletely nk as he looked at his name. He didn''t know if he was supposed to be happy or sad at what he was seeing. "3250 points¡­ I don''t even feel like I should be surprised."


    The difference between him and the second ce, the yer named ''Darkmoon'' was so vast, it didn''t even sound funny. He was now ahead of them by more than 2000 points and it all happened in a short period of time. ''And here I was a little happy that I wasn''t number one. That didn''tst long.''


    Facepalming, he closed the ranking and looked around him. He could hear grasps of shock everywhere.


    "You have got to be kidding me! 3250 points is insane!"


    "What did he do to get that many points this quick?!" One yer asked.


    "Tsk, he must''ve cheated! There is no way someone can gain this many points this quickly! I have gone out to hunt and the most I gathered are a few dozen points from killing horned rabbits!" One yer scoffed. "Persona is a cheater! Or they''re one of the developers and they know exactly where to go to gather the most points!"


    The yer''s im was received with mixed reactions. Some agreed with her, while the others seemed apprehensive. But, nobody can deny nor confirm her ims. After all, Persona was an unknown yer.


    ''I''m not a developer, girl. If I was, I would have far more points than that. Don''t underestimate me, hmph!'' Arthur snorted. ''But, now that I think about it, why am I being called Persona? Is that some kind of nickname? Well, it sounds cool so it''s not a problem.''


    Arthur knew how people liked to give others nicknames based on different things about them. Even he had been called nicknames before in his life. Granted, most of them weren''t ttering, but he didn''t care.


    ''Well, if I meet that guy who called me ''0.5 boy'' I may or may not break his face.'' Arthur thought to himself as he continued walking to Nina''s shop. When he reached it, he found the woman sitting behind the counter, reading a book.


    "Looking good with those sses on. I like it." Arthur smiled as he approached her.


    "Hm?" Looking up with her sses, she raised an eyebrow. "You''re already back?"


    "In the flesh. I almost didn''te back, though." He said. "That was brutal!"


    "Brutal? Were there many orcs?"


    "Forget about the orcs, those were the easier part. The goddamn young orc you told me about was the problem. That thing was something else!" He grumbled. "You didn''t tell me orcs are born stronger than their older counterparts."


    This fact Arthur discovered only after beating the fetus. It seemed when orcs are born, they''re born very strong and slowly grow weaker with age. It was quite surprising for him as the logic said that as a creature grows older it should be getting stronger, and yet for some reason, the orcs defied that.


    "Hm, what do you mean?" Nina was a little confused. "I assumed since the orcs in that cave are old, they should''ve not been a problem. Even the younglings aren''t that strong since they should be at least a few years old. After all, the lifespan of an orc is around ten years or so."


    "... Well, I found no younglings. There were old orcs that I had to fight for almost an hour and then, when I was able to kill most of them, one female orc was ripped open and a giant fucking fetus came out of its stomach. That thing was ridiculously strong." Arthur replied. Although he wasining, he wasn''t really that angry about it.


    In the end, he won and gained a lot of benefits from this battle.


    The boy also didn''t want to know everything about his enemy before actually meeting them. He wanted the element of surprise to remain there as this was a part of exploration. ''I had a lot of fun fighting it. Totally wo-''


    However, as he was remembering what happened, Arthur noticed that Nina had gonepletely quiet. Looking up, he saw a stunned expression on the woman''s face. She was staring wide-eyed at Arthur.


    "Nina? Oii, from the Divine Realm to Nina, do you copy?" Snapping his finger in front of her, the girl finally blinked.


    "A fetus? A fetus orc? You''ve found a fetus orc?"


    "No, I didn''t only find one. I saw it being born and then killed it." Arthur replied. "Oh, also, here is its eye. Sorry if this isn''t what you''re looking for. Blurgh, it''s slimy." Saying that Arthur pulled the eye out of his inventory and put it on her table.


    The woman stared at the ck eye for a moment before she picked it up and inspected it. Her face waspletely frozen with surprise. "Arthur, I¡­ I didn''t know that there was a pregnant orc in that settlement¡­ I thought all the females died before they could give birth¡­ The old male orcs should''ve been the only ones left there." She said.


    "Oh well, I guess there was one female hiding amongst them that was going to give birth. Anyway, is that the item you wanted?"


    "Huh? This is far better than the item I''m looking for! Actually, I cannot believe you were able to kill a fetus orc on your own. That is a very strong foe in this region that requires an entire group of hunters to take it down."


    "Haha, praise me more, I''m the best." Arthurughed jokingly. "Well, I was very lucky, and I also used some underhanded tactics to take it down."


    "I don''t even know what to say anymore." She muttered as she finally smiled. "You''re quite the strong boy, aren''t you?"


    "... I don''t like how you phrased that."


    "Fufufufu, good boy is a good boy, and you deserve a pat." Saying that, she stood up and walked around the counter before she wrapped her arms around Arthur''s body, pulling him into a hug. At the same time, she started rubbing the back of his head gently. "That''s a good boy."


    Arthur was a little confused, but he didn''t deny her. ''Why would I? I''m getting hugged by a beauty. You don''t get that every day. This feels really nice.''


    After a few moments, she pulled away and said. "You definitely deserve an extra reward for doing this wlessly and even getting me something far more powerful than I could ask.


    [Ding!]


    [You have finished Nina''s quest sessfully!]


    [You have gained +100% experience points.]


    [Ding!]


    [You have leveled up!]


    [+2 Extra Points.]


    "Good," Arthur muttered. "What''s the extra reward?"


    "I''m going to give you a third scroll apart from the two you wanted. Also, they''re all for free so you don''t have to pay me anything." She said.


    "Wow, so generous, Nina!" He smiled.


    "Fufufu, wait here." She said as she walked into the back room. Meanwhile, Arthur sat there, excitedly waiting for his reward. "Three abilities! I wonder what the third one will be."


    As he was sitting there, humming to himself, the door to the shop opened and the boy heard the sound of the bell ringing.


    A//N: Hand me all your PS!

 Chapter 29: Chapter 29- Visitor (Part 2)

    "Hm?" Arthur looked over his shoulder at the door only to see someone d in a ck veil. His features were covered and so was most of his body, but purely from his build and height, Arthur knew that he was a man. But, not just a man, but quite the big of a man.


    He was very tall and muscr even with his veil covering most of his body. He also had this powerful presence that Arthur couldn''t ignore. It didn''t take that much thinking to know that whoever this man was, he was way stronger than Arthur.


    ''He isn''t a yer, this is an NPC.'' Arthur''s eyes squinted for a second before he turned around and pretended as if nothing happened. Although the man looked quite suspicious, the boy didn''t want to say or do anything purely because he felt ufortable.


    The man seemed to look at Arthur before he stepped forward. When he got close, he asked Arthur in a deep voice. "Who are you?"


    "..." The boy frowned and turned around to look at him. Then, he replied. "None of your business."


    ''The hell with that attitude, man? Who the hell asks someone for their name like that? Learn some manners.'' Arthur rolled his eyes.


    "..." The man went silent as if he didn''t expect such a hostile response. The tension in the shop grew rather quickly between the two. Standing there between them would''ve made anyone cringe visibly.


    It felt as if something was about to happen. However, at that moment, the door opened and Nina walked in. "Hm?" Seeing the new silhouette in the room, she raised an eyebrow. "Grandpa? When did you arrive?"


    ''Grandpa? This is her grandpa?'' Arthur raised an eyebrow.


    "Just now. Take this." Pulling the bag off his shoulder, the old man handed it to Nina before he walked over the counter and sat on the chair. Arthur''s expression turnedpletely nk.


    ''Did I just insult¡­ the grandfather of the owner of the shop? You idiot, Arthur! You absolute moron!'' He cursed in his head. ''I just insulted her grandfather! Would Nina get angry and trigger the quest to fail?! My scrolls!''


    Feeling a little bit panicked, he tried to open his mouth and speak. ''I have to apologize before he tells her or I''m screwed!''


    "Uh¡­"


    "Sorry, Arthur. This is my Grandpa, Miro. He had been out for a few days in the forest gathering some material. Grandpa, this is Arthur, he is a new client of ours."


    "A client?" The man squinted his eyes. "Is that so?"


    "Y-Yeah, sir. I''m now a loyal customer of this amazing establishment. Such a service and quality products. I rate them 10/10." The boy lifted his thumbs up trying not to make it shake.


    "..." The old man didn''t say a word to him and turned to Nina. "Did anything happen?"


    "Of course, I was actually about to tell you. Arthur had just brought me a Fetus Orc''s eye. Isn''t he amazing?" She said as she showed him the eye. The old man picked it up, looked at it, and then at Arthur.


    "Did you do that yourself, kid?"


    "Yeah¡­" Arthur nodded.


    "... You''re one of those gifted folks, aren''t you?"


    "I think so."


    "Impressive, boy. You should''ve not been strong enough to kill it."


    "He is really impressive, isn''t he? I was about to give him his reward." Nina pped her hands. "Here, Arthur. Your three scrolls. Keep the third one for when you leave the shop. It''s a surprise."


    Taking the three scrolls, Arthur nodded his head and put them in his inventory to checkter. "Well, before I leave, can I ask you something?"


    "Hm? What''s up?"


    "The fetus had also given me two other things. It gave me its skin, and also its umbilical cord." He said as he pulled both items out. "Do you know how much they go for? I''m intending to sell them if possible."


    The grandfather and his granddaughter stared at the two items on the table silently for a few seconds. Neither uttered a single word. The atmosphere inside the ce seemed to shift again as if something weird happened.


    ''Why are they silent? Did I do something bad?'' Arthur instantly felt a little worried. He didn''t know what these items could do, especially the umbilical cord which was the one he suspected to be very special.


    "You''ve got its umbilical cord?" The grandfather was the first to snap out of his shock. His tone had grown deeper. "I haven''t seen this in a very long time. You''vee across something really rare, kid. This is far from something you should be selling."


    "Grandpa?"


    "What are you saying, old man?"


    "This umbilical cord as far as I can remember is used to make a particr potion. It''s one of the essentialponents of it. But, Fetus Orcs are too hard toe by, and it''s even harder to find its umbilical cord intact as they rip it apart when theye out of the womb. What a rare find."


    "What kind of potion is that?" Arthur asked.


    "It''s a potion that heals all ailments no matter how strong they are. However, this is but one of many items that are required to create this potion. I believe you should keep it for when you might find the other ones."


    "A potion that can heal all ailments, huh?" The boy muttered. ''No gonna lie, that does sound very powerful. A potion like that could change many things. I don''t know what kind of ailments this world could inflict on me, but I''m sure they won''t be a nice experience. I guess I will keep it till I learn more about this potion-making science.''


    Although Arthur knew this was perhaps something that might take a very long time or even never happen, but he was ready to invest in it. He wasn''t in need of money and something like this sounds too expensive to be sold in a beginner vige.


    "What about the skin?"


    "That¡­ I don''t think it has any use." Nina replied. "It should get you a few dozen silvers."


    "Hm, that''s not too bad."


    "If you want, I can sell it for you. I know the people here so I can get you a pretty good price." The woman said.


    "You would? I would be very grateful."


    "No problem, Arthur~"


    Saying that, Nina took the skin away and kept the cord for Arthur to store again. With that, the boy believed his business was done there for the day and was about to excuse himself. However, the old man stopped him.


    "Say, kid. What is your goal in this world?"


    "My goal?" Arthur raised an eyebrow. He didn''t expect such a deep question out of nowhere and especially not from this seemingly cold man.


    "Everyone in this world has a goal, whether it''s living your mundane life or reaching the highest of peaks. I wonder what is yours?"


    "..." The boy and the old man stared at each other for a good few seconds. Then, Arthur shifted his vision and started walking away.


    "I have no grandiose desire like that and I don''t believe that everyone has a purpose. However, if I have to go with your words, my biggest goal is¡­ to just have fun. Life is too short and I have already lost most of it for one reason or another. Now, I just want to live whatever is left for me, as happy as I can. That is what I want." In the end, the boy smiled calmly at the old man.


    It was a smile mixed with many emotions. However, the old man could read them all very clearly on the boy''s face.


    A//N: Hand me all your PS!

 Chapter 30: Chapter 30- Social Media Insanity

    "Well, if you will excuse me now. I have stuff to do." Arthur said as he turned around to leave. The old man stared at him silently as the boy left the shop and closed the door behind him. Nobody knew what was going through his head at that moment.


    A few secondster, Nina came back. "Oh? Did Arthur already leave?"


    "... Yes," Miro replied casually.


    "I wanted to give him some of my soup, what a bummer." She muttered.


    "Where did you find that kid, Nina?" The old man asked her with apletely stoic expression.


    "He came across the shop purely by coincidence. I didn''t look for him."


    "... Hm."


    "Do you really think I woulde across someone like him that easily?" The woman added. At this point, Nina was certain Arthur was very different even by the Gifted standards. He had something in him that felt really special and yet something she couldn''t wrap her head around properly.


    He was mysterious yet also simple. Weird, yet also charming. Smart yet seemed like an airhead. All these contradicting things existed in one single individual somehow and they mixed so well to create someone she would never forget even if he never came back.


    It was weird how impressionable he was. Her grandpa seemed to share the same thoughts purely from the way he was asking her about him.


    "Hey, Grandpa."


    "Hm?"


    "Do you think we should ask him to do ''that''¡­" Nina''s voice trailed off to the end of the sentence as if she was hesitant to ask the question. However, Miro understood what she was trying to convey.


    "Who knows? If he truly can be someone we can rely on, then that''s akin to us confirming that he might be one of the strongest in the future. Only the strongest can truly pull it off."


    Nina didn''t say a single word after that. Her expression grew a little darker for some reason. ''The strongest, huh? I wonder if that''s the case. But, I have a strong hunch that he might be the one we''re looking for. If he is, then, we might finally be able to go back¡­ Go back ''there''.''


    ***


    Meanwhile, as that conversation was happening, Arthur was walking through the street with a rxed look on his face. He was in a great mood at that moment and nothing was going to change that.


    Everything around him felt like it was bright and colorful. Even the scrawny looks of the yers and people alike felt far more pleasing to the eye. The magic of happiness was truly mystical.


    "Ok, let''s find somewhere to log out." He muttered as he looked around him. Although he knew when he logs out, nothing can harm him, he still didn''t want to risk getting screwed over by something he wasn''t aware of.


    After looking around for a while, he decided to log out in a corner of one of the alleys. Standing there, he opened the settings in his menu and tapped on the button ''Log Out''.


    Almost instantly, a light grasped Arthur''s body out of nowhere andpletely engulfed him a in second. The boy''s vision was obstructed during that time, and by the time it came back, the entire scenery shifted.


    Now, everything was dark around him. Then, he heard the sound of the ss gate opening slowly, revealing his old room. Arthur was a little dazed for a second before he slowly rose up and left the capsule.


    Surprisingly, after sitting in the same position for several hours, Arthur didn''t feel sluggish or sleepy. In fact, it was quite the opposite. The boy felt extremely energetic, and even surprisingly a little stronger.


    He could feel that his muscles were pumping with energy that they didn''t possess before. With wide eyes, he looked at his arms and legs. "Is this the effect of the serum? How did it already start making changes? I barely used the capsule for a few hours."


    Looking over his shoulder at the machine, he could only wonder what kind of things happened to his body during the time he was ying. The serum worked almost like magic.


    "I don''t know what kind of stuff they used to make that. But, I can''tin. I might get in shape just from this." Laughing to himself, Arthur walked to his room''s window and opened it. Immediately, his eyes were assaulted by the sun.


    "It''s already morning, ugh." Groaning, he walked out of the room to prepare breakfast. "Luckily, today is my day off or boss would''ve destroyed me."


    Arthur''s days usually started very early since he liked the quietness of the mornings. He would make breakfast, and depending on the time of the year, he would either go to school after or go to work.


    His schedule was pretty busy for someone his age and he hated that a lot. He can''t forget the times when the bell rang for the end of the school day and his peers would start talking about their ns for the evening while he had to go to work to earn some money.


    He felt that it was unfair and he wasn''t ashamed to admit that he was envious of their lives. However, he also knew the importance of this responsibility he had to bear since young. He had learned to be his one and only support. Others either ignored him or simply didn''t care. The only one who did care was already dead so he couldn''t even rely on them.


    The world truly hated him, and Arthur hated it as much. Well, that was at least what he liked to tell himself. In reality, Arthur was perhaps the person who loved life the most. He loved it so much that he would do anything just to experience fun in it.


    It was a very sour candy, and he was ready to keep sucking it till he finds the sweet part.


    After making breakfast, he sat down on the couch and checked his phone. "Let''s see what kind of stuff happened in the game while I was ying."


    With how massive Divinity Online was, Arthur was certain that interesting stuff must''ve been discovered rather quickly by the yer base. Hell, even he discovered some pretty interesting stuff of his own.


    "Hm, ok, as I expected. Divinity Online is trending worldwide. Let''s see what they''re talking abo-"


    Opening a random site, the very first title he saw was ''Unknown yer Persona is dominating Divinity Online.''


    The boy blinked in shock before he scrolled through the article. It talked about the sudden appearance of this unknown yer and how they are now the number one in the world, far away from his nearestpetitors.


    "I''m headlining¡­ Wow, I mean, I''m number 1 so that does make sense. But still¡­ Every single site is talking about me one way or another."


    As he scrolled through his news feed, all he saw was the word ''Persona'' stered everywhere. People were talking about him as if there was no tomorrow. Even with a simple look, the number of over-the-topments and questions he saw almost made him spit his coffee.


    "What the hell do you mean ''Persona is my daddy''?! You need help! Also, who is saying ''Step on me, Persona!'' I am not into that, dumbass!"


    In a matter of minutes, Arthur''s mind feltpletely overwhelmed. The entire world seemed to be talking about him more than the game itself and he didn''t know why. Granted, he was currently the first in the world, but that should''ve not been this insane.


    Even popr inte personalities and celebrities alike were participating in these discussions.


    "... Oh my god, this is getting out of hand. Why am I suddenly so famous? Am I supposed to bank on this?" He asked himself. "Uh, no, I don''t want that. My life is pretty good as it is now.


    I don''t want some insane people to bother me. Screw this!"


    Then, he closed his phone and opened the TV to watch something. However, expectedly, the news was also talking about the game, and talking about him. Changing from one channel to another, he couldn''t find a single one that didn''t involve him.


    "This¡­ This is a nightmare!"


    A//N: Hand me all your PS!

 Chapter 31: Chapter 31- Invitation (Part 1)

    For the rest of the morning, Arthur took time to actually do some research about Divinity Online. Although his name was stered on every single corner of the inte, once he actually looked deeper, he found many people talking about the game and what they discovered.


    Most of the forums he went into were mainly yers sharing the items they found, their progress when ites to making their build, and a lot of pictures¡­ A whole lot of pictures. Most of them were just beautiful scenery the yers captured using one of the in-game features that allowed for screenshots.


    "I get that the game is beautiful, guys. But damn, there is nothing about the lore? Did nobody discover anything yet?" Arthur frowned as he rubbed the back of his head. He was looking for more information about the towers, the gods, and perhaps quests that he could do in the first step vige.


    However, surprisingly, nobody seemed to have discovered much about the world and its lore. There were several NPC quests that gave interesting items and that was basically it. Nothing special has been discovered yet. "Well, except for some theories people gathered from talking to some NPCs. There are no actual facts yet. Maybe it''s a bit too early to find such things.


    I should wait a little bit more."


    Although Arthur felt like he knew more than most yers, he still had a lot of questions to ask and even more things to discover.


    "Ugh, what should I do now?" As he scrolled through the inte, he quickly came across something that caught his attention. In the news section of Divinity Online''s main website, the developer announced that the marketce was going to be unlocked tomorrow.


    "The marketce, huh? If I''m not wrong, this is one of the ways to actually earn money from the game. I can sell my items for real currency. I thought they might take longer to unlock this feature but I guess with how many people are ying and the sheer number of investors, nobody can really wait to start earning money."


    Arthur was aware of how many massive corporations had already announced they will be investing into Divinity Online way before it''s release. They were as eager as everyone else to get a piece of the pie and they probably couldn''t wait to start earning back what they invested.


    "Those money-hungry hogs are something else I swear. Even Divinity Corp can''t ignore their endless greed. But, I wonder how I can really dip my legs into this. Or should I just wait for the other methods of earning money that will eventually unlock?"


    Although there were no information about these methods, Arthur was aware that there were many ways to actually get money. One of them was simply to join one of those corporations and be a yer under their g. There are already countlesspanies offering these jobs to yers who they deem capable.


    They would receive a sry just like an actual job and depending on the size of thepany, other amazing bonuses aren''t out of the question.


    "Hm, well, if the number 1 would step up and ask for a job offer, I don''t think anyone can say no to me. But, the problem is, if I do this then my identity will be revealed and I can say goodbye to my peaceful life. Is it truly worth it?"


    If Arthur bes a yer for some gamingpany then he is certain he will earn a ridiculous amount of money. He would get countless sponsors and revenue even from people that purely wanted to watch him y. He can even live stream himself ying and garner a massive fanbase.


    "The life of stardom, huh? I wonder if I ever imagined myself being like that. It sounds certainly interesting, but I don''t know if I can really handle such a life. I''m not that interesting of a person either way so people might get bored quickly."


    Sighing, Arthur rested his back against the old sofa as he stared at theptop screen with a frown. The more he thought about it, the more he grew frustrated. One side of him didn''t want that, and yet logic said that he couldn''t simply live the rest of his life in such a poor state.


    He knew sacrifices were in order if he wanted to grow and improve. But, was he truly ready for such a massive step? Yesterday at the same time, he wasn''t even nning to y the game since he had no money to afford it. Yet, in just a few hours, he was now somehow ranked one in the world.


    His world had shifted so fast and what was just something he wanted to experience for fun, is now slowly bing a life-changing decision.


    "Ugh! I hate overthinking too much! I hate it!" Rubbing his head wildly, he decided to stop. "It''s still just day one, let''s just do what we can and see where things will go from now on. I can''t just be this reckle-"


    As he was talking to himself, however, he heard a knock on the door. That stopped his trail of thought and made him look up. Then, he stood up and walked to the door before he opened it. He was not expecting any visitors so the boy was naturally confused.


    There, he saw a very tall man d in a ck suit and ck sses standing at the door. Arthur''s neck arched up to look at the man with shocked eyes. ''W-What the hell is this?! How tall is this guy?!''


    Immediately, the boy felt intimidated by the man. His stoic expression and nk stare made him look like a monster rather than a human.


    "..." The two stared at each other for a second before Arthur finally asked. "Can I help you?"


    ''The hell can I even help this guy with? He can probably throw me around like a sack of potatoes if he wanted.'' He mused secretly.


    "Are you Arthur?" The man finally opened his mouth and spoke in a very deep tone.


    "I hope so. How can I help you?"


    The man ignored Arthur''s question and handed him what seemed to be a white letter. Then, without waiting a second, he turned around and left swiftly.


    "Hey, wait! What the hell is this?!" Arthur called for him. But, the man ignored him and vanished quickly. The boy stood there, bbergasted beyond words. ''Now, what is this? No, what is actually happening these past two days?!


    Am I being toyed with or something?! First the capsule and the serum, now this guy and this letter? Who the hell is doing this to me?''


    Arthur didn''t know whether to bash his head against the wall or not at that moment as things were really starting to irritate him. He felt like someone was ying with him and he didn''t know who it was or why they were doing this in the first ce.


    Looking down at the white letter, he flipped it around, only to see a particr logo on the back of it. It was a dragon soaring through the sky before twisting around itself like a snake with itsrge arms forming a sphere.


    The logo was that of Divinity Corp.


    A//N: Hand me all your PS!

 Chapter 32: Chapter 32- Invitation (Part 2)

    The logo was stomped right in the middle of the letter cover as if it wanted Arthur to instantly notice it and that was exactly what happened. That logo was something he had seen so often in the past year that he could draw it from memory if he wanted to.


    "A letter from Divinity Corp? Why am I being sent this?" He frowned as he turned around and walked inside again after making sure the man waspletely gone. Sitting down on the sofa, he turned the TV off and opened the letter to check its content.


    Inside, he found two pieces of paper. One seemed to be a letter while the other one was a smaller piece of paper. That smaller piece of paper was the one that instantly caught his attention.


    "Is this¡­ Is this a ne ticket?" Arthur blinked as he looked at the ticket with wide eyes. "My name is even on it."


    Arthur felt even more confused than he was before. Receiving a ne ticket was not something he expected for that day or any other day. Reading the ticket, he found the exact time and destination too.


    "Tomorrow, 3 AM, Blue Crest Ind? What the hell is this ce? I''ve never heard of that name in my life." The boy muttered. Although Arthur wasn''t extremely knowledgeable when it came to geography, he was at least confident that he would know of an ind with that unique name.


    "Blue Crest ind¡­ I have to look this up on the inte." Opening hisptop, he searched for the name of the ind to see where it was. That was when he was faced with the second surprising realization.


    "... Nothing? Nothing showed up." Running his hand through his hair, he continued scrolling down, searching for any information. Yet, from what he could see, there was not a single site that talked about an ind with this name. It was as if it didn''t exist in the first ce.


    That naturally confused Arthur as this ne ticket didn''t seem to be fake. The fact that it came from Divinity Corp made it even more believable as they aren''t people that like to particrly joke around with random citizens.


    "Is this some kind of newly found ind? That could be the case. But, if you can travel there, then surely there should be some information about it, no?"


    Feeling like he was about to lose his mind, he quickly pulled out the second piece of paper in hopes of finding any answers. Flipping it open, he immediately saw the game''s logo at the top of the letter with a big colorful title beneath it.


    "Blue Crest Academy Invitation? Wait, Academy?" Then, he read the content of the letter.


    ''yer Arthur,


    You have been chosen amongst other yers who are invited to attend Blue Crest Academy to continue your high school education. Blue Crest Academy is a new institution built to take in all the inspiring Divinity Online young talents and nurture their growth with the help of a plethora of very capable teachers and professors.


    We at Divinity Corp, have worked very hard to ensure the game is up to our standard, and to make sure the future is but a bright beacon carried by the young talents, we believe that taking the best talents in will help them achieve their true potential.


    You are one of those amazing talents and we believe with our help, you will reach new heights. Divinity Online is unbelievably massive and filled with challenges that only the best of the best can truly ovee. Join us in the Blue Crest Academy, and we shall make sure to help you achieve all your dreams.


    PS: Since this is a schrship invitation, all your lodging and daily necessities are under our care. Your Capsule and serums shall also be sent to your new ce soon after.


    Warm regards,


    Divinity Corp, Academy Committee.''


    At the end of the letter, Arthur saw several signatures that seemed to belong to members of themittee and even the CEO of Divinity Corp. That was perhaps the nail in the coffin that made him cover his face.


    "You have got to be kidding me, right?" He muttered as he rested his head on the sofa. "A schrship invitation to an academy made for Divinity Online yers? Hey, Author, you truly outdone yourself. This is a development even I didn''t expect." Arthur talked to himself as if he had gone insane. "Why am I being chosen? I haven''t even done anything?


    I''m not that good in school either. Did they choose me based on what I did so far in the game? But, how did they even prepare this so fast?!"


    No matter how he looked at it, Arthur didn''t feel like this was something that should happen. "Blue Crest Academy, huh? Well, I guess this exins why there is no information about this ind. It''s because Divinity Corp hid this project from everyone till this point so naturally, nobody knew anything about this."


    ''This entire idea sounds quite weird too. Why would they want to nurture yers? This is just a game, isn''t it? Gathering kids from all over the world just to train them sounds really off. I don''t know if this is even legal or not.''


    Arthur felt that the entire thing was shady. But, knowing Divinity Corp and their tactics, he doubted they would actually risk putting themselves in a legally grey situation even if it was for a greater benefit. They have an extremely good public image that they can''t allow to be tarnished bywsuits or legal actions.


    That also meant that this ''Blue Crest Academy'' project was perhaps something the people in control knew about and even supported. That led Arthur to the most obvious question.


    "Should I ept such an invitation? I mean, they''re saying they''re going to pay for my lodging and other necessities. A full-on schrship. I won''t even need to work anymore." He muttered. Even without looking at the possible consequences, the positives were just too enticing.


    High school was but a few weeks away and Arthur was already imagining how ruthless it was going to be to bnce between work, studying, and ying Divinity Online. His days were going to be very hectic and almost too exhausting if not outright exhausting.


    If he can get rid of the working part, things would be much easier. But, if he can integrate Divinity Online with school, then that was just the best oue possible.


    ''That oue just jumped right into my arms just now. This invitation could be really good. There is also not that much chance that my identity will be revealed, right? I mean, it defeats the entire purpose of giving the yers the option to hide their yer tags if it was going to be revealed in the academy.''


    No matter from which angle Arthur approached this idea, it felt like it was the perfect next step for him. It could also give him a better idea of what he should do in the future and if he truly was ready to change his life from the very root.


    "It feels like it was almost perfectly tailored for me. But, that couldn''t be the case, right?"


    A//N: Hand me all your PS!

 Chapter 33: Chapter 33- Special Treatment (Part 1)

    For a while after that, Arthur kept thinking about this letter and what he should do. Although it was clear to him that epting this invitation was better than ignoring it, there were still some uncertainties that he had to consider.


    As abrupt as this invitation was, it seemed he only had a few hours to consider it before he had to go to the airport. He felt like he was being cornered to make a decision quickly and that was exactly what he was trying to do.


    He had no one to tell him what to do or give him and advice. What could''ve been something his parents helped him with, is now something he has to deal with alone. This wasn''t new to him as it had been the case for years now.


    But, he still could only wonder what it would feel like to have someone that can give him guidance when he is lost. A person that he can go back to whenever he feels like the world is too much. It felt terrifying, and certainly something that Arthur should''ve not gone through at such a young age.


    But, here he was, already learning to bear that fear and pressure and moving forward. He does hesitate and overthink more times than he would like to admit. Still, he had to take that decision.


    "Tsk, why am even hesitating at this point? This seems like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Even if it turns out to be a bad idea, I won''t regret it at all. If they want me, fine, they will get me." He muttered as he put the letter down and stood up, his expression was now dead serious.


    ''I wanted to change my life, didn''t I? Well, what''s better to start with than to travel to a whole different ce?'' Arthur asked himself as he walked into his room to start gathering his clothes.


    "Wait, where was my passport again?!"


    ***


    *A few hourster*


    The night had cast its shadow on the city. The world felt far more quiet than usual, perhaps because many people were within the confines of their homes ying Divinity Online, or perhaps it was just a feeling.


    Looking around him, Arthur dragged a suitcase through the dark streets of the neighborhood. "Where can I find a taxi now? It''s goddamnte." Sighing, he stopped at the main street and waited for a taxi to pass by.


    Looking at his phone, he had a few hours before his supposed flight. Although the boy was still apprehensive about all of this turning out to be a dumb joke or a trick, the chances of that being the case were too low for him to consider them.


    ''Well, I have never been to the airport before so this is going to be a good experience if it doesn''t work out.'' He shrugged. A few minutes passed before he saw a taxiing toward him from a distance.


    Stopping it, he got inside and asked the driver to head straight to the airport.


    "Where is a young man like you traveling all alone?" The man asked Arthur.


    "... I''m traveling to a ce that doesn''t exist on the map." The boy replied as he looked outside through the window.


    "Huh?"


    "Shh, you don''t need to understand." The boy replied. "I don''t even understand it myself."


    ''... Is this boy insane?'' The man felt weirded out by the boy''s quirky behavior. He felt rather intimidated and so he wentpletely silent for the rest of the ride. When they reached the destination, Arthur paid the man with whatever money he had left and left the cab. Standing in front of the massive doors of the airport, Arthur looked around him with a curious look.


    Unlike the rest of the city, the airport was as active as ever with people getting in and out at all times even thiste at night. ''First time here, feels very¡­ weird. I never thought I would travel outside the country in my life. But, here I am.''


    Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward and walked inside. Immediately, he was met with a chaotic sight. A massive hall that stretched as far as the eye could see with people walking everywhere in a hurry.


    A feminine voice was speaking in the distance through a loud microphone, announcing the nes that were about to take off. The entire ce was so weird and it caught Arthur immediately.


    ''It feels like everything here is going at 2x speed¡­ What the hell?'' The boy felt a little panicked inside as he looked around him left and right. He didn''t know what to do at first, but then he decided to ask one of the guards moving around him.


    That led him to the security area. There, he stood in line behind many people who were going through the same process as he was.


    ''Gulp, I don''t even know if this passport is still eligible to use. My grandma made me make it in case I need it. Who knew she would be right? May god bless you, grandma.'' Praying in his head, Arthur took the ticket and passport out. He didn''t know if there were other things required like an ID, but since he wasn''t of age yet, he didn''t have that.


    Normally, he would be refused by the TSA agent but, Arthur had a hunch that wouldn''t be the case. ''Well, we shall see very soon.''


    After 30 minutes of waiting, Arthur''s turn finally arrived as he stepped in front of the TSA agent. It was an olderdy with a stern look on her face.


    "Your suitcase and any other belongings, sir." She said. Arthur immediately handed her everything before she put them in a bin. Then, she looked at him. "Passport and ticket, please."


    Putting them on the counter, the woman stared at Arthur before her eyes shifted to the people standing behind him. "Is one of them your parent?"


    "... No? I came here alone." Arthur frowned. ''Oh boy, I do need some kind of document, don''t I?''


    The woman stared at Arthur silently before she sighed and said. "Sir, I do not think you should be here alone. Where are your parents?"


    "... I don''t have any," Arthur replied. "Can you please check the ticket, I think there is some kind of misunderstanding."


    "The ticket?" The woman raised an eyebrow before she picked it up and read it. Almost immediately, the woman''s eyes widened as she froze for a second. Then, she slowly lifted her eyes up to look at Arthur.


    "Uh, ma''am? Are you ok?" Arthur asked her, feeling confused. ''Did she read something weird in the ticket? Uh, what the hell is this situation?!''


    "Huh? Oh, ehem, my deepest apologies, sir! I didn''t understand at first! Please excuse my rude behavior!" Then, with a scared tone before she quickly checked the ticket, the passport, and the items as fast as she could. Then, she made Arthur pass the X-ray device.


    When he was done, she said. "Sir, can you please pick up your belongings and follow me?"


    Arthur raised an eyebrow before he nodded and walked after her. ''Am I being led to an interrogation room?'' Gulping down a mouthful of saliva, the woman led him to the waiting area of the airport where people wait for their trips.


    However, the woman continued walking in a hurry, passing across the entire area until she stopped in front of a random door. Putting a particr key in, she unlocked the door without opening it. "Please, head inside." She said.


    "... What''s in there?"


    "Please head in and you shall discover yourself." She said before she excused herself and walked away. Arthur tried to call for her, but she was already long gone.


    "What''s up with everyone giving me something and then storming off? Is this the new trend?! Goddamit, I need answers!" Grumbling to himself, he opened the door and walked inside. At this point, he had lost the energy to get surprised anymore.


    However, that thought vanished quickly when he saw the interior of the room.


    A//N: Sorry if the entire security process seems inurate. Had to change some stuff to make it fit :)

 Chapter 34: Chapter 34- Special Treatment (Part 2)

    Inside, Arthur found himself in apletely different world than the one he had been in a second ago. The difference between this particr room and the rest of the airport was shocking.


    The sheer aura of luxury andfort it exuded was so overwhelming, that the boy had to stop and take in everything around him for a few seconds.


    The lounge exuded opulence with its polished marble floors, soft ambient lighting, and high ceilings adorned with intricate gold leaf patterns. Rich, dark wood paneling lined the walls, interspersed with art deco ents and soft, velvet-covered furnishings in deep jewel tones.


    A grand bar with a mirrored back showcases an array of crystal decanters, while plush seating areas are arranged around sleek, low tables. The atmosphere is serene, with the quiet hum of hidden venttion and the subtle scent of leather and exotic woods.


    On the other side of the room, a giant wall made out of polished ss gave a panoramic view of the runway from up close. Aircrafts could be seen descending and ascending clearly even thiste at night.


    The entire ce felt like it belonged to a renowned hotel rather than the airport. Arthur never even thought ces like this existed. ''Did I get into the wrong room, what the hell is this? I''m too poor for this nonsense!''


    Looking around him again, Arthur noticed that he was the only one in the lounge. Nobody else seemed to be present there. So, with hesitant steps, he walked deeper into the ce, still looking around as if he were a curious child exploring the world.


    Eventually, he settled in one of the chairs. "Holy¡­ This is sofortable. What did they make this chair out of? I almost want to take a nap now if I wasn''t too nervous."


    Adjusting his position, Arthur noticed that there was a panel on the right handle of the chair. Curiously, he tapped on one of the buttons when suddenly, the chair started vibrating. The feeling reached every part of his body quickly and made him groan.


    "A massage feature too? This¡­ This is heaven!" He muttered. His soar muscles and bones were shuddering from pleasure. "If this is how they''re going to treat me, then this is damn well worth it."


    The boy had realized that perhaps the ticket he was sent had unlocked some kind of privileged treatment for him. However, he didn''t know how that was even possible, and even more than that¡­ How did Divinity get such influence even on airports and the traveling industry?


    ''They have their legs dipped in every goddamn pond. I don''t think there is something they can''t do. Can they even be considered a game developer at this point?''


    Divinity Online is the richestpany in the world, and they are only growing rapidly every single day. Their influence was also spreading faster and faster as they slowly rooted themselves in society itself.


    Most people knew who they were and even more were getting to know them after the release of Divinity Online. Arthur was but one individual of many, and yet he was receiving such a treatment because he was simply invited to the Blue Crest Academy.


    As he was contemting all of that, the boy heard the door to the room open. Immediately, he opened his eyes as he looked over his shoulder. ''Finally, is there someone else taking the flight to the same ind?''


    When Arthur first stepped into the ce, he thought that nobody was going toe after him. After all, he didn''t know the number of people invited to the academy. Out of tens of millions of people his age ying the game, how many are even that good? He didn''t know the answer and that was why he assumed that the invitation was something very rare to receive.


    Yet, surprisingly, it seemed he wasn''t going to be alone. ''I wonder if I know this person.''


    Looking over his shoulder, Arthur realized that there wasn''t one person, but instead, several people had walked in. Two guys, and two girls to be precise. All of them seemed to be wearing quite luxurious clothes and expensive jewelry on their bodies.


    Even their auras were exuding wealth and status. They also looked quiet with their well-kept hair and shiny skin. Two of them particrly stood out for Arthur as they were standing ahead. The boy was tall and muscr with a strong look on his face that had a hint of arrogance in it.


    The girl on the other hand was very beautiful and also shared the same arrogant look as the boy.


    ''Hm, they seem familiar, don''t they? Are they the children of some kind of rich family? They have simr appearances so they''re for sure siblings. The other ones are probably from a different family.''


    Arthur never took an interest in rich families in his city or any other ce. Their lives and his were as different as the sky and earth. He was simply not cut out for such things and so he had no interest in them at all.


    However, he can still recognize ''rich'' when he sees it. After all, most wealthy people wear their money on their bodies.


    ''Unless they''re billionaires, then ites around a full circle and they somehow look like peasants.'' Arthur thought to himself as he turned around, losing all interest in the group.


    "Tsk, why did they deny Victor ess? I can''t go anywhere without him." He heard one of the girls speaking in an annoyed tone. "They denied all our servants."


    ''Servants¡­'' Arthur frowned as he tapped the button and enjoyed his massage silently. But, he made sure to keep listening to them speaking in the background.


    The tall boy looked at the girl and said. "It seems they only want us to take this ne wherever it''s going. Servants are not a part of the invited candidates."


    "I wonder why they don''t allow other people to go there. Perhaps they don''t want the location of the ind to be revealed yet." The girl added coldly.


    "Possible."


    As the conversation continued, Arthur listened and captured every bit and piece of information he noticed. ''They don''t seem to know why we are being invited either. Hmm, not even the rich nobility know? I guess there is no privileged treatment here. Everyone is equal in not knowing anything.''


    Arthur was worried of the hierarchy thates along with being brought to a ce where people from all walks of life are gathered. The rich and powerful were naturally going to take control and oppress the weak if they were rotten and Arthur considered himself from the weak.


    "Hm? There is someone here." As the three of them were talking, it seemed one of the girls noticed Arthur''s presence. Everyone naturally looked at him.


    Arthur frowned as he lifted his handzily. "Don''t mind me, I''m just rxing." He replied. "Nice to meet all of you, I''m Arthur."


    Then, as if nothing happened, he went silent and continued enjoying his time. Silence took over the entire room for a good 30 seconds before he heard someone speak.


    "Stand up. I want to see your face."


    The voice seemed to belong to the tall boy. His tone was cold andmanding as if he was ordering Arthur, not asking him.


    ''Attitude doesn''t work with me, son.'' Arthur opened his eyes as he sucked in a deep breath. "Add a ''please'' at the end, and I might consider."


    Although the boy didn''t want any trouble, he wasn''t going to let someone order him around. He already had enough of that working in grocery stores and getting yelled at by his boss.


    "..." The entire ce was submerged in silence again. But, this time, it was far more ufortable. The tension had skyrocketed in a mere second.


    "What did you just say?" The boy asked in a confused yet angry voice.


    A//N: Hand me all your PS!

 Chapter 35: Chapter 35- Unknown Goals

    The moment he asked that question, the entire ce turned even colder as if someone poured ice in there. Even the people around the tall boy frowned visibly as if they didn''t expect such an exchange.


    "I said¡­ Add ''please'' at the end and I might consider it. It''s the bare minimum, friend." Arthur replied as he dismissed him with his hand. ''I''m such an arrogant bastard, haha.'' He thought to himself secretly.


    He never got any opportunities to actually act haughty around someone so this felt really good. Even if it was going to put him in trouble with whoever that person was, he didn''t frankly care. He felt like this was a lot of fun and wherever fun went, he was ready to follow it.


    A few moments passed before the boy finally did something. He slowly started walking toward Arthur. His steps echoed in the lounge. Eventually, he stopped right in front of Arthur and looked down on him.


    "Say that again." He said. "To my face." He added.


    Arthur opened his eyes again and slowly looked up. "Are you deaf or something? Ok, let me spell it for you this time so you can hear it well."


    With a small groan, Arthur stood up and looked at the boy. "I said add ''please'' at the end and I might cons-"


    Before Arthur could even finish the sentence, all his eyes could see was a flying punch aimed at his face. It was a sudden, unannounced attack that seemed to carry a lot of power and considerable speed. The old Arthur would''ve beenpletely taken by surprise when such an attack wasunched at him.


    However, the current Arthur was a little different. For some reason, his eyes could see the punch rather well. It wasn''t in slow motion or anything, but it was almost as if his body and senses were faster.


    Without realizing it, he tilted his head to the side, letting the punch pass him casually. The room was submerged in silence again. Then, as if he didn''t have enough, heunched a punch forward that smashed against the boy''s nose, staggering him and pushing him back.


    Everyone was shocked at what just happened. Even Arthur was shocked. He blinked slowly before he looked at his hand. ''... How did I¡­?''


    His reaction speed was just so surprising and his ability to counterattack that fast was also shocking. Granted, this wasn''t that big of a difference from before as Arthur knew how to brawl to a certain extent.


    Since he had a small stature and a visually skinny body, he was a good target for bullies across all years of school. So, to defend himself, Arthur learned to fight. It was safe to say he fought other kids his age dozens of times.


    He lost many and won many but he learned from them. Still, this particr interaction should''ve not been possible with his abilities. ''Was that the effect of the serum? No, not just that. My senses feel slightly sharper. Barely enough, but still a change.


    Could it be my fight with the fetus that made it easier for me to perceive his attack? Possible. I need to look into this.''


    As he was discovering more about his newfound power, the boy was still in pure shock. Lifting his hand, he touched his nose, only to notice droplets of blood left there.


    "You¡­" With wide eyes, he looked at Arthur. "You''re dead, you are so dead." He said.


    "I''m sorry man. I genuinely didn''t mean to punch you like that. Is your nose ok?" Arthur asked as he rubbed the back of his head. "You were the one to attack first you know. I simply reacted."


    "Wha-"


    The rest of the group were speechless. They couldn''t believe the boy had just said that. ''Is he insane?! What''s wrong with him?! Jack will lose it!''


    The boy named Jack slowly stood up as he stared at Arthur. "Looking at your attire, you aren''t from any rich family. What the hell are you doing here?"


    "... I got an invitation, obviously," Arthur replied.


    "Hmph, how did he receive one? He doesn''t look like he can even afford a capsule." One of the girls scoffed arrogantly.


    "That¡­ You''re goddamn right I can''t afford one." Arthur pointed at the girl without looking at her. "That''s why I stole one. Tsk tsk."


    "..." (x4)


    "Of course, I didn''t, idiots. I just received one as a gift from uh¡­ my dad¡­" For a second, Arthur struggled to find a good lie. ''Well, if the dead can give gifts that is.''


    Jack frowned visibly before he stepped toward Arthur. "Do you think you''re funny, little shit?"


    "Little shit?" Arthur blinked in surprise. "We''re the same age, man. It''s not nice to insult someone''s height."


    "Do you even realize who you just hit right now? All I need is one single word and I can ruin your stupid life forever."


    "... Oh no. No, no, no, how can I miss this?"


    Seeing the panicked look on Arthur''s face, the boy grinned coldly.


    "How can I miss where this was my problem?" He facepalmed.


    "...!" Those words seemed to be the straw that broke the camel''s back. He then started rushing toward Arthur, ready to punch him with even more power. However, at that moment, the door to the lounge opened again, taking everyone''s attention.


    Then, a tall man d in a ck suit walked in. Arthur immediately recognized him as the man who gave him the letter earlier that day. Standing at the entrance, he gave everyone a cold nce before he slowly strode inside as if he didn''t realize that a fight was about to break out.


    He passed every single one of them until he stopped at the end of the lounge and turned around. "Please, take a seat." He said in a respectful yet stern tone.


    Although he only said three words, their weight fell down on everyone''s shoulders. They didn''t understand why, but they felt a strong urge to simply follow those words without asking a question.


    "Who are you?" The other boy asked with a nervous look.


    "I shall exin everything, Mr. Jacob. Please, take a seat." The man replied.


    Nobody could retort to those words and saw, one by one, they started taking a seat. Even Jack stopped his intentions to fight Arthur and turned around to walk away. "I''m not done with you." He whispered to Arthur as he moved away.


    Thetter simply shrugged and sat down again in his spot and focused on the man.


    "First of all, I would love to introduce myself. You can address me as ''Mr. X''."


    "Mr. X?" Arthur muttered. "What a unique name."


    ''It''s probably not his real name. A nickname or a code name perhaps.'' He mused.


    Meanwhile, Mr. X continued speaking. "As you all have read in the letter, you were all chosen from a select number of yers to be invited to the Blue Crest Academy.


    This institution has been in the work alongside Divinity Online for the past 20 years and we are happy to announce that it is finally ready to ept inspiring students who look to make Divinity Online an integral part of their future and the future of this world.


    A//N: Hand me all your PS!

 Chapter 36: Chapter 36- An Island In The Ocean (Part 1)

    Mr. X then took a moment of silence to let the group take everything in. After that, he continued. "As you were told also, you are going to be living within the academy grounds from day one. We have built all the facilities that would make your stay enjoyable and hopefully longsting.


    However, we are going to confiscate all your electronics including phones,ptops, tablets, earphones, and other things. Be at ease though since we are going to give you devices to rece them."


    Arthur lifted his hand when Mr. X finished speaking. The man looked at him before he said. "Do you have a question, Mr. Arthur?"


    "Yes. Are we not allowed to contact the outside world when we''re there?"


    "..." Mr. X squinted his eyes for a moment. "The short answer to that is: yes. You are not allowed to contact the outside world as long as you''re on the ind."


    Immediately, the group had a strong reaction to that. Their faces grew sour and the room''s atmosphere turned solemn and dark.


    "What kind of nonsense is this? You cannot cut us from the outside world. We have families and work we have to deal with." One of the girls replied.


    "She''s right. That''s just like throwing us in jail."


    Hearing theirints, Arthur could only agree secretly. This sounded too extreme of a measure. Cutting them off from the outside world and recing their devices with new ones felt like too much even if they wanted to hide the location of the ind.


    ''I don''t think that''s the only reason they''re doing this. They''re most likely hiding something else from us.'' He mused. ''Whatever it is, I don''t think it is going to be simple.''


    As Mr. X heard theirints, he didn''t seem to be bothered as if he expected such a reaction to ur in the first ce. In reality, that should''ve been the case since that would be any normal person''s reaction to being told that they''re about to be sent to an isted ind somewhere unknown.


    "I understand yourints,dies and gentlemen. But, please let me exin first." He said. "The Blue Crest Academy is not simply an institution that integrates Divinity Online. It is far from that. We have worked very hard to create this project and the results we seek are far from simply making students graduate and then send them back to society."


    "..."


    "What we truly seek is to create true heroes and generational talents. We seek to create people that would truly flip the world upside down. Divinity Online is going to be the main step that will create such people, and Blue Crest Academy will simply be the steel block that these talents will be sharpened with. However, that won''t be an easy task, as you might expect.


    From all the invited people, only a select few will be able to graduate and reach their true potential. Each day in Blue Crest Academy is a challenge in and out of itself that will test everything about you."


    The more the man spoke, the more the group was shocked.


    "It is very hard, but once someone passes all those ordeals, not only are they guaranteed sess in the real world. But, they will shatter all expectations, and they will rise above and beyond. That is why, we must not allow these secrets to be exposed to the world. We cannot allow others to steal from us our hard work.


    Though, when I said that you aren''t allowed to contact the outside world, that isn''t the full answer." He lifted a finger. "We know that your lives outside the ind are an integral part of you. So, you are allowed to contact your families once every three days under supervision. You are allowed to talk about everything, except the ind and everything within the ind."


    The silence in the room was deafening. Nobody knew what to say after that. They felt that something was off, but at the same time, Mr. X''s words were convincing. If someone worked hard to create something, they wouldn''t wish for it to be stolen by someone else.


    ''Every three days huh? Well, that''s probably the most they canpromise without risking anything.'' Arthur thought to himself.


    "I believe everyone here should take this opportunity as it will never be repeated again. If any one of you wishes to leave, go ahead. But, please bear in mind that the moment you step out of that door, Divinity Corp will never seek you again."


    His words were clearly indicating that they still had their own free will and they could leave if they wished to do so. However, there was an underlying meaning that they quickly caught. Beneath all of that courteous bravado, Mr. X was threatening them that this opportunity would be the only one they would ever get.


    Everyone was aware that they were quite lucky to get such an opportunity. Millions of other people their age perhaps never received this invitation for one reason or another. Refusing now would be a very foolish thing to do even if there were some sacrifices to be made.


    "Pfft¡­" As the crippling silence dominated the room, someone suddenly startedughing. Everyone immediately looked at Arthur with surprise. Thetter continuedughing as if he didn''t care.


    "The fool that will leave has to let a doctor check his brain. I''m here all the way." He shrugged.


    ''I don''t have any rtives or friends so it doesn''t really matter if they try to iste me. As long as the academy is worth my time then it doesn''t really matter. If anything, they said they had provided all kinds of facilities for ourfort. I hope I can find indoor pools and saunas. Oh! Maybe also exotic food in the cafeteria!''


    Even those simple things were making Arthur excited beyond words. Seeing his wide smile, the other candidates felt like they were looking at a clinically insane person. Still, they seemed to share the same sentiment as he did. This was indeed an opportunity that couldn''t be missed.


    Stardom and sess were peeking at them and Divinity Corp was giving it to them on a golden te.


    A few moments passed and nobody stood up to leave. Seeing that, Mr. X nodded his head before he said. "You have all made the wise decision. Now, since everyone here is, the time for departure is close."


    Saying that, he snapped his fingers and immediately, everyone heard a door slowly opening on the left side of the room.


    ''Huh? Since when was that door there?'' Arthur frowned visibly. ''I swear I didn''t see it when I first came in.''


    "It''s time to leave." He added. "Please, make sure to call your parents and loved ones beforehand to notify them. We have already sent our agents to talk to each one of your families but they would still love to hear your voices." The man exined.


    Hearing that, the group pulled their phones out to call their families to tell them about the news. The only one who called nobody was Arthur. He simply sat there and waited casually.


    ''It''s a little weird that I''m the only one that can''t call anybody. But, eh, it isn''t a problem.'' He shrugged as he checked his luggage and things in case he forgot anything. Although he didn''t have that much luggage, to begin with, he had a few things he liked to keep.


    Like hisfort pillow. It was one of the essentials that he couldn''t live without.


    "I would rather die than throw this away." Tapping it a few times, he closed the bag and then stood up before he started walking toward the exit. On the way, he made eye contact with Mr. X.


    The man also looked at him and for a second, his eyes shed with a weird glint that Arthur couldn''t describe.


    A//N: Hand me all your PS!

 Chapter 37: Chapter 37- An Island In The Ocean (Part 2)

    Walking through the tunnel, Arthur looked through the ss window at the outside world. It was still very dark except for the lighting from the airport. Small gushes of wind caressed his body ever-so-gently.


    In the middle of the tunnel, he stopped for a moment to look at the sky outside as if he was thinking about something. ''There are no stars tonight.''


    The sky was like a dark abyss with no light. Even the beautiful stars Arthur would see usually were not present that night. Sighing, he turned around and continued walking toward the ne door. At the end of the tunnel, he could see a female attendant waiting nervously for their arrival.


    Reaching her, she quickly greeted him. "G-Good evening, sir! Please, allow me to take your luggage!" She said in a wavery voice. Even as she was trying to sound respectful, she couldn''t hide her fear and Arthur had a hunch as to why she was nervous.


    ''Her higher-ups probably told her that everyone that is going to get on this ne is extremely important and any displeasure would mean Divinity Corp would be displeased and they would lose a valuable rtionship with the most powerfulpany in the world.'' He thought to himself.


    Instantly, he felt sympathy toward thedy as her job and well-being were perhaps at stake at that moment. ''I understand how it feels to be under such pressure from your boss. It sucks. It''s ok, hostessdy, I won''t burden you. I''m too nice, after all!''


    "Ehem, don''t worry about it. I can carry it myself." Arthur coughed and replied.


    "Eh? Please, I-I can help." For some reason, thedy started panicking even harder as she lifted her hands.


    "It''s really not a problem, don''t worry. I can carry my own luggage." Arthur replied.


    "I-I¡­ Understood, please go ahead." She said with shaky hands.


    ''Why does she look even more terrified now? Did I do something bad?'' Raising an eyebrow, Arthur pulled his luggage and started walking into the ne. However, before entering, he stopped and looked at thedy.


    "Hey, don''t worry. You are doing a great job. You won''t lose your job." He whispered to her.


    Thedy was naturally shocked by his words as she blinked at him. Then, with a dazed look, she nodded her head. "T-Thank you, sir."


    "That''s the spirit. Just smile and do what you need to do." Arthur smiled softly and then walked in.


    The interior of the ne was shockingly beautiful. It felt like he just walked into one of those expensive private jets as there werefortable leather seats, several bedrooms, several bathrooms, a kitchen, a bar, and even a jacuzzi.


    There were also several servants inside, each working on something different. They all weed him in respectfully as if they were talking to a very important person. Then, he was led to his seat next to the window.


    However, the window was closed for some reason so he couldn''t see anything outside. ''Wow, this is something else. I didn''t even know nes had bedrooms in them. The world of the rich is just iprehensible.'' He mused.


    "Wee sir, what do you wish to drink on this fine night?" One of the servants approached him and asked with a gentle tone.


    "... Uh, do you guys have orange juice?" He asked after thinking for a moment.


    "Of course. Do you wish for anything else?"


    "No, just orange juice. Freshly squeezed, with two teaspoons of sugar." He replied.


    "Understood. Please wait a moment." The servant then walked behind the bar to prepare Arthur''s drink while thetter kept looking around him.


    A few minutester, the others started walking into the airne one after the other. They were also quite surprised by the level of luxury inside.


    ''I guess even the rich know that this is particrly amazing for an aircraft.'' Arthur thought to himself as he sipped on his orange juice while enjoying the massaging chair.


    Luckily for him, his seat was in a whole section of its own so he didn''t have toe in contact with any of the other students. Especially that boy named Jack. He knew that if they ended up meeting, they would fight again and he didn''t know if he could truly win such a fight if it happened.


    ''The first time, it was probably the sudden punch that got him. He looks like a strong guy, I might need a few more sessions in the capsule before I can even fight him.''


    Arthur knew that with each time he used the capsule, his strength, speed, and even reflexes were improving due to the serum. With a simple calction, he could easily reach the level of a professional fighter after a few dozen sessions or a little bit more.


    "Though, I wonder when I would reach the human limit. Surely the serum can''t do much about that, right? I can only expect to have the power of a fighter or a boxer at most." He muttered to himself. The serum had a magic effect, but there were certain boundaries that cannot be crossed and the human body had one.


    But, he didn''t immediately rule out the possibility that the serum had a deep secret hiding within it. If it truly had one, then this matter was surely going to flip the world outside down. ''If it can break the limit of human strength, then this world will never be the same after that day. Well, only time will tell. For now, I''m still weak.''


    As he was having his own thoughts, Mr. X walked into the ne before he ordered the hostess to close the door.


    Then, Arthur heard the microphone turn on and heard a male voice. "Ladies and gentlemen, good evening. Wee on board the Blue Crest flight. This is Captain John speaking and I have some information about our flight. Our flight time today will be¡­ Undisclosed and our estimated time of arrival is also¡­ Undisclosed. So, please rx and enjoy your stay."


    ''Undisclosed? Why even bother to say it then? He really was put in such a tough position.'' Arthur chuckled to himself as he closed his eyes. A few momentster, he heard the engines turn on and the in turbos started turning.


    Then, the aircraft started moving slowly on the runway before eventually ascending to the sky.


    Arthur couldn''t see the outside or how high they were but he still felt rather calm. ''Well, I wished to have an emotional moment looking at the city from up above before bidding it farewell. But, eh, I hate this city, so screw that.''


    Eventually, the ne reached a very high altitude and finally stabilized. The journey toward the unknown ind has begun. After spending some time in his chair, Arthur decided to go to his assigned room.


    The servants had already shown him where he was to sleep. However, he still hasn''t checked the ce yet.


    ''It''s the perfect time to sleep since the trip might take several hours.'' He thought to himself as he opened the door to his room, only to be surprised by what he saw.


    Right inside, next to his bed was something very familiar.


    "Is that¡­ My capsule?" Arthur frowned. "Huh? How did they bring it on here?"


    A//N: Hand me all your PS!

 Chapter 38: Chapter 38- An Island In The Ocean (Part 3)

    Approaching the capsule curiously, it didn''t take him long to realize that it was indeed the same capsule he had received yesterday. Putting his hand on the ss, it quickly recognized him and opened the door.


    "Wow¡­ The fact they were able to get into my apartment, take the capsule, and mount it on the ne this quickly is a little¡­ terrifying." Arthur muttered with a frown. ''What the hell is wrong with thispany? Are they hiding some kind of wizards within their working force?''


    So far, Arthur has only two direct interactions with someone from Divinity Corp, and each time, he is shocked beyond words. They were doing things in such an unorthodox way that he could only find himself wondering how they were able to do it.


    "Well, if they brought it here, then that means I can use it, no?" Arthur rubbed the back of his head before he looked over his shoulder. "Oh well, time to y then."


    Saying that, he sat in the capsule and closed the door. Immediately, he lost consciousness, and his mind was sent into the game world. In a few seconds, the boy found himself floating in the sky above a massive forest that stretched far and wide.


    Then, before he could even react, his body suddenly shot down to the ground like a meteor,nding in the heart of the vige gently like a leaf being carried by the wind to where it was going.


    "Woah! Haha, that was cool!" He muttered as he looked at his body. He was now d in the same clothes he had in the game. After making sure he was moving properly, he headed toward Nina''s workshop to see if she already sold the skin.


    ''Then, I think I''m going to go out and hunt and level up even more. I don''t know if I will be able to level up fast enough considering that I''m almost at level 10 now. But, maybe if I go deeper into the forest, stronger enemies will show up.''


    As he was contemting his next moves, he found himself standing in front of the shop. The time was early in the morning and the vige was bustling with yers as usual. Most of them took a few days off to y the game continuously.


    Arthur assumed that the activity would slowly umte in particr hours of the day when everyone wasn''t either working or studying. But, till that happens, the game will be bustling with yers all day long.


    Opening the door, Arthur walked inside the shop. There, he found the old man Miro sitting in the same position he had left him the day before. He was reading a piece of paper seemingly very focused on it.


    When Arthur walked in, he put down the paper and looked at him.


    "Hey, old man Miro." Arthur greeted him. "Is Nina here?"


    "..." The old man squinted his eyes before he shook his head. "She''s still asleep."


    "Oh, did she sell the skin I gave her?" The boy asked as he rubbed the back of his head.


    The man went silent for a few seconds staring at Arthur with a strong stare. The boy could only awkwardly stand there, waiting for him to speak. ''Why is this man always grumpy? Does he have no other expressions or is his face frozen in that state forever?'' He mused.


    Miro seemed like a rigid, serious man who didn''t like any nonsense or jokes. Arthur was never good when dealing with that type of person since he was naturally a sarcastic person who liked to joke even in the worst possible situations. It was his way of coping with whatever he was dealing with.


    Many thought that he was simply insane because he was never actually serious. But, in reality, Arthur was simply trying to bear that pressure using his crude humor. It made many people avoid him, but he didn''t care at all. The world was never nice, so why would he pretend he is?


    As he was like that, the old man moved his hand beneath the counter and pulled out a pouch before throwing it to Arthur. The boy caught the pouch with one hand only to realize that it was quite heavy.


    "Hm? How much did that skin go for?" He asked.


    "85 Silvers and 50 Coppers."


    "So expensive!" Arthur blurted out as he opened the couch. Expectedly, there was a huge pile of coins inside. The pile reached the tip of the pouch and was threatening to explode outside.


    ''This has to be a lot of money. Damn, I''m definitely buying something with this. Maybe armor.'' He thought to himself.


    So far, Arthur had almost 100 silvers which was supposedly a lot of money. Granted, 100 silvers is only 1 gold coin but that only made him believe the gold coin was simply that valuable.


    ''Haha, I can''t wait to be filthy rich in the game. Hunting down stronger monsters and selling their stuff would definitely make me a lot of money and then I can convert that money into real-world money. Instantly be rich!''


    "Can I repay her in some way? This is really helpful!"


    "Don''t worry about it. She won''t take anything from you." Miro replied.


    "... Why?"


    "Because she wanted to do it. That girl doesn''t usually extend a helping hand to everyone, but she did want to help you. Consider it her courtesy." He replied.


    "If you say so," Arthur muttered. "Well, if she needs anything, she can tell me. I''m going to be around the vige for some time." He said as he turned around to leave. At that moment, Miro stopped him.


    "However, can I request something from you? It''s something that girl wishes to ask from you but can''t build up the courage to do so." He said.


    "What is it?"


    "When you''re about to leave this vige. I want you to visit this shop onest time. I will tell you then what it is." The old man said as he picked up the piece of paper and started reading again.


    Arthur squinted his eyes before he turned around. "What kind of request should I expect?"


    "Something that is¡­ Dangerous, but if you can do it, I am certain the reward would be desirable to you."


    ''Dangerous, huh? I can smell a secret quest from a mile away. How did I trigger this one, though? I didn''t do anything special.'' Licking his lips, Arthur nodded his head. "Understood, I will remember to pay you a visit when I''m about to leave. see youter then."


    After that, the boy left the shop and headed to the exit of the vige. "A dangerous request, huh? But, why wait for when I''m about to leave? Wouldn''t he want me to do it now? Or maybe is it something that requires me to leave the vige and go somewhere far away? Ugh, that''s confusing.''


    Feeling his head drowning in thoughts, he decided to put the matter to the side for now and focus on his next task since it was far simpler and more straightforward.


    "Time to start the actual grind. I want to hunt down as many monsters as I can before the night. Hmm, three or four levels and a good number of items should be the goal." He muttered as his eyes shone with a bright light.


    His true leveling experience was about to start.


    A//N: Hand me all your PS!

 Chapter 39: Chapter 39- An Island In The Ocean (Part 4)

    "Sigh, this game is too hard. What the hell is wrong with the developers?" A young man sat down next to a tree heaving up and down.


    "It''s¡­ tough. We are at the beginner area and we''re already struggling to even do anything. I didn''t think that it would be this realistic and this hard." His friend said as hey on the grass, unable to move.


    "You two are so useless! We could''ve easily killed at least one more wolf had you not backed away like cowards!" A girl stood in the middle with an angry look on her face.


    "Shut up! Try ying offense and see what happens! Standing in the back line and being a useless support role."


    "Useless?! How am I supposed to do anything when I have two useless fighters who can''t deal damage if their life depended on it? Multiplying any number by zero is still zero, dumbass!" The girl retorted with a loud scoff.


    "You!!"


    *ROAR*


    At that moment, the trio heard a loud roar echoing through the forest. The noise made them immediately turn their heads in one particr direction.


    "What?! They''re still following us?!" One of them muttered with a terrified look on their face.


    "Didn''t we lose them like 15 minutes ago? We have no health left to fight and no potions!"


    As the bushes started rustling, the group panicked and tried to stand up. However, their stamina was already depleted and they could barely move. Even if they could move, they definitely cannot run.


    "You need to protect us till we recover some stamina! We can''t afford to lose our items again!"


    "How am I supposed to do that?! I don''t have any offensive spells to use!" The girl replied with a frown. She was a support healer so she can''t really do much when ites to fighting or even holding back enemies.


    At that moment, four silhouettes jumped out of the bushes. The monsters that had been chasing them for the past 20 minutes were white wolves. They hade across a group of them and tried to kill them.


    They sessfully eliminated three, but the other four were able to easily overpower them.


    "What is this nonsense?! Just leave us alone, bastards!"


    *ROAR*


    One growl from the wolves made the trio cower back in fear. The two exhausted fighters felt like they werepletely stuck while the girl was now contemting to escape with her own life.


    At that moment, something suddenly appeared behind them like a shadow before it moved past them rapidly. The silhouette approached the wolves and with a swift move, it shed through them like a whirlwind of des.


    Their speed and precision were terrifying, to say the least. Before the trio or even the wolves could react, two wolves were already down on the ground dead. The other two finally snapped out of it and realized what just happened before they quickly tried to jump back.


    However, three red projectiles were already chasing after them and before they knew it, their heads were pierced ruthlessly. Thest two fell to the ground dead.


    "..."


    Aically long silence took over the trio as they looked at the dead wolves with pure shock. Their eyes couldn''t believe that they had just died in a few seconds. These were the same wolves that almost killed the three of them.


    "What? Only some fangs?! Tsk, so stingy! Give me something better goddammit!" Arthur grumbled as he looked at what he had received. ''I have killed almost two dozen of these things and yet they didn''t give me anything good yet. Are they just casual enemies with no actual good loot?!


    Tsk, it''s a waste of time. The problem is that they''re the mostmon enemy around here so I can only kill them for experience and items unless I find another cave or dungeon.'' Arthur clicked his tongue before he closed the window and turned around to leave.


    At that moment, he noticed that there were three yers staring directly at him. The two sides made eye contact for a few moments before Arthur asked. "Were these wolves¡­ Your targets?"


    The trio looked quite shocked before the girl finally snapped out of it first and shook her head vigorously. "Thanks for saving us! We would''ve been screwed!"


    "Hm? Oh, I wasn''t intending to save you. But, well, you''re wee." Arthur shrugged as he turned around to continue his hunt.


    "Hey, wait!" The girl called for him.


    "What?"


    "Do you¡­ How did you kill those wolves so fast? Who are you?"


    Arthur looked at her for a moment before he shrugged. "Eh, none of your business, miss. Bye."


    Then, without waiting a moment, Arthur vanished from sight as quickly as possible. He didn''t want to prolong the conversation any longer.


    ''I should''ve not killed those wolves in front of them. I don''t want them to suspect my identity. But, eh, I doubt those idiots would really link me with ''Persona''.'' He thought to himself. ''Actually, now that I think about it, I should definitely start looking for a mask. Things might get out of control when I least them expect them and I don''t want to get in trouble.''


    So far, Arthur''s poprity was only increasing with each passing second. It had been almost two hours since he started hunting and his pace was only increasing with each passing second. He had gained almost 150 points purely from killing low-level enemies.


    He had gained one level and a few stats because of that which wasn''t a huge improvement, but he was certainly making the gap between rank one and two bigger and bigger with each day.


    ''This is terrifyingly easy once you''re over-leveled for the area. I don''t even need to know how to use a sword to actually know how to kill these small fries.'' He mused.


    So far, his leveling progress has been smooth sailing. He was almost like a killing machine, cutting its way through enemies with no hesitation.


    Moving through the forest, he targeted every single enemy he could find. Most of them were level 1 to 3 with very rare level 4 monsters. However, since Arthur was heading deeper and deeper into the forest, the enemies were bing harder and harderpared to the ones near the outskirts of the vige.


    He knew that if he went deep enough, he woulde across stronger enemies and potentially better rewards.


    "Come on, let me find a stronger enemy."


    As he was passing through the thick greenery, all Arthur wanted was to find a monster worth killing. He wasn''t aware that at that very moment, his wish was about to be fulfilled. Except, he was given far more than he wanted.


    ***


    Meanwhile, on the ne. The ce was very quiet as everyone had returned to their rooms to sleep or y, leaving the sound of the engine and the air cutting through the metal to be the only noise there.


    In one particr room near the front of the ne, Mr. X sat on his chair sipping on a cup of wine. At that moment, the phone on his table started ringing, causing him to put his cup down and pick up the phone.


    His serious face couldn''t be read, nor could anyone hear the voice that was speaking to him through the phone. However, what one could hear was one single response.


    "The 47th batch is on its way. No problems so far. Everything is going ording to n." He said before he slowly put the phone back down and started sipping on his cup again, aware that nobody had heard him speaking.


    A//N: Hand me all your PS!

 Chapter 40: Chapter 40- An Island In The Ocean (Part 5)

    "Hm, I really did go far, didn''t I?" Arthur muttered as he stopped near a tree and opened his map to check where he was. Looking at it, he noticed that he was nowpletely far away from the vige.


    The distance was almost 10 kilometers. He couldn''t even see the vige unless he zoomed out a little. However, what was surprising was that when he zoomed out even more, the scale of the entire forest only grew bigger and bigger, with seemingly no end to it.


    He could easily see that he had only explored a fraction of the entire forest and whatever was left was aplete master. ''Even after an entire day, I don''t think yers were able to explore even 30% of the forest.'' He thought to himself as he closed the map.


    He didn''t know exactly which section of the forest he was in, but he didn''t care as he was enjoying this exploration. He still didn''t find anything of importance yet, but he knew that if he looked long enough, he was bound to find it.


    "Hmm, my guts are telling me to continue heading north and see where that will bring me." He muttered as he looked around him. He noticed that the forest had grown considerably thicker than before. The trees now covered his vision and the bushes around him felt like they turned into a rather massive cluster of long grass rather than mere bushes.


    But, using his Sanguine de, he was able to cut through all greenery with ease. Its extreme sharpness made even the smallest movement able to cut through anything in his path, including enemies.


    For the next 20 minutes or so, Arthur continued moving up north, just looking around him for anything interesting. However, so far, he found nothing of interest. All he could see were endless stretches of forest and it was naturally something that was starting to bore him.


    ''What the hell is this? Can there be something that could actually be useful?'' Arthur muttered as he stopped to check his map. However, at that moment, something caught his eye from a distance.


    "Hm?" Looking up, he noticed a small blue lighting from a few dozen meters ahead. Immediately, he dropped everything he was thinking of doing and started moving toward the light. The more he got closer, the stronger that light became.


    Eventually, when the light was at its brightest, Arthur finally found himself at the spot. It was an open area in the middle of the forest that had no trees, nts, or even grass in it. Just in dirt.


    The ground was cracked and dry as if it didn''t get water in eons and even the trees around it seemed to not want to expand into this area. However, the most interesting part of this entire odd area was the structure built in the middle of it.


    "Is that¡­ a door?" Arthur muttered as he squinted his eyes. No matter how he looked at the structure, he could only describe it as a door, a stone door to be exact. The light emitted from it was generated by weird runic words engraved into every spot on it.


    Ignoring the fact that it had no frame, the door somehow stood perfectly bnced in the middle as if it was meant to be there.


    Arthur found himself drawn toward the door and its weirdly subtle aura. He didn''t need a second to understand that this was a special thing.


    "Now, what do we have here?" He looked around him and then slowly stepped into the area, heading toward this door. "There was no mentioning of any door in the forums, at least from what I have seen."


    However, it was clear that this was some kind of aspect nobody had found in the game yet and Arthur had the honor of seeing it for the first time.


    When Arthur reached the door, he stopped and looked up. He realized that it was quite massive, towering over him easily.


    ''Not that it is hard for anything to tower over me.'' He sighed as he examined the structure and its weird runes. "I can''t read any of that, that''s for sure. But, what would happen if I tried to push it?"


    With a curious idea, the boy extended his arm forward and touched the door. Almost instantly, the runes grew a little brighter as if they reacted to his touch and then a notification appeared in his retina.


    [Memory Portal has been detected!]


    [Would you like to enter the memory?]


    [Yes.][No.]


    "Hm? A memory portal?" Arthur raised an eyebrow. "So, this door does lead somewhere. Interesting. But, what does it mean by a ''memory''? Am I gonna go to the past if I ept?"


    A lot of questions rose in Arthur''s head at that moment, but there were no real answers. He didn''t know if epting was a good idea or not since this was, as far as he could see, a very suspicious and dangerous-looking door.


    "Eh, I asked for something interesting and I got one. I can''t just say no now. I have to see what''s inside." He muttered before he tapped on the ept button. Immediately, the door reacted to the choice.


    The blue runes grew even brighter as if they were now infused with more energy. The light turned to a halo around the entire door in less than a second. Then, the entire area around Arthur started to ripple as the door slowly moved on its own.


    "Woah!" When the door fully opened, it left behind a weird shrouded halo that obstructed Arthur''s vision of what was beyond it. The fog was exactly the size of the door which meant that the portal had activated.


    "This is really gorgeous." He muttered. However, Arthur wasn''t brought anywhere else yet which made him think. "I guess it wants me to touch the mist."


    Feeling a little apprehensive, he still extended his hand slowly until it made contact with the weird phenomena. But, Arthur''s hand didn''t touch anything, instead, itpletely passed through it as if it didn''t exist.


    "Hm¡­" With a confused look, Arthur slowly moved forward, letting the mist take him in inch by inch. Eventually, his entire body was consumed by it.


    "Here goes nothing." He closed his eyes as he let his body get transported. A few momentster, things shiftedpletely. The pleasant wind of the forest had suddenly vanished and the temperature spiked up as if he was put in a furnace.


    That was when Arthur opened his eyes and what he saw froze him in his ce. His breath halted and his eyes slowly widened.


    The ce he found himself in seemed to be a desert. Dunes of sand covered the entire world around him, stretching far and wide in all directions. The hot wind carried the sand grains everywhere, hitting Arthur''s skin as he felt like he was being poked by small needles.


    However, that wasn''t what struck him like a hammer. It was something far more horrifying, and far more graphic. All around him, riddling this entire in were dead corpses. Mingled bodies, dismembered heads of what seemed to be humans and other unrecognizable creatures.


    There were so many that some even piled up on top of one another like a stack. Their blood covered the entire ce, turning the yellow sand a deep shade of red. The horrid smell of blood, even though it was way weaker than it should''ve been, still made Arthur shudder.


    "... W-What the hell is this ce?" Eventually, he snapped out of it as he sucked in a deep breath. "This¡­ Nobody warned me! Why are there so many dead corpses?!"


    Feeling panicked from the sight and how realistic it was, he immediately pulled his sword out. He had never thought he would feel this terror strike his heart this suddenly. Yet, it seemed his share of surprises wasn''t done.


    [Ding!]


    [Memory Fragment detected.]


    [Location: Arcania''s desert.]


    [Time: Unknown.]


    [Memory: Battle of The Ethereals.]


    A//N: Hand me all your PS!

 Chapter 41: Chapter 41- An Island In The Ocean (Part 6)

    "The battle of the Ethereals?" Arthur muttered the name with a dazed look on his face. ''Did they bring me back to the time of some kind of war? Looking at the number of corpses around me, this battle should be already over, no?''


    No matter where Arthur looked, there was nothing but dead people. He couldn''t see a single living thing. The battle was indeed over and it didn''t seem to have been an easy one either. The mingled and disfigured bodies were an indication that it was perhaps a horrifying nightmare rather than a battle.


    It felt like Arthur was seeing the result of a beast ripping apart everything in its way. He couldn''t bear the sight and had to look away immediately.


    "This is¡­ disgusting." Forcing his disgust down his throat, he sucked a deep breath again and then started walking through the silent battlefield. He could feel the solemn atmosphere around him of the horror that urred here.


    "Did these people fight for one of the towers? Or perhaps something else? What are the Ethereals even?" He muttered to himself. A lot of questions popped into Arthur''s head and he had no answer for them, or that was at least what was the case for the first few minutes.


    As he moved through the battlefield, he slowly noticed some eerie details. Amongst the dead humans, there were massive lumps of flesh piled everywhere. The flesh looked ck, slimy, and bloody but he was certain that it didn''t belong to humans as no human looked like that.


    He was certain that whatever it belonged to, it wasn''t a human. Stopping next to one of them, he noticed flies moving over the flesh, eating away from it, making it smell even more horrid than before.


    "Ugh, they really didn''t have to be this realistic with the smell mechanic." He grunted as he stood up again and continued walking. "But, now that I''m here, what am I supposed to do? I can''t find anything worth doing?"


    As he finished that sentence, something suddenly caught his eye. A few dozen feet away from him, something started moving. From within the dead corpses, a silhouette rose on its feet. Even from a distance, the monster was extremely tall, almost three times Arthur''s height.


    However, its appearance was a whole different matter on its own.


    ''Of course, you had to goddamn speak, Arthur. You never learn!'' He cursed as he realized the horrifying shape of this thing.


    The creature was d in a dark armor that seemed to absorb all light around it. A helmet covered its appearance and aicallyrge sword rested in its left hand. But, even though it had an intimidating appearance, the monster was struggling to stand on its two feet. Its body was arched forward as if it was a dead zombie and its movement was rigid and slow.


    The reason for that was its shape which was beyond gruesome. Countless injuries riddled its body, including a particrly bad injury right in its chest. Then, there was the most interesting detail.


    ''Is that¡­ Is that a spear protruding out of its stomach or am I hallucinating?'' Blinking a few times, Arthur felt like he was seeing some kind of illusion. However, he was right, a spear was lunged into the monster''s stomach.


    ''How¡­ How is this thing still alive?! Did you bribe the soul reaper?!'' He mused as he clenched his sword.


    Then, out of nowhere, the monster suddenly lifted its head up and stared at Arthur directly. Immediately, the boy felt a shudder run through his spine like an electric shock. His heart skipped a beat. All he could see for a moment were a pair of horrifying red eyes that seemed to shine from within the helmet.


    "Grrrrr!!!!" The monster growled loudly, shaking the entire battlefield as its aura exploded everywhere, reaching Arthur very quickly. He felt his entire body being pushed back from its sheer power. He even unconsciously covered his face to stop the strong gush of power from blinding him.


    "What¡­ the hell¡­ is this power?! He''s insane!" He grumbled as he held his ground. ''It''s far stronger than the Fetus Orc. No, this thing is levels above it!''


    Although the fetus orc was a very strong enemy, Arthur was certain that this thing would easily give it a run for its money if they fought against each other. To make his situation even worse, when the monster''s growl stopped it finally lifted its sword up in the air.


    That was when Arthur noticed the horrible state of the weapon. With a cracked de and a chipped tip, it was a miracle the thing didn''t crumble yet. Far from that, when the boy noticed how the sword started to gather energy as it changed color, he felt a horrible coldness in his heart.


    The wind in the entire area grew more intense as the sword seemed to charge up.


    "Shit! What is he about to do?!" Arthur felt the imminent danger and so he immediately tried to rushed toward the monster before he could do whatever he was about to do. However, he soon realized that it was a grave mistake¡­ A very grave mistake.


    *Swish*


    When the sword''s light grew to a certain level, the monster suddenly swung it down with all its might.


    *BOOOOOOOOM*


    A wave of energy exploded everywhere upon contact with the ground.


    "Wha-" Before he could even realize it, Arthur found himself face to face with a sword sh about to split him in half. It had appeared and approached him so quickly that he had no time to react.


    But, his senses had already kicked in by that time and he immediately jumped to the side. His agility was high enough for him to make that sudden change in direction quickly. But, he was never in time.


    "AGH!"


    He felt pain assault his left thigh as hended on the ground to the left. Meanwhile, the giant sword sh continued its path for a while longer before it eventually vanished.


    ''That¡­ That took almost half my health!'' Looking at his health bar, he cringed visibly. "Couldn''t you wait a second?! Make a goddamn entrance or something?!"


    [Boss Detected!]


    Hearing that awful ringing in his head, the monster''s health bar appeared in his vision, and above it was its name.


    ''Weakened Ethereal.'' It said.


    "Wait, weakened? Weakened?! This is a weakened monster?!" Arthur blurted out in shock as he quickly looked at the monster. The Ethereal was indeed injured heavily and near death, but the fact that this was supposed to be its weakened version made Arthur suck in a deep breath.


    That single attack almost killed him instantly had he not dodged it.


    "... *Gulp*"


    "Grrrr!!!" The monster, on the other hand, was even more angry that its target hadn''t died from that attack and so, it stepped forward, crushing the skull of a dead human on its path. Then, another step, and one after that. The pace of its steps increased dramatically fast till it was charging at Arthur at full speed.


    Seeing the behemoth of a creature rushing toward him made him want to run away. Instead, Arthur quickly stood up and drank a health potion before he summoned his ws and almost 7 arrows above his head.


    "You''re on bad luck if you think I''m going to be intimidated by that! It takes more than¡­"


    Like an outraged beast, the monster jumped in the air and lunged at Arthur with no hesitation.


    A battle that was about to change Arthur''s pathpletely had begun.

 Chapter 42: Chapter 42- An Island In The Ocean (Part 7)

    *BOOOOOOOOM*


    The monster''s sword shed down violently as if it intended to split the atmosphere itself. Luckily, the sword didn''t possess that level of power unless the monster charged it up. Arthur didn''t wait to see the difference in damage either way as he jumped to the side.


    A cloud of dust exploded upon contact with the ground and the monster''s sword sunk deep into it. Using that opportunity, Arthur dashed to the side before he sent three of his arrows toward the monster.


    Since the monster was rather slow in its movement, the arrows didn''t find problems hitting their target. However, as Arthur expected, they bounced off its body and vanished. Looking at the Ethereal''s health bar, he saw a small tick off.


    ''Oh! That did some damage! Good!'' Although his arrows weren''t able to prate, the hit still did make the health bar go down. That gave Arthur some hope that he was going to actually have a chance against it.


    ''If I just don''t get hit then I should be fine. It doesn''t seem to be that fast.'' He thought to himself as he immediately dashed toward the monster with his sword ready for battle.


    "Grrr!!!!" The monster roared loudly as its aura exploded everywhere, sending Arthur back a few feet. Then, the monster pulled its sword out and rushed toward the boy like a maddened beast.


    The sword shed toward Arthur. In a split second, the boy decided to deflect the attack and counter it with one of his own.


    *CLANG*


    Putting his sword up, he waited for impact. However, the moment he felt it, he realized how mistaken he was for doing that. An insane amount of power assaulted his arms out of nowhere as if he had been hit by a truck. His muscles contracted extremely fast as it tried to take in the chock.


    ''... What¡­ the fuck?!!'' He cursed as he tried to stand his ground. But, he was far too weak to do that and the monster forced him back a few feet before it swung again when it saw that his posture was broken.


    ''You have got to be kidding me!'' Arthur clenched his teeth as he sent the remaining arrows forward quickly and then extended his wed arm forward.


    *BANG*


    The sword made contact with the ws and it instantly made the boy sink into the sand. His health bar took another considerably big hit.


    Although his health was now almost 2.5 times what it was when he first started the game, it still could barely handle a few attacks from the Ethereal at most.


    "AGH!!" Feeling his legs almost giving out under immense pressure, the boy forced himself to slide the sword to the side as he jumped back up. But, he didn''t take a moment to catch his breath and shed with his sword at the monster''s neck.


    His attack came suddenly so the Ethereal couldn''t react, or perhaps it was too slow to react. A sharp sound of two metal objects colliding echoed in the empty desert. Arthur''s arm started vibrating from the hit but he forced that difort away and quickly followed with a w attack.


    ''Goddamit, he''s hard like a piece of metal!'' He mused as he felt his ws shing through pure iron and no flesh. The monster''s health bar ticked down twice, appearing more prominent now.


    However, Arthur knew that this was only around 10% of its health bar down and he had to somehow kill it with 90% left. The monster wasn''t going to stand still and watch either. Instead, Arthur found himself the target of a rain of sword attacks.


    The outraged monster ignored its injuries and put everything into attacking Arthur. Each sword sh and each thrust he had to deflect felt like he was bearing the weight of an entire truck. His stamina bar depleted extremely quickly with each hit.


    He tried to create distance between them to catch his breath, but the monster didn''t let him as it rushed toward him quickly. The battle turned into a sh of swords at a very close distance. The sound of the two weapons hitting each other was the only sound that could be heard for several minutes.


    Arthur couldn''t even have a moment to think or n as he was under a barrage of heavy attacks he had to deflect and dodge. His brain and body werepletely focused on the battle to a degree where everything else became a blur.


    He deflected and attacked, and then dodged and used his w to do some damage. The monster''s health bar was going down rather slowly but constantly. Both were running out of energy by the time the battle reached the 10-minute mark.


    However, neither of them stopped the battle.


    ''I''m doing some damage. But, I can''t really continue for long. I need to finish this off somehow!'' Withrge beads of sweat rolling down his face and bloody injuries all over his body, Arthur knew that he was going to end uppletely exhausted before he could even kill the monster.


    Luckily, his sanguine de was able to activate its ability and gained him some health across the long battle but his stamina and mana were still a massive problem. Both regenerate really slowly and aren''t big enough for a prolonged battle.


    Looking at the monster''s health bar while still fighting, he noticed that it was about to reach the 25% mark. That was the result of the chip damage he continuously took off the monster''s health bar.


    ''Dammit, this is tough. Way harder than that Fetus Orc. It''s not as fast, but its crushing strength more thanpensates for that. My arms feel like soup.'' He thought to himself as he clenched his sword as tightly as he could and deflected another attack with whatever strength he had left in him.


    "Hah¡­ Hah¡­ You look horrible. Hahaha!" Laughing slowly, Arthur lifted his sword up again. "I don''t know what you are and why you are still alive, but I''m not going to let you do whatever you want. I''m going to send you to your little dead friends."


    Looking at the monster''s shiny red eyes, Arthur tried to instill fear in it. Seeing its human enemy not falling down after such a long battle would surely affect the monster in some way. That is based on the presumption that this Ethereal being has no mind or consciousness.


    However, Arthur immediately noticed the light in the monster''s eyes change when he uttered those words. It was as if it understood what he was saying and the result of that was something that made Arthur''s entire body freeze in its ce like a statue.


    The monster suddenly stopped its relentless attacks and jumped back a good distance. Then, it dropped the sword to the ground. Along with it, the monster''s aura shifted almost instantly.


    ''Huh?'' Arthur felt a cold sensation run through his entire body.


    The Ethereal then lifted its hand up to face level before it suddenly grabbed its helmet tightly. The sound of the metal contorting under the immense grip echoed in the vast desert. The monster''s hand kept gripping it harder and harder till eventually¡­ the head erupted.


    A fountain of blood and flesh exploded everywhere around it, showering the world with a red liquid. The sight was so gruesome that Arthur''s stomach churned almost instantly when he saw it.


    Then, it churned even more when he read the notification that appeared.


    [Ding!]


    [Phase 2 has been triggered.]

 Chapter 43: Chapter 43- An Island In The Ocean (Part 8)

    When the monster''s head fell off to the ground, all crushed like a lump of meat, its body also fell to the ground while Arthur watched the nightmarish scene with a horrified look on his face. No words could truly describe how he felt at that moment.


    He didn''t even know that he could reach this level of disgust and fear at the same time. Yet, here he was staring, at a creature that just crushed its own head to pieces and died. Or so was the logical result of such an action, and yet, the notification he received said otherwise.


    ''Phase 2?! What phase 2?! Why did it crush its own head?! Oh no, I don''t feel good about this!'' He thought to himself as he gripped his sword. Even though the headless creature was motionless, Arthur knew that this battle was far from over.


    A few cruel seconds passed very slowly with nothing happening. Arthur contemted attacking the monster while it was down in such a state. But, he immediately threw that idea away as he didn''t want to risk approaching it and getting a sudden attack that would kill him.


    ''My health isn''t too low, but it ain''t full either. I cannot do something that risky yet unless I know I can kill it.'' He thought to himself.


    Surprisingly, his assumption was quickly proven to be correct as the headless Ethereal suddenly started shaking a whileter. Its body which should''ve been dead started vibrating wildly.


    Then, from within its severed neck, something exploded outside in one wild swipe. Arge lump of slimy, ck flesh emerged from nothingness and grew in size rapidly. The flesh moved and contorted as if it had a mind of its own and slowly formed a spherical yet chaotic shape around the monster''s severed head.


    Blood and other unknown fluids exploded everywhere as the transformation took ce. Arthur''s mouth hung open in shock while watching the creature turn into something far more morbid than anything he could''ve ever imagined.


    A few secondster, the lump of sh finally stopped growing, and then, at the top, it parted open, revealing arge mouth and a long set of sharp teeth mixed with disgusting saliva.


    "GRRRRRRRRRRAAAA!!!!" A shriek unlike anything else erupted from its mouth like a booming explosion.


    Arthur felt his ears shudder from sheer loudness. He had to cover his ears to reduce the pain.


    Then, the creature finally stared at him with its mouth still dripping. The boy didn''t know what to do or say at that moment. Not even jokes could make it any lighter or more humorous. But, Arthur was different¡­ Very different.


    "... N-Nice teeth, man. Who''s your doctor?"


    "Grrrrrrr!!!!!"


    "... *Gulp* You know, they say having a conversation is the best way to solve a problem. We don''t have to use violence, my fri-"


    Before he could even finish the sentence, the monster opened its mouth wide before the lump of flesh suddenly shot forward at horrifying speed aiming for his head. The boy''s eyes widened and he instantly jumped back.


    *BANG*


    The sand exploded everywhere upon contact and the debris covered the entire area.


    ''It can extend?! Did anybody see that?! This thing had just extended! Great! This is great!!''


    Before the boy could even take everything in, the monster''s extended head emerged from within the cloud of dust, rushing toward him. So, Arthur turned around and dashed away as fast as he could.


    A series of explosions urred one after the other as the head smashed into the ground every time it tried to take Arthur. Luckily for him, he was still fast enough to actually outrun the monster and yet, he also couldn''t run forever so he knew that he was only going to lose if he kept running.


    ''That mouth would dissect me to pieces if it gets me!'' He cursed as he jumped to the side, dodging the head before he rolled on the ground and continued running as fast as he could. The neck was extending so far that he could only be shocked by how long it was.


    It looked like a slimy substance that could stretch forever if it wished. The situation instantly turned into a chase rather than a fight. Arthur didn''t know what to do at that moment or how he could even close the distance between him and the main body of the monster.


    "Just give me a second to do something! Woah!!!"


    *BOOOM*


    Falling to the ground from the impact of the hit, Arthur instantly sprung up and tried to run as the head moved after him relentlessly. ''It will get me! It will definitely get me if I don''t do something!''


    His heart was beating loudly in his chest and his mind was racing, trying to figure something out. Arthur wasn''t battle-hardened to quicklye up with a n nor did he have the scheming abilities to trick his enemy. However, he knew that he had to learn those things if he wished to continue fighting for a long time.


    ''Think! Think goddammit!''


    As seconds passed, the monster was growing closer to catching him. Arthur tried to continue running in circles around the head not to go too far away. On certain asions, he got extremely close to being captured by the sharp teeth. The unfortunate dead corpses that were grabbed by it were turned into a paste with one chew.


    Arthur imagined his body being the one broken to pieces and that made him scared enough to continue running. His stamina continued depleting at a rapid pace and he could feel that in real time. Time and effort weren''t on his side, and so was his position.


    He waspletely at a disadvantage. However, during that time, Arthur''s mind didn''t stop thinking at all. He went through countless ideas and things he could do to get to the main body and finish the fight. He noticed that apart from the neck, the rest of the Ethereal''s body waspletely exposed which meant he could easily attack it if he reached it.


    But, because the neck was already brutally fast and offensive, he had no room for offense himself.


    From an outsider''s perspective, they could only see a small boy being chased by arge monster that wrecked everything in its way like a gluttonous titan. The already destroyed battlefield turned even more chaotic. Holes riddled the entire area with mingled corpses bing even more horrendously desecrated. Nothing was left intact, not even the weapons on the ground.


    ''Come on, Arthur! Make up something or you''re going to lose! How am I supposed to get rid of this long lump of flesh?! It''s not infinite, but it''s so damn long!''


    After running for a while, Arthur was able to gouge the limit of the neck''s stretch. He noticed that when the monster''s main body started taking steps forward to be able to keep chasing after him.


    ''I''m so scre-'' At that moment, Arthur suddenly had an epiphany. ''Wait¡­''


    A weird idea that sounded so ridiculous he almost wanted tough popped into his head. Yet, for some reason, he didn''t immediately ignore it.


    ''Could this¡­ Could this work?'' He asked himself. ''Ugh! Do I even have time to ask?! I have no other choice at this point!''


    "I will give you a taste of your own medicine, bastard!!"

 Chapter 44: Chapter 44- An Island In The Ocean (Part 9)

    Immediately, Arthur went to work as he changed his trajectory. Instead of running away from the monster, he rushed toward it as fast as he could. The monster didn''t expect that sudden movement, but it still opened its mouth wide, ready to capture Arthur.


    However, at the veryst moment, Arthur slid down, moving right beneath the open mouth. The monster didn''t expect that as it quickly tried to turn around and grab him. That was when Arthur suddenly jumped on his feet and took a right turn, right beneath the extended neck of the monster.


    The creature followed him quickly, its anger reaching new heights as its prey kept running away from it. It didn''t stop or think for even a second.


    ''That''s it, yeah, follow me!'' Hiding the grin that threatened to appear on his face, Arthur immediately took another turn, making the monster follow him again. Then, for the next several seconds, he went left and right, coiling around the monster like a snake.


    He didn''t stop a moment to even look at it or where he was going. He just moved wherever the first thought that came to his brain brought him. After ten or so turns, he dashed forward as he got far away from the monster. Then, he halted at a particr spot and turned around.


    Thetter naturally tried to follow him. It thought he waspletely exhausted and so it eagerly tried to reach him and rip him apart with its mouth. However, that was when it realized something.


    Its neck suddenly stopped stretching. Even when it tried to go any further, it couldn''t. Then, it realized the second problem. Its stretched neck was now apletely chaotic knot. It coiled and wrapped around itself and was tightly stuck in that position.


    "Oh my, what just happened? Are you perhaps stuck?" Then, it heard Arthur''s mockingughter. "Come on, I''m here, why are you stopping now?"


    Hearing that, the monster struggled even harder and even made its main body move forward just to get him. However, because the main body was far slower now, with each step it took, Arthur took a step back to keep the same distance between them.


    "Well, I guess since you aren''t going to kill me when I literally presented myself to you, it''s my turn now."


    Before it could even try to do anything else, Arthur suddenly rushed toward it, and with a cold re, he stabbed his sword right into its forehead, if it had one. What followed after was the loudest noise Arthur had ever heard in his entire life.


    Blood gushed out of the injury like a fountain as the monster started moving its head recklessly, smashing into the ground. The howls of pain it emitted were so high, Arthur was immobilized for a second.


    During that time, the monster''s head swung toward him amidst its huge tantrum.


    *BANG*


    "Ugh!!" The hit was like a truck stomping him at full speed and he was instantlyunched a dozen meters back, bouncing on the ground until he stopped. Hey there for a few moments, his body still in shock.


    Meanwhile, the monster continued its outraged rampage.


    ''Shit¡­ That¡­ I didn''t ount for that¡­'' The boy cursed as he swallowed the groan about to leak from his mouth and started rising up. The hit had demolished his health bar and left only a little of it.


    Looking up, he saw that the monster still hadn''t regained itsposure. The sword perhaps had struck its weak point but didn''t kill it yet.


    "I need¡­ to finish it off." With a low grumble, he stood on his feet and rushed toward the Ethereal as fast as he could. Dodging the head, he approached the main body with his sword and ws ready to strike.


    He had a few seconds worth of mana left in him so he knew he had to make use of them as fast as he could.


    As he was getting closer, the Ethereal noticed his n, and that snapped it out of its horrifying pain. Without wasting a single moment, the monster opened its mouth wide and moved after him.


    Unfortunately for Arthur, his small n wouldn''t work when he is that close in range from the Ethereal so the knot didn''t stop it, albeit slowing it down.


    "Come on, I''m so close!" Looking over his shoulder, he saw the imminent death rushing after him. He was barely a few feet away from his target. "Just a few seconds!"


    Forcing himself to run even faster, he leaped into the air. At the same time, the mouth moved after him.


    "Just¡­ Die!!!" With a loud yell, he stabbed his sword forward, plunging it into the monster''s heart, and then quickly shed with his weapon twice. His heart had stopped as he looked at the monster''s health bar quickly going down.


    But, before he could even know if he seeded, he felt something wrap around his body as immense pressure fell on him from all angles. The monster had captured him.


    "AGH!" The boy struggled in his tight grip as he tried to use the ws. However, his mana had run out and so only his fingers dug into the monster''s mouth. The monster shook him around violently amidst its crazed rampage.


    He was yanked left and right, twisting and turning his vision. His brain was turned into a mush from all the movement and yet, he didn''t die yet. His health was quickly going down, reaching critical levels. All the boy could do was grab his sword and continuously stab into the monster''s body.


    ''Just die! Please!!!'' With a bloodied face, he continued to stab and poke it everywhere. The battle had turned into a brutal struggle between two enemies. Each one tried to kill the other one faster than their enemy.


    The struggle continued for a few yet long, brutal seconds. Arthur was losing the ability to even poke it as his stamina waspletely empty.


    ''I''m so¡­ dead¡­'' He mused as he finally stopped resisting. He couldn''t even move let alone fight. He waspletely spent.


    However, at that moment, when his health was at its lowest, the monster suddenly stopped moving and fell to the ground with a loud thud, spitting Arthur out.


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed level 20 Weakened Ethereal.]


    [You have gained +900% experience points.]


    [You have leveled up 5 times.]


    [+7 Mind, +7 Agility, +5 Health, +7 Presence.]


    [You have gained +10 Bonus Points.]


    [You have gained +4 New items.]


    "Y-Yes!!!!" With a weak yet happy voice, he lifted his hand triumphantly in the air as his injuries started healing. But, the surprises didn''t stop there.


    [Ding!]


    [Your main ss has evolved.]


    [You have gained a new secondary ss.]


    [Ding!]


    [You are the first to kill a memory gate boss.]


    [Would you like to announce that?]


    [Yes.][No.]

 Chapter 45: Chapter 45- An Island In The Ocean (Part 10)

    "Hah¡­ Hah¡­" As he stared at the long list of notifications with wide eyes, Arthur tried to catch his breath. Even though he had just leveled up several times, his body waspletely rejuvenated and even felt far better than before.


    After such a hard battle, he couldn''t immediately stand up again. He needed a few seconds to calm down and that was exactly what he did.


    "That¡­ That was close¡­" He muttered as he finally rose from the ground and looked around him. Shockingly, what he saw wasn''t the desert he was in, and instead, he was back in the forest. Looking up, he blinked slowly. The stone door was now closed as if it hadn''t been touched before. However, the runes on it were nowpletely dark with no aura around it.


    "And just like that, I''m back here as if nothing happened." He muttered. Although the battle felt real and the results of it were still on his body, it still felt like he was simply in a dream or a world that wasn''t real. The threat was real, but everything else felt like an out-of-body experience rather than a real fight.


    ''Is that just me overthinking? I know that it''s a memory fragment which also means that it''s something in the past. Still, what was that? The Battle Of The Ethereals¡­ Who are these creatures? And why did they fight with humans?''


    Arthur felt lost even though he had received some hints from this memory fragment. But, because of its nature as a mere fragment and not the full memory, he reckoned that figuring something out would be hard.


    ''I might be able to figure it out if I can find another memory fragment that can actually exin things.'' Sighing, Arthur finally stood up and looked at his notifications.


    "Now, this is the real deal. I have seen a glimpse of some interesting things." Reading through the notifications, Arthur smiled when he saw all the new stats and levels he gained.


    He already could feel the massive increase across all his stats. Every single stat had reached the 20-point mark and exceeded it.


    ''This is good, really good!'' Heughed weirdly. ''I''m already feeling like a beast!!''


    Clenching his fist, Arthur saw his muscles pump with energy. Surprisingly, he also felt like he had grown taller and not by a small margin either.


    "This is¡­ Hmm¡­" Looking around him, Arthur walked toward one of the trees and stood next to it topare. "This is at least¡­ a few extra inches. Holy!! I have actually grown taller!! Hahaha! No, I can''t believe it!


    My dream hase true!!"


    Holding his face, heughed like a maniac for almost a minute. This particr detail was perhaps the best thing he had received from the game so far. Arthur''s height had always been a problem for him. His small stature made him stand out like a sore thumb amongst his peers and put a red circle on his body as a target for bullies.


    With years, he expected himself to grow taller, at least a few inches taller. Yet, his height remained the same since he was 11 years old. He tried not to think about it much, but he would be lying if he didn''t envy the tall people for their god-given gift.


    "Oh well, not anymore, suckers! I''ming for you!" With a proud grin, Arthur finally looked at the other notifications. "Hmm, I also gained four new items. Let''s see what this thing gave me."


    The moment he opened the inventory, Arthur''s eyes fell on three particr slots. Ignoring the four new items, his facepletely froze. He stood there,pletely bbergasted. Then, as if he lost strength in his legs, he crumbled to the ground.


    "You have got to be kidding me¡­" He muttered as he facepalmed. "Arthur, you absolute moron of a human being. I forgot about the three new abilities Nina gave me! Aghh!!!!"


    Cursing loudly, Arthur felt like crying. When Nina gave him his new abilities, she told him to check themter and so he put them aside for when he came back online. Yet, because he was too excited to go explore, he forgot that he had received those abilities and went ahead with his n.


    "If I used them¡­ The battle would''ve not been this goddamn hard!" Smashing his fist on the ground, he felt like hitting his head on the tree trunk from frustration. But, in the end, he decided to stop his tantrum.


    "Oh well, I made it way harder for myself than it should''ve been. But, it''s a good learning curve. I was able to use my brain rather than storm through the battle with sheer strength." Arthur muttered as he tapped on the three scrolls and made them manifest on the ground in front of him.


    Then, he picked one of them up.


    [Wretched Crawler''s Eye (Level 1)]: Increases the ability to see in the darkness by 30%. Consumes mana to activate and maintain.]


    [Do you wish to learn this ability?]


    "Yes."


    Almost instantly, Arthur felt new information flood his mind as the scroll vanished into thin air. He acquired the way of activating and maintaining the Wretched Crawler''s Eye.


    "Good, now I can actually see in the darkness." He muttered. "Hm, actually, I feel like my eyes can see a little better now. Am I hallucinating?"


    Although the ability didn''t mention any passive effects, Arthur felt like his eyes had gained a new depth to them that they didn''t have before.


    "Weird. But, I''m notining. Let''s get the second one."


    [Lonesome Warrior''s Howl (Level 1)]: Increases physical damage by 30% for 10 seconds. Consumes mana to activate.]


    [Do you wish to learn this ability?]


    "Yes."


    The second ability was also quite strong now that Arthur looked at it. If he used that, perhaps the Ethereal''s fight could''ve gone a whole different way. That made Arthur realize how much abilities are important in this game. A small difference in power can do a lot to a fight, especially if one side is considerably weaker than the other.


    Stats and levels are important, but abilities give you far more than just magical powers. It gives you room to use them with cleverness to tackle problems that should''ve been impossible to solve with mere power.


    ''The fighting system in this game is just¡­ It''s so realistic and yet nothing about it should''ve been realistic. I don''t know how they pulled that off.'' Rubbing the back of his head, Arthur shrugged. So far, he was addicted to how versatile one could be with all the differentponents that make their battle style.


    Even a simple extra point in one stat or a new ability could overhaul the yer''s entire style.


    "Now, for the secret third scroll. I wonder what ability Nina decided to give me."


    He didn''t know why she specifically wanted him not to open it until he was alone but he didn''t think much about it. Instead, he simply picked it up and read the content.


    [Mortal sh (Level 1): A heavy sword attack that requires charging up. Deals percentage-based damage to all enemies. Deals 70% extra damage to ''Undead Enemies''. Requires mana to activate.]


    "Oh!!! This is really good!" Arthur blurted out when he read the information. Not only did the ability seem to be extremely strong based on the ''Percentage-Based damage'' part, but it also seemed to have a special effect on Undead Enemies.


    ''So far, I haven''t met a single undead but this would be really good against them. It''s a really nice gift. Thanks, Nina.'' Closing his eyes, he silently thanked the beautiful scroll maker for her nice gift.


    "I will make good use of this."


    With that, he finally looked at the four new items he acquired. A weird hunch told him that he might''ve received something special.

 Chapter 46: Chapter 46- An Island In The Ocean (Part 11)

    Arthur was surprised to see what the four items were. There was a ck breastte, a pair of dark boots and greaves, and a dark helmet. The final item was the sword the monster used in battle.


    "Interesting, it gave me its armor set and its weapon. Actually, I have been looking for armor wasn''t I?" He muttered to himself thoughtfully. "This could be really good, actually."


    Tapping on the breastte, the heavy object fell into his hand, almost making him stumble forward. However, he quickly regained hisposure and looked at it.


    "Ok, it isn''t in a bad condition, even though I have damaged it a little." He said. There were some traces of damage here and there, but the item seemed to be in good condition.


    [Ethereal ck Breastte (Damaged)


    Rank: D


    Description: A ck breastte, forged from the Dragon Realm Obsidian. For one of these ores to be formed into armor, it is said to take a month of hammering. It is not rare, but it is certainly a powerful armor.


    Type: Armor


    Damage Resistance Affinity: Physical/ Fire


    Damage Resistance: 40%


    Special Ability: Has a very small chance of parrying an attack and returning it to the target.]


    "Oh! This is really good!" Arthur blinked in shock. Not only was the breastte D-Ranked which was one rank higher than every other thing Arthur possessed, but it also seemed to have a really good ability.


    ''Parrying an attack could be really useful in some cases although it seems to be a very rare thing.'' He mused. However, Arthur had no reason not to put it on as it was an extrayer of defense he didn''t have before. So far, he was only fighting with a bunch of old clothes that seemed to belong to peasants. There was zero protection from them as one would expect.


    "Hmm, how do I put this on?"


    The moment he asked that question, a notification appeared in his retina.


    [Would you like to wear this item?]


    "Oh, yes."


    Almost immediately, the breastte vanished from his hand. At the same time, he felt something heavy drop on his shoulders out of nowhere. Looking down, he saw the item tightly fit on his torso.


    "Wow, that was quick. It even grew smaller to fit me. It also looks really badass."


    The intricate design of the armor and its slim yet powerful design fit him perfectly and his style of fighting. He didn''t feel like it could hinder his fast and offensive style.


    "Ok, next items."


    The boots and the greaves had the same stats as the breastte, except they didn''t seem to have any special abilities. Arthur felt a little disappointed, but he still didn''t mind that as these were still good pieces of armor.


    Finally, reaching the helmet, Arthur realized that it waspletely broken to pieces. There wasn''t a single part of it that was intact and he knew the reason for that.


    "Thanks for destroying it, bastard. I can''t even make use of it now." Clicking his tongue, Arthur threw the helmet back into the inventory as he decided to sell itter. Then, he finally checked his entire attire.


    "I look like a mysterious knight of some kind now. The color also fits the Sanguine de too. All I need is a good mask and I''m officially the edgiest yer in the entire game. Hehe." Laughing to himself, Arthur finally pulled the rest of the notifications to read them.


    That was when he noticed perhaps the most important part of all the rewards he received so far.


    "My main ss¡­ It finally evolved!"


    In a hurry, he opened his profile to check and as he expected, his ss had gone from (1/10) to (2/10). So far, Arthur didn''t understand what that 1/10 meant and what kind of things it would unlock as it evolved.


    ''Did me beating that Ethereal trigger the second part? That could be it for sure. Hm, but why specifically that?'' Rubbing his chin, Arthur contemted for a moment. He had some suspicions but he couldn''t confirm any.


    The only usible exnation was that he defeated a way stronger enemy than him and so his ss evolved because of it.


    "What kind of secondary ss did it give me, though?"


    Looking at his secondary ss slot, he read the name. "Battle Specialist? Interesting name. What does it give me?"


    [Battle Specialist


    Description: You are an anomaly in battle. Whether it was a stronger foe or a weaker enemy, you always emerge victorious. Your wits and power push you beyond your limit into a higher a in.


    Effect: Gains +3% increase in attack power and +1% increase in defense against stronger enemies. Can stack up to ten levels above you.]


    "..." Arthur waspletely stunned for a good few seconds. The effect of the secondary ss had taken him by surprise. He didn''t even need to imagine what it could do. The numbers alone made it sound extremely powerful.


    "Haha, this is a secondary ss? I cannot believe it. 30% increase in attack power at max level against stronger enemies is just free points. All I want to fight are stronger enemies, so this is a permanent power-up! Thanks, Divinity Gods for this generous gift! I will make use of it well."


    Feeling over the moon with this new addition to his arsenal, Arthur finally reached thest part of it all. The part he had seen first before anything else and yet tried to avoid. After all, this was neither a reward nor a new item added to his inventory.


    It was a question. A rather simple yet very hard question.


    [You are the first to kill a memory gate boss.]


    [Would you like to announce that worldwide while maintaining your anonymity?]


    [Yes.] [No.]


    "Sigh, so there are world announcements of achievements in this game, huh? I guess that makes sense considering the massive yer base. unting achievements would be beneficial to the game and to the yers." He muttered.


    Still, Arthur felt rather apprehensive about what he should do. Granted, it seemed his name was going to be kept a secret, but still, he didn''t know if he should really do this or not. A part of him was a little scared, but another part wished to just tap yes.


    Although Arthur wanted a calm life, he still wanted to bask in the glory of being the first to achieve something before anyone else.


    With a frown, he decided to first check his points and ranking after his battle. Seeing how this battle was far more brutal than the first one, Arthur expected a massive rise in points.


    Lo and behold, he saw his name at the very top worldwide and region-wide. Then, he read his points.


    "6341¡­ Over 6000 points!" He almost coughed loudly from shock. "I doubled my previous points! But, hmm, second ce isn''t falling behind that much anymore."


    Looking at Darkmoon who was right behind him, they had 4000 points which was surprising. Arthur knew how hard it was to get this many points so that yer definitely did something very special.


    ''The rest of the top 10 is also increasing rapidly. Nobody is less than 1000 points. I guess they are starting to getfortable with the game and they''re improving.''


    Arthur naturally was aware as days passed, yers would get better and thepetition would get harder and harder. If he doesn''t continue his monstrous and rapid increase in strength, he knows that he will be ovee by the extremely talented yers.


    That idea, for some reason, struck Arthur harder than he expected it would. His face turned serene as he stared at the ranking silently. Nobody knew what was going through his head at that moment.


    But, within his eyes, an ember of fire could be seen growing in real time. Seeing the ranking, he felt a deep excitement rise in his heart. Before, he only thought about the fear of being exposed as the yer ''Persona''. But, now that he was certain that nobody would know him, what was left was a deep desire to actually try his best andpete for the rankings.


    He was number 1 now, but who said he wouldst there for long? After all, yers are bound to make guilds and groups to hunt stronger enemies and gather points faster. He wasn''t going to be easily given the first spot for a long time when more than a billion other yers were going to try and seek it.


    That was why at that moment, Arthur wanted to do something.


    ''I¡­ I''m fine with this. If they want topete with me, I''m open to it. I''m not going to back down, fools. Do your best as shall I.''


    Looking at the question again, Arthur closed his eyes for a moment before he opened them again and then tapped on the ''Yes'' button.


    This was his signal. Or, perhaps, a message for his opponents that he wasn''t going to let go of the first ce that easily. This was only the start.

 Chapter 47: Chapter 47- An Island In The Ocean (Part 12)

    The moment Arthur tapped the button, it vanished quickly. Then, something else appeared in its ce.


    [Ding!]


    [Mysterious yer has conquered a Memory Gate.]


    [Ding!]


    [Mysterious yer has conquered a Memory Gate.]


    The message kept ringing and repeating in his head again and again. Meanwhile, Arthur looked at it with a calm andposed look as if he didn''t feel anything. Yet, his eyes were still shining with that same light. He knew what he just did and he felt like he had done the best thing ever.


    ''I''m going to make this a worthwhile time for you lot.'' With that, he started walking and vanished into the forest.


    "Let''s make the best of it, shall we?"


    ***


    The entire world of Divinity Online was as active as ever. Although nobody had left the First Step forest yet, many were working toward that goal. Many yers formed their own groups of friends and family to y and hunt together.


    Since the ''Guild'' system was yet to be established, groups were the best option as the game was very hard to tackle all alone. Some people tried to go the solo way and most of them ended up losing all their experience points and their items in a short period of time.


    However, what was certain was that everyone was learning and grasping Divinity Online with each passing moment. They were learning about the world and its intricate lore. They were learning about the people that lived in it as each one had their own background, unique character, and realistic personality.


    And most importantly, they were learning how to fight and be stronger and stronger. Their motivation was over the roof. With each win, they were stepping up to a new level.


    The world was moving as usual, until one particr notification suddenly rang in everyone''s head at the same time. In every single region and every single server, people received a notification that had the same words and the same meaning.


    However, its sheer impact was unrecognizable.


    "What?! Unknown yer?! What''s this?"


    "Memory Gate? What''s a Memory Gate?!"


    "That sounds so ominous!"


    Everyone was naturally confused by the sudden announcement. Many thought it was some kind of bug and even more were shocked by the sudden development. Everyone immediately understood that some unknown yer had achieved something so impressive, that the game had to announce it to the world.


    It didn''t take a few seconds before people noticed something.


    "Hey guys, check the rankings!!"


    "Huh?! Oh my lord!!"


    "Persona! He increased 3000 points!"


    "What?! How could that even be possible?! Wasn''t he only 3250 points like a few minutes ago?"


    "What did he do?"


    A mass confusion spread across the entire yer base across the entire world. Nobody understood what was going on, but that didn''tst for long either as many started putting pieces together.


    "Could the unknown yer be¡­ Persona?"


    That single question flipped everything upside down. The question had one logical answer and that was ''Yes, Persona had done it.''. They were all aware of how hard it was to gain points in this game and so, gaining 3000 points in one fell sweep required something simply ridiculous. Something worth announcing to the world.


    "Persona! He did it again! He is in a league of his own!"


    "What is a Memory Gate, though? And how did he conquer it alone?"


    "He cannot be a human! He''s some kind of freak of nature!"


    "All hail Persona! He''s the true god of this game!!"


    Chaos ensued everywhere as people talked about this piece of news. The awe people had for Persona grew far and wide, reaching new levels. Many people who doubted his potential and thought that he got there with pure luck started changing their minds a little.


    The people that already be his fans were even more excited by this news. After all, he had done something that nobody had done before him since the game was released.


    There were billions of people ying and many of them were spending their entire day and night ying nonstop stop and yet this person was able to not only rise above them butpletely destroy them in such a short period of time.


    "Haha, look at the top ten spots. They aren''t even close to him. Except for maybe Darkmoon. That one seems to be holding their position."


    "Persona and Darkmoon are utter monsters! How are they so strong?!"


    With that, the entire inte and even the news outlets were submerged in the excitement of this development.


    ***


    Meanwhile, amongst these many yers, a particr group was looking at the news with interest.


    Within the deep parts of the forest, they were resting after hunting for a few hours. The group consisted of four individuals, two girls, and two boys.


    "He''s in a league of his own¡­" One of the boys muttered with a subtly shocked look on his face. "What''s up with this guy? Is he cheating or something?" Looking at his friends with a confused look, he asked.


    "Hahaha, I bet he is one of the developers! Those bastards are ying their own game and trying to pretend like they''re better than us. Isn''t that right, Danny-"


    "Didn''t I say not to call me by my real name in the game, Herculia?" The boy named Danny red at his friend. Herculia was arge man with a strong look on his face and thick brown hair.


    He had a wide smile on his face as heughed heartily.


    "Sure sure, my friend."


    "You two don''t seem to understand what''s happening." One of the girls stopped eating her grilled meat and said. "This Persona is clearly just some kind of talented freak that got their hands on knowledge from Divinity. If I have to bet, they''re probably the son of an influential politician."


    "That sounds like a more far-fetched possibility than being a Developer, Anna," Herculia replied with a shrug. "Divinity Corp would rather sh heads with every government than release any information about DO and that was what happened for the past few years when the game was still not released yet."


    "I agree with ''muscle head'', they have kept everything a secret ever since they announced the game was in development. They wouldn''t give that information to anyone. Isn''t that right, prez?"


    Immediately, everyone looked at thest girl sitting next to a tree with her eyes closed as if she was taking a nap. She didn''t seem like she was bothered by what was happening around her. However, the others could only keep staring at her for one reason or another.


    Eventually, she opened her eyes as she grunted slightly. Then, she ran her hand through her hair. "When does this ringing stop? It''s annoying."


    "Pfft, she doesn''t care, does she?" Herculiaughed loudly. "She never bothered with rankings or news or any other nonsense."


    "That''s Prez for you. I wonder what you think of the yer Persona, prez?" Danny asked with a curious look. "He''s your ''rival'' isn''t he?"


    The girl stared at him silently for a moment before she closed her eyes again. "We''re here for a reason far more important than pitiful rivalry. Don''t lose focus on your goal."


    Silence took over the entire ce for a good few seconds. The girl''s words were strong and impactful, as simple as they were and nobody could deny that.


    "She''s right. In the end, it''s just rankings. Unless wee across this person, there is no reason to care now. We''re already doing great by being this high up in the rankings. Besides, we''re on our way to wherever the Academy is and things will be really hectic really soon." Anna added with a nod.

 Chapter 48: Chapter 48- An Island In The Ocean (Part 13)

    Returning to the Vige, Arthur was weed with a loud ruckus. All the yers there were talking about what happened. Passing through, he listened to what they were saying.


    ''Hmph, I guess this was expected. This is going to make national news quickly.'' He thought to himself. Although that sounded scary at first, it didn''t feel as terrifying anymore. He was learning how to handle this new fame even if it didn''t directly affect him.


    ''I''m living the life of a star¡­ Without the fame part.'' Heughed to himself as he strolled through the confused masses as if it was none of his business. If they realized that the person they were talking about had just passed by, they would think the world wasughing at them.


    Yet, because Arthur was as inconspicuous as any average kid, he was immune to standing out. He liked that and didn''t find any problem with it.


    ''I left standing out to those who are the main characters of this world. I''m not bothered.'' He shrugged as he reached the shop he was heading to.


    Walking inside, Arthur sold all the stuff he gathered from his hunting trip. Since he had killed dozens of wolves, rabbits, horned deer, and other weird creatures. He had a pile of fur, skin, fangs, and eyes.


    After having a back-and-forth with the merchant, Arthur was able to get almost 30 silvers from all the items. That naturally made his money pouch even heavier and he was satisfied with that.


    ''I''m gathering as much money as I can before leaving the vige. Who knows what the main cities in this world require? I''m sure they won''t be cheap.'' He mused as he finally left the shop and walked into a corner to log out.


    "Ok, let''s make sure I didn''t forget to do anything before that." Saying that, he went through his day again before he finally decided to log out. Although he wanted to y more and explore more of the vige, he knew that he was on a ne headed toward an unknown ind.


    He can''t just rx in such a ce and y as he wishes.


    When he woke up, Arthur left the capsule and stretched his limbs. That was when he noticed something weird.


    "Hm? Am I hallucinating¡­ or am I a little taller?" He asked himself with a confused look. Although the change was subtle, it was still big enough to be noticeable. Arthur wasn''t ustomed to this height as he knew how short he was.


    To confirm that, he quickly rushed toward the mirror in his room and stood in front of it. Much to his surprise, he looked taller in the reflection. He stood there, not moving for a second as he blinked. Then, a wide grin appeared on his face.


    "Hahaha, the miracle is real." Grabbing the mirror, he leaned over and looked at his face. "They said things about you. ''0.5 boy'', ''The most down-to-earth person alive'', ''The king of goblins''. They even said that I would never grow taller. But, I''m proving them wrong! They don''t expect such aeback from me!


    Hahaha!" He keptughing loudly for a while before he finally calmed down.


    "Ehem, with that over with. What time is it now?" Looking at his phone, it was 5 in the morning. The entire ne was very quiet except for the sound of the engine roaring outside. Leaving his room, Arthur looked left and right but there was nobody around.


    The ne was still dark except for some lights that kept it dim.


    *Grumble*


    Hearing the sound of his stomach screaming for food, Arthur decided to head to the kitchen first. The hostess had told him to ask for food whenever he wished, no matter the time.


    The kitchen area took up a big space of the massive ne. It had severalfortable seats surroundingrge tables and a section for the chefs to cook. Gentle music yed in the background and the smell of flowers filled the ce. Even though it was this early, the smell of food reached Arthur''s nose and made his mouth water.


    Walking inside, he was weed with a rather calm atmosphere. On the other side, he could see workers going about their jobs cooking and cleaning. The rest of the kitchen was empty, except for one single seat in the corner.


    That seat immediately took Arthur''s attention. ''Mr. X?''


    The man upying it was none other than Mr. X. He was reading a newspaper with his legs crossed and a hot cup of coffee on the table in front of him. He looked like a typical elegant businessman going about his morning and his aura only amplified that.


    The man seemed to have noticed Arthur''s presence as he put the newspaper down to take a look at him with his usual stoic expression.


    "Good morning, Mr Arthur." He said.


    "... Good morning," Arthur replied after snapping out of his thoughts and walking into the kitchen.


    "Would you like to join me for breakfast?" Mr. X asked respectfully.


    ''Uh, I guess I have no reason to say no." Arthur shrugged and sat down in front of him while looking around rather nervously.


    The waitress immediately approached him and took his order. Arthur made sure to request several things since he was feeling really famished. He was never ustomed to such a treatment so he wanted to make full use of it.


    "Why are you awake this early may I ask?" Mr. X picked up the newspaper again and started reading.


    "I couldn''t sleep, so I logged into DO for a while. What about you?"


    "I''m not much of a sleeper, you see. Three hours is all I needed my entire life."


    "I was running on for four hours a day for a few years now and it almost killed me. You must be some kind of monster to be fine with only three." Arthur frowned.


    "I do not know if that''s the case. The human body is a wonderful thing." He replied.


    Then, the two wentpletely silent for a while. Arthur felt a little ufortable just sitting there, not saying anything. Until he finally was given his breakfast which instantly switched off any sense of embarrassment.


    He instantly went down on his food, devouring it. The food was amazing which made him even hungrier.


    In the middle of his meal, he stopped and looked at Mr. X. "Say, can I ask a question?"


    "What is it?"


    "Why was I sent an invitation to the Blue Crest Academy?" He asked as he wiped his mouth.


    This was a question that had been in Arthur''s mind ever since he received the invitation. He had his suspicions, but he had no clear answer yet. Now that he was sitting in front of Mr. X, he felt like he could get an answer.


    Surprisingly, the question seemed to capture the man''s interest as he put the newspaper down.


    "Why do you ask?" He replied with a question of his own. It was calm and even gentle, but Arthur felt an underlying pressure to it that cannot be described.


    Still, he didn''t back down. "A curious thought. I do not think I''m good enough for whatever Divinity Corp is nning. I''m but a normal kid, sir."


    "... I do not think so." Mr. X squinted his eyes. "No, it simply could not be so. We do not invite ''average'' or ''mediocre'' talents. The Headquarters had done the calctions using extremely intelligentputers and harvested a lot of information about each yer to reach the conclusion of who are the ones deemed worthy of an invitation."


    "Could thisputer not make a mistake? I mean, it''s still a machine in the end no matter how smart it is." Arthur retorted. He knew that the answer he had gotten was sufficient, but he still wanted to push further and see what they were hiding from everyone.


    It was a risky thing to do, but he was just going with it.


    "No, that is also impossible, sir." Mr. X replied. "The chances of ourputers making a mistake is near zero if not zero. You are indeed worthy of this invitation." He shook his head.


    Arthur remained silent for a few moments before he muttered. "I guess there is no refuting it. Uh, can I ask another question?"


    "Sure."


    "Mm, how should I put this? What kind of training are we about to go through?" He rubbed his chin before asking.


    "Sadly, I cannot disclose any information about the ind or the academy. I left that to the people responsible for taking care of the talents."


    "Tsk, bad luck." Arthur sighed. He knew that he wasn''t going to receive an answer, but it was still a bummer in his eyes.


    "However, I can tell you this, Mr. Arthur. Uponnding on the ind, things shall change. While it is an extension of our n, Divinity Online, and Blue Crest Academy arepletely different entities thatplement each other. You cannot excel in both if you don''t aim to excel in both.


    Even the best of the best in Divinity Online could easily be crushed in a few days in the academy and you shall see it with your own eyes."


    "Huh? So being good at the game won''t guarantee your sess?" Arthur frowned visibly as he felt the weight of Mr. X''s words falling on his shoulders.


    Picking up his coffee cup, he sipped on it before continuing.


    "As I said, our wish is to create heroes of this world. A hero is far more than just pure strength, after all."

 Chapter 49: Chapter 49- Turbulence

    For the next thirty minutes or so, Arthur ate his breakfast inplete silence. The atmosphere inside the kitchen turned colder noticeably. The words Mr. X had said resonated in his head continuously as he tried to finish his meal.


    He didn''t know why, but something about them felt off¡­ Really off and in a very unconventional way. On the outside, they seemed like a noble reason.


    ''We wish to create heroes, huh? That shouldn''t be a problem. Yet, why does it sound like one to me?'' The more he thought about it, the more he frowned.


    Heroes were supposed to be the good people and creating heroes means creating better people that can take care of the world and protect it. Ignoring the obvious question of ''Protecting the world from what?'', Arthur had a bigger problem with this answer.


    "Well, I''m going to excuse myself now. I have stuff to do." At some point, Mr. X stood up and bid Arthur farewell as he started walking away. Arthur followed him with his eyes. Before he could leave the kitchen, Mr. X seemed to remember something as he turned to look at Arthur.


    "We are going to reach our destination soon, Mr. Arthur. I hope you are ready." He said before he vanished.


    The boy looked at the door where the man stood for a second before he clicked his tongue annoyedly and turned away. "He knows what I''m thinking of. The bastard."


    Resting his head on the chair, Arthur looked at the ceiling dazedly. His mind was filled with a lot of thoughts. The sound of the AC and the ne engine echoed in the background like white noise to his internal voice.


    ''Why are they only taking people my age to train? We are but a considerably small demographicpared to younger or older people who are ying the game. Why specifically us? Wouldn''t younger kids have more aptitude to learn? Or even older people have far more experience than us?''


    The questions kept hailing down on Arthur and he only felt like he was bashing his head against the wall. In the end, he rubbed his hair as he stood up too. "I''m not going to rest at ease till I know why I had this feeling. I''m not usually an overthinker so this is really odd."


    Even though Arthur knew that he was most likely just looking too much into it, he could not simply ignore such a strong gut feeling when it was his very first time feeling it. Whether it was true or not, he had to check.


    But, there was one very tiny problem he was facing.


    ''How am I going to even do that?''


    ***


    A whileter, Arthur was sitting in his chair looking at his phone with a dazed look. Since there was no Wi-Fi he couldn''t use his phone for much and he also felt too tired to go back into the game. So, he just spent his time idling around and enjoying the snacks provided by the ne staff.


    Some of these snacks were things he had never seen before and yet were extremely delicious. He was also able to finally taste a high-quality chocte which was surprisingly not that better than the normal chocte he knew and liked.


    As he was like that, he heard footsteps walking outside his section. With a curious thought, he peeked over the door at the same exact moment as the person passed by him. Their eyes looked at each other.


    It was none other than the boy Jack with whom he had a small skirmish a few days ago. The two instantly frowned as if they had seen something foul.


    "Oh, if it isn''t small stuff," Jack said with a re.


    "Oh, if it isn''t the guy that got punched by small stuff." Arthur retorted with a malicious grin. His response made Jack re daggers at him.


    "You were a lucky bastard that he stopped me from sending you to the hospital."


    "Sure buddy, I believe you." Arthur whistled as he looked away.


    "Hey, you! Don''t test your luck anymore, bastard! Do you think I care if they know I beat you up to a half-death state? Nobody had disrespected me and lived to tell the tale."


    ''So edgy.'' Arthur pursed his lips. ''But, it looks like he is telling the truth. Rich second generations and their antiques. Do they think they''re some kind of higher species than us?''


    "Listen here, uh, what was your name again, Jacky?"


    "It''s Jack!"


    "Ok, Jacky. I have no problem with you or your little group of idiots. I just want to mind my own business and do what I need to do. I won''t disrespect you if you don''t disrespect me and I''m not looking for trouble either. I''m a very peaceful person you see. I don''t even hurt flies." Arthur shrugged casually.


    "Let''s forget this ever happened. How about that?"


    Although Arthur would''ve not chosen this path usually, he wasn''t really in the mood to keep a grudge against someone. If they continued bashing their heads against each other, there would be an end to it.


    ''I''m too busy for this nonsense so he better just ept and move on. Can''t bother with this dipshit anymore.'' Arthur mused as he looked at Jack.


    "''Let''s forget this ever happened''?" Jack muttered as if he was in disbelief. His eyes widened as he stared at Arthur. Then, he stepped forward till he got very close to Arthur. "You¡­ You don''t seem to understand what is happening here. The only reason I didn''t kill you yet is because I don''t want to ruin my chances. Once wend, you better run away and hide for the rest of your miserable life.


    Because, once I find you, I''m going to make you regret ever crossing paths with me."


    Jack''s tone was as condescending and as arrogant as it can get. But, Arthur could see the deep hatred within his eyes. He didn''t need a second to realize that what he thought was perhaps a small problem was now getting blown out of proportion.


    ''This guy really hates me, huh? I wonder why¡­ I only punched him once. What if I punched him twice? Would he lose his goddamn mind?'' He asked himself confusedly.


    Although it felt like he was overreacting, Arthur didn''t like how he was threatening him in such a manner. Threats didn''t work with him because he never cowers especially when he was being targeted.


    "Is that so? Well, if that''s what you think. Then, by all means, go ahead and try me." Arthur said as he rested his arms on the door. "Just make sure your health insurance is renewed beforehand."


    Jack startedughing coldly. "Keep that attitude till I get my hands on you. We''re going tond soon."


    The moment Jack finished that sentence, the entire ne suddenly shook violently. The sudden movement was so strong, Arthur was thrown off bnce to the side. Smashing into the door, he fell to the ground.


    "AGH!!"


    The entire ne tilted as if it smashed into something. "What the heck!"


    Jack was also tipped over and couldn''t hold onto anything as he started rolling to the other side of the ne. rms went off everywhere on the ne.


    "Please, get into your seats or beds. We are getting into the atmosphere of the ind! Hold on tightly!" A voice spoke through the microphone across the entire aircraft.


    Without waiting a second, Arthur dragged himself toward his chair. The ne continued tilting left and right as the boy fought with all his strength. Eventually, he was able to reach his chair and lock himself on it using the seatbelt.


    Yet, even then, he was still being thrown left and right. ''What kind of ce are we going into?! This is insane!''


    Unaware of what was happening outside, Arthur anxiously grabbed into his chair. With how much chaos was happening around him, he felt like crashing might be a possibility now. He didn''t know what the pilots were doing or if they even had control over the situation or not.


    At the same time, he heard the screams of the other passengers as they were thrown by the sudden tilt. It waspletely out of control.


    "*Gulp* Where are they bringing us, for god''s sake?!"

 Chapter 50: Chapter 50- The Middle Island (Part 1)

    Arthur heaved up and down as he struggled against the crushing gravity of the ne. For some reason, the force crushing against his body increased tenfold, making him sink into his own chair as if he was being pressed by a boulder.


    His body felt extreme pain and he could barely hold it. ''This¡­ This is¡­'' He clenched his teeth as he gripped the chair handle to try and keep hisposure.


    "We are almost past the firstyer of the atmosphere." He heard in the microphone.


    "Just¡­ fucking hurry!!" He grumbled. He didn''t know how he was still awake with all this Gravity force wrecking him but Arthur was indeed still fully awake. What felt like hours was in fact a few minutes of time.


    The screams of the passengers echoed in his ears as they were perhaps struggling as he was. It wasplete hell for that entire period of time. But, as the pilot had said, the struggle didn''tst long.


    At some point, the gravity started lessening and the shaking of the ne weakened. The pressure on Arthur''s body returned to manageable degrees as he was finally able to take a deep breath. With wide eyes and a sweaty face, he heaved up and down as he leaned forward.


    "I can breathe¡­ Hah, hah¡­" With a hoarse voice, he held his chest as he looked up. The rms stopped going off and the quietness eventually submerged the entire ne again as if nothing had just happened.


    Arthur was stunned for a while before he finally regained someposure. "What was that? What kind of atmosphere does this?!"


    What just happened felt like a horror movie. "Is every goddamn flight like this? I¡­ I don''t want to get on a ne ever again." He muttered as he shuddered.


    "We have passed the firstyer. You can leave your seats,dies and gentlemen."


    Hearing that, Arthur slowly pulled the seatbelt over and stood up. His legs were still shaking but he was able to stand straight and looked around him.


    Surprisingly, the ne didn''t look as chaotic as he expected. With what happened, he expected everything to be a huge mess. But, nothing seemed to be out of order. Even the cups and tes didn''t break from all the ruckus.


    "... What?" Arthur felt even more confused than he already was.


    "Agh!" A secondter, Jack emerged from his seat with a groan as he staggered forward. "What the hell happened?"


    "A turbulence it seems," Arthur replied as he started walking through the aisle. "A very bad turbulence."


    "What?" Jack frowned. "Did we pass a storm of some sort?"


    "I don''t know. The ne is very stable now. Even the engine had quietened." He muttered as he listened for the noise and yet he couldn''t find it.


    At that moment, a hostess walked out of the main cockpit and walked into the passenger area to check on them.


    "Is everyone alright?" She asked with a hint of worry.


    "I''m fine," Arthur replied. "Did wend or something? I can''t hear the engine."


    "Ehem, yes, we have indeednded. But, please wait a moment till we receive permission to open the door." She said as she turned around and walked away.


    "Jack! Are you ok?!"


    At the same time, Jack''s group rushed out of their rooms toward him. They were clearly worried about him in the way they carried themselves. Even his cold sister had a hint of worry in her eyes.


    "I''m good. Almost hit my head against the goddamn wall."


    "They should''ve warned us before this! I almost snapped my back!"


    "Me too, I was trying to leave the capsule and I fell on my face."


    Hearing theirints, Arthur sighed and walked away. Moving from the passenger area to the front section, he came across Mr. X who was standing in the aisle. He seemed to be busy with his phone as if he didn''t notice Arthur.


    However, the moment he got close enough, Mr. X spoke. "Thending was sessful, Mr. Arthur."


    "... What was that?" He asked as he looked over his shoulder.


    "The atmosphere of the ind we''re approaching is quite unstable on the edges so it is hard to navigate it without some turbulence." He replied. "The hard part is beyond us."


    However, even with that answer, Arthur didn''t seem amused at all. Staring coldly at Mr. X, he opened his mouth.


    "Where are you bringing us, Mr. X?" He asked in an almost quiet tone. He felt it, the sense of eeriness that carried this entire flight and this particr incident. He felt coldness wash over his heart and yet it didn''t feel right.


    Mr. X looked up at him for a moment and then replied. "You shall see for yourself in a moment. I have received the permission. Follow me."


    Saying that, he walked past Arthur casually. Thetter frowned and then followed him. Mr. X walked through the ne and stopped in front of the ne door as he looked around at the students.


    He traced their displeased expressions and their intent to voice out theirints for what just happened. But, his strong presence stopped them from doing anything.


    "First and foremost, I would like to apologize for the disturbance. We cannot predict the time this turbulence happens in this area so we can only ask you to ignore what happened. If any of you are feeling ufortable or sick, please tell us and we shall give you immediate medical care. We have several doctors and medics on stand-by outside for any such case."


    Then, he waited for them to check if they were fine. When a few seconds of silence passed, he spoke again. "Good. Well, since we are done with that. I officially wee you,dies and gentlemen to¡­"


    At the same time, the door behind him started opening slowly as a bright light seeped into the ne, making everyone squint. Their eyes took in the strong light rather quickly and finally, a whiff of beautiful aromas entered their noses.


    The smell was so good, that almost all of them were stunned.


    "To the ind where heroes are bound to emerge. Where our very own dream is going to manifest. Where you shall be what you wish to be and more. We call this ce¡­ ''The Middle Ind''."


    Then, Mr. X moved aside to allow the students to walk out of the door and see for themselves what was outside. Arthur was the first to step forward, and he emerged from within the ne with his hand above his forehead.


    "So bright¡­" When he was able to finally see, a small gush of wind moved past him, rustling his hair as his eyes widened slightly.


    The first thing he took in was the airport where theynded. It looked rather simple yet futuristic in appearance, taking over a massive area as big as the eyes could see. The sun was in the sky and the sky itself was a beautiful shade of blue Arthur had never seen before.


    The sound of birds whistling and the pleasant temperature almost instantly made him rx. Then, he saw it¡­ Far into the distance. Something that made his jaw drop to the ground.


    "... What¡­ is that?"

 Chapter 51: Chapter 51- The Middle Island (Part 2)

    Arthur couldn''t find words to describe the sight. It was easily the most majestic thing he had ever seen in his entire life and nothing can rival it.


    Far in the distance, there was a colossal mountain that loomed over the entire ind. Its appearance was terrifying and yet awe-striking at the same time. It was akin to a heavenly pir standing tall against the passing of time and protecting the ind like a guardian. Its peak seemed to pierce the sky and the clouds and its base was vast.


    It was a beautiful green in color from top to bottom and it spanned over hundreds or even thousands of kilometers in all directions.


    However, that wasn''t enough to truly make Arthur stand there, unable to speak or process what he saw. Right against the mountain''s crest and going down to its very base, a massive structure could be seen.


    Arthur could only describe it as a massive castle, a very futuristic-looking castle. Even against this massive mountain, the castle looked terrifyingly big. Its outside was a shiny white that looked like high-quality marble with massive ss panels across the entire structure.


    Arthur could see vast open areas and closed sections blending together into one beautiful structure. Each part of it seemed to have some kind of use, from the very foot of the mountain to the very top.


    ''How¡­ How is this even possible? How do you even build something like this?'' He asked himself.


    It was an amazing sight that made Arthur feel like he was small. It was perhaps the greatest piece of architecture humans had ever created if it was even created by humans.


    "God¡­ What is that?"


    Arthur only snapped out of it when he heard the other students speaking next to him. Everyone had the same reaction as he did if not stronger. Nobody could believe their eyes.


    "That is the Main Academy." Mr. X stepped forward and said. "That is the ce where all of you are going to spend the next few years studying. Your dormitories are at the very foot of the mountain. The rest of the facilities are a part of the Academy City."


    "Academy City?" Arthur asked as he finally looked at Mr. X.


    "There are two main areas of the Blue Crest Academy. There is ''Academy City'' where the students can live their lives and have fun. We have malls, restaurants, indoor and outdoor pools, clothing shops, beaches, and many more things. We made sure there is everything a student would want so please rest assured." Mr. X exined while everyone listened tentatively.


    "Then, there is the ''Institution''. That is where students are going to study and train. We have built it on a mountain to make sure it ispletely secure."


    ''Can I even ask ''Secure from what?'' or am I better not knowing that?'' He gulped a mouthful of saliva.


    "Any questions?"


    Immediately, everyone raised their hands. Mr. X chose Jack first.


    "Where is everyone else?"


    "We are one of the very first batches to arrive here. The rest of the students will arrive in the next 24 hours or so. There is a batch that arrived before us so we aren''t the first ones." Mr. X replied. "Next, question."


    "When is the school year starting?"


    "In 7 days exactly." Mr. X said. "Next question."


    "Is everything in the Academy City for free?" Arthur asked. After hearing what the man said, he was instantly interested. Free stuff was Arthur''s sole weakness and he didn''t hate that at all. After all, who would hate a free thing?


    "No, it is not for free. However, you won''t be using international currencies either."


    "What? Then what are we going to use?"


    "We shall provide you with the means tomorrow. Until we make sure everyone is here, we cannot provide an exnation yet. Any other questions?"


    Nobody raised their hands so Mr. X nodded and simply continued. "If that is the case. Then, please continue with the procedure of signing into the academy at the airport. There will be guides that will take you to your assigned rooms in the dormitory. Please make sure to rest well since tomorrow will be a big day.


    Now, if you may excuse me."


    With that, Mr. X walked back inside the ne, leaving the students behind, a little lost. There was an overwhelming amount of information to take in so they didn''t find it easy to just follow his orders.


    The first to actually move was Arthur. He had no reason to keep standing there, surrounded by idiots so he simply left on his own.


    "Hmm, I wonder if I will be able to buy stuff that I want. I mean, they said we will be able to so I shouldn''t be worried about that. But, what if it has some kind of catch? Like, what if I have to perform well in school to get money? That would be¡­ devastating."


    With a paranoid thought, Arthur found himself inside the airport. Surprisingly, he didn''t get lost and was able to find the checkout area quickly. The process was rather swift as they had him sign a few papers and verify his information. Then, they handed him what seemed to be an ID card with his name and a weird number before letting him finally out.


    The moment he came out, Arthur was weed by a beautiful city scenery. Although it was oddly empty, it was very clean without the distinct feeling of a busy city.


    "Uh, I guess it will be more active once the rest of the students arrive," Arthur muttered as he was about to walk forward when he heard someone calling for him.


    "Is that you, Mr. Arthur?"


    "Hm?" Looking over his shoulder, he saw a beautiful olderdy waving at him with a polite smile. She wore a distinct attire. A blue skirt and a blue that blouse entuated her beauty while keeping her professionalism up front.


    "Are you my guide?" He asked.


    "Yes! I am Selia. Nice to meet you, sir. Wee to Middle Ind and to Blue Crest Academy." She said as she shook his hand.


    "Thank you? Uh, Miss Selia?"


    "Selia is fine! How are you feeling today?"


    "A little excited and a little nervous." He replied casually.


    "Of course, this is a whole new experience after all. But, please don''t worry and do your best! I''m sure you will be fine!" She said as she sped his hand with both of hers.


    ''Wow¡­ She''s a really bright person. Almost dazzling.'' He mused. Although he only just met her, Selia seemed like a happy person with a kind personality. She put him a little at ease with her friendliness.


    "Oh! Silly me! Please follow me to the car, I shall tell you more about this ce and answer any questions you might have."


    In a hurry, she walked toward one of the cars aligned in the parking area and opened the door for him. "If you may excuse me."


    Arthur blinked confusedly as he looked left and right. ''Wow, if someone told me a beautifuldy was going to open a car door for me, I would''ve pped them in the face.''


    Everything happening to him was a new experience, and every day seemed to get weirder and weirder.


    ''I just arrived here and I''m already feeling like a new person. I wonder what else this ind has waiting for me.'' He smiled faintly as he stepped inside the car before Selia closed the door.

 Chapter 52: Chapter 52- The Middle Island (Part 3)

    Selia then walked to the driver''s seat and sat inside before she drove away from the airport into the Academy City. Arthur looked through the window at the scenery around him. The city was indeed as beautiful as he expected, if not even more.


    Everything about it felt well-thought-out, from the design of the buildings which was a mix between futuristic simplicity and modern aesthetics to the streets and the way they merged and disconnected from each other. The air was also fresh and cold as if Arthur was in nature. It felt like the perfect city even from an outsider''s point of view.


    ''They really put a lot of thought into this ce and it ain''t even the impressive part. Where did they even get the money to build this city and that goddamn behemoth of a structure up ahead?'' He asked himself.


    Everything was indeed great so far, but Arthur didn''t understand how Divinity Corp was able to pull this off. Even if they had the time to do it, this is certainly a massive project of a different scale than anything else. The institution alone was an architectural marvel that would make anyone''s jaw drop to the ground. It will equally make them drop their jaws at how much it cost to build.


    "Do you like what you''re seeing?" Selia noticed the look of wonder on Arthur''s face and decided to ask.


    "Yeah, this ce feels like another world." He replied as he looked away from the window.


    "Thank you for yourpliment! We have put a lot of work into this project so honest praise is something we appreciate."


    "How was this even pulled off? I mean, how many years it took for this city and that institution to be built?" He asked as he pointed outside.


    "The project has been in the work for the past 20 years or so."


    "20 years huh? Props to the architect that pulled this off, hahaha." Arthurughed sarcastically.


    The car continued moving through the city, heading toward the mountain in the distance. The closer they got, the more the size of this mountain dawned on Arthur. It was so huge that its shadow loomed over an entire section of the city.


    Then, the sight of the institution became even more impressive. Arthur genuinely didn''t know how it was physically possible to build such a thing. He might be dumb, but he at least knew some basics in physics that would make such a thing near impossible.


    To begin with, the institution was built on the side of a mountain which was already a logistical disaster to maneuver through. There was also the problem of the uneven terrain and how stable it was to actually hold such a massive structure. It didn''t make sense at all no matter how he looked at it. Even their reason of ''Protection and safety'' didn''t sound logical at all.


    "We are almost there, sir!"


    Selia''s voice caught his attention as he looked down. At the very foot of the hill was what seemed to be the dormitory.


    From outside, he can only see a glimpse of the higher parts of the buildings with the rest hidden behind the giant wall that surrounded the entire area. The gates were made out of enforced metal and there were guards standing in front of the doors holding what seemed to be guns. To the side, he could see other guards on the walls, well hidden in several corners as if they were watching in secret.


    The atmosphere grew tense in one fell sweep. The car reached the gates and stopped very slowly as Arthur felt a slight nerve. He didn''t know why but the intimidating looks of the guards from afar wasn''t fun at all.


    "Don''t worry, sir. This is going to be a regr check-in for anyone who walks in or out of the dormitory area. We don''t want any problems to ur." She said.


    "Ok¡­" Arthur replied. ''Again, what are they putting all this security for? We''re literally in the middle of nowhere! Nobody knows where this goddamn ind is.''


    As he was contemting Selia''s words, one of the guards approached the car slowly with his finger on the trigger, ready for anything. The sound of his footsteps was nerve-wracking to a surprising degree.


    He approached the car from Arthur''s window and then knocked on it slowly. Selia pulled the ss down. Looking inside silently for a second, he inspected Arthur with his eyes.


    ''Should I say hello or is he going to get even angrier?'' The boy thought to himself.


    "Code." He then opened his mouth and said.


    "015452," Selia replied with an oddly serious tone.


    The two stared at each other for a good second before the man finally nodded his head and put his guard down a little. "Good evening, Miss Selia. Please continue."


    At the same time, the gates started opening.


    "Thank you! Have a nice day too!" Selia smiled before she turned the car on again and drove inside as the gates started closing behind them. Arthur naturally looked over his shoulder at the guards. Nobody knew what was going through their heads.


    "Don''t worry, you won''t have to memorize any codes in the future to ess the dormitory. It is only for the staff." She said.


    "Hmm, I''m certainly not worried about that," Arthur muttered as he turned around again. The interior of the dormitory area was as he expected, massive.


    There were several streets that spread across the base of the mountain. Each building around him looked the same more or less. They were all huge, luxurious apartmentplexes.


    "Wee to the dormitory area. Each building you''re seeing is a part of the male students'' dormitory. The female section is essed from another gate, but, I doubt that would be something you need, sir Arthur. Entering that area is prohibited for male students." She said.


    "Yeah,st time I checked, I wasn''t a pervert." He replied with a shrug. He could see why that was a rule.


    "In any case, this is only the living area. So, the cafeteria and other indoor facilities are in the higher sections of the institution. You will be provided with the map for the entire ce tomorrow so you won''t get lost." Selia exined casually as she reached the parking lot near the gate and stopped the car.


    "We''re going to continue the path on foot." She said as the two left the car.


    "What kind of room does each student get?" Arthur asked.


    "Oh, good question! Well, your room will have a kitchen, a bathroom, a sauna, a balcony with a jacuzzi in it, and also a study room. The apartments are still open for renovations and additions in the near future so look forward to that." She said.


    "..."


    ''I''m being weed to a blissful heaven! A jacuzzi? Did she just say a goddamn Jacuzzi? I have never even seen a Jacuzzi in my life! What the hell?!''


    The more Arthur heard, the more he felt like this ce was simply trying to constantly blow his expectations to pieces. It didn''t even sound real anymore with how much he was getting from all of this.


    The two continued walking through the vast neighborhood. Eventually, they stopped in front of one of the buildings. The sign in front of it said ''Building number 25.''.


    Reading it Arthur naturally looked up toward the rest of the dormitory. It stretched so far east that he couldn''t even see the end of it as it merged with the rest of the mountain.


    "How many buildings are there?" Arthur asked.


    "Oh, there are exactly 200 buildings and each building has 10 rooms," Selia replied.


    A//N: Thanks for reading.

 Chapter 53: Chapter 53- His New Home

    "200¡­ 10¡­ That''s 2000 rooms?" Arthur raised an eyebrow in confusion.


    "Yes, there are 2000 rooms for exactly 2000 male students. The same is true for female students so in total, there will be 4000 students attending the first year of the Blue Crest Academy." Selia nodded her head.


    "That''s¡­ well, that''s a lot, but I guess that isn''t too many students." He muttered. Arthur''s old middle school had nearly 400 students so this was a massive increase in number to what he was ustomed to.


    However, considering how massive this ind is, with 4000 students, it wasn''t going to be as crowded as he suspected.


    "Since this is the first year, that is the optimal number we aimed for. For the next few years, there should be more students on the campus as we expand the Academy." Selia replied.


    "What is your ultimate goal?" Arthur asked curiously.


    "Well, we aim to help as many young talents as we can, Mr. Arthur. We don''t really have a specific number we''re aiming for." She replied.


    ''Tsk, diplomatic reply. She probably doesn''t want to disclose anything they didn''t allow her to disclose.'' Arthur squinted his eyes as he stared at the smilingdy. ''For someone who seems very innocent and cheerful, she definitely can do her job very well. They would''ve not hired her otherwise.''


    Arthur had heard rumors before about how strict Divinity Corp was when it came to hiring people to work under them. Not only do they hire the best of the best in every field, but they also put them under strict rule-based contracts so that they don''t leak any information whatsoever. Even those who were fired or resigned weren''t able to say anything.


    This made it almost impossible to get any information they didn''t wish to release. The battle between the media and this corporation was an overwhelming win for Divinity.


    "Mr. Arthur?" Selia noticed that Arthur looked listless so she called for him.


    "Hm? Oh, it''s nothing." He replied.


    "Well, shall we go inside?"


    "Lead the way."


    With that, the duo stepped into the building. As Arthur expected, the interior was as beautiful as the exterior. The moment he walked in, he felt like he entered a luxurious 5-star hotel in the capital or even better.


    The reception area was spacious with a lounge near the entrance. The decoration was simple but also very calming from the art hanging on the wall to the nts and vases meticulously ced everywhere.


    Arthur instantly felt at ease there. Taking a moment to take everything in, he noticed that Selia approached the counter on the other side.


    An older man weed them in a professional attire simr to the one Selia was wearing except less morous.


    "Wee." He said. "Are you perhaps here to bring a student?"


    "Yes. Mr. Arthur right here." She pointed at the boy next to her.


    The man looked at him before he nodded and then pointed at something on the table. It was a small ss panel integrated into the wooden table that was shining with a blue light.


    "Please, put your thumb on that panel. It will read your fingerprint." He said.


    Arthur looked at it for a moment before he did what the man asked. Immediately, the panel lit up brightly before going back to normal as if it had read his print. Then, Arthur saw the man focus on theputer screen in front of him. A few secondster, the man looked up.


    "Registrationpleted. I officially wee you, Mr Arthur, to the Blue Crest Academy. I hope your stay will be fruitful."


    "... Thank you."


    ''That was really quick. They did take my fingerprints back at the airport 30 minutes ago. But, how did they store that data this quickly? Sigh, I shouldn''t probably think about this as it is far beyond my pay grade. They''ve done far more impressive stuff than this.'' He thought to himself.


    "Your room is number 9. You can ess it using this key temporarily till your permanent ess key is created." The man said as he gave him the keys.


    With that, Selia and Arthur walked to the elevator and moved to the third floor. Arthur kept fiddling with the key as he was lost in thought. When the elevator doors opened again, Selia led him through the entire ce till she stopped in front of one room.


    "This is your new room! I hope it will be to your liking!"


    Arthur nodded faintly and opened the door. "Trust me, anything inside will be far better than where I lived before."


    Opening the door, he was met with a vast suite. As Selia had described it before, the ce was the epitome of luxury andfort. A small whiff of the fragrant air inside almost made Arthur moan.


    ''Wait, what?! I wasn''t about to moan!'' He cursed himself as he finally walked inside.


    "We have 24/7 cleaning services that you can call whenever you need something. They will also do regr cleaning routines when you''re outside."


    "Got it."


    "Do you need anything else?" Selia asked as she walked him through the entire ce, showing him the things he needed to know about his new house. Unsurprisingly, there was a lot of technology involved in most things inside the room. From control panels that regted the temperature of the room, the bath, and the Jacuzzi to the electric stove and oven.


    Even the curtains needed a controller to close and open.


    "... No, thank you very much for helping." He said.


    "This is a part of my job, sir. Well, I shall leave you to rest from the long trip here. Also, onest time, I hope you have a fruitful stay, Mr. Arthur."


    Saying that, she bid him farewell and left the room swiftly. Selia seemed to be very busy even though she took the time to bring Arthur to his room. The boy stood there dazedly for a few seconds before he finally snapped out of it.


    "It really happened, huh?" He asked, a little lost. Looking around him, he realized that he was indeed there. In apletely different ce. A few days ago, he was still thinking about work and high school. He was uncertain of what the future held for him and what he was supposed to do for the rest of his life.


    As much as he tried to deny it, Arthur was deeply terrified of the future. He was broke and dumb, he wasn''t good at anything and even if he was good at something, there were always people that were leagues above him. He knew that he was destined to find a mediocre job and perhaps settle down somewhere and marry.


    But, that future felt so¡­ Horrifyingly boring. Just thinking about it made him want to just curse. He felt like his soul was dreading that. Because of his almost sick obsession with everything fun, a boring future was like a life sentence to the worst prison imaginable for Arthur.


    Yet, by some miracle, everything had changed in a few moments. From living a mediocre life to traveling to a distant ind where he was bound to join the most important institution in the world. He was also the number 1 yer in the world and had a lot of people after him.


    He was now something else. The Arthur from the past was gone and he was only bound to change even more with each passing day.


    He turned around and walked inside the bedroom. The bed was naturally king-sized so it was big enough to fit at least 5 of Arthur. Jumping on it, he felt his entire body shudder. The mattress was soft yet also firm enough for him not to sink into itpletely.


    The pillow was fluffy and soft as if he was resting his head on a cloud. It felt sofortable that Arthur almost slept on the spot. He was indeed very tired after the entire trip and the things that happened before and during it.


    "Uh, they still didn''t bring my capsule so I can''t y. Selia said it would arrive this evening so I guess I can take a nap for the first time in days." He muttered in a low tone.


    ''This is my new home for the next few years at least. Might as well get veryfortable.''

 Chapter 54: Chapter 54- Fateful Meeting (Part 1)

    "Hnng¡­" Arthur opened his eyes slowly from the deep slumber he was in. Rising up, he slowly looked around him as he rubbed his eyes very slowly. He was still dazed as he was waking up so he couldn''t think well.


    A few seconds passed before he finally started snapping out of it. "That was a really good nap." He muttered to himself. "I haven''t slept in days so this is quite refreshing. I like how the capsule can rece sleep, but this is still nice to do every now and then."


    Although the capsule seemed to be able to replicate and even improve the sleep state of the user, Arthur still appreciated the traditional sleeping because that was what he had been doing his entire life. He couldn''t justpletely get rid of it just because he started using another method in its ce.


    "What time is it now?" He muttered as he looked at the clock next to his table. "... 5:00 PM, huh. Well, that was at least 8 hours of sleep." He muttered as he stood up from the bed and slowly walked to the bathroom to wash his face and take a shower.


    His luggage that he brought with him was still unpacked so he had to quickly get some clothes. After a very long bath in the bathtub, Arthur felt a lot more refreshed.


    "Fuh, now I''m fully awake! Well, Selia said that my capsule will arrive this evening. Did theye here earlier when I was still asleep?" He asked himself.


    The moment he finished that sentence, Arthur heard a knock on the door. When he opened it, he saw a familiar face waiting there.


    "us!" He eximed as he smiled widely. "I didn''t know you were the one that would bring my capsule!"


    The familiar man was none other than us, the same person who brought him his first capsule. Even though Arthur only talked to him once, he still was happy to see the older man as he was the bringer of good luck in his eyes.


    "Good evening, Mr. Arthur. We apologize for beingte. Some logistical problems." us said politely.


    "Oh! Don''t worry about it. You came at the perfect time."


    "Good, can we get inside then?"


    "Of course."


    "You heard him, boys! Bring the capsule." He yelled at the men standing behind him as he gave them orders. Almost immediately, Arthur''s room was invaded by several workers as they brought in the capsule and its parts along with the serum stacks.


    ''Ah, this feels like it happened two days ago.'' Arthur smiled as he watched them work. ''Wait, it did happen two days ago, idiot! Tsk, why does it feel nostalgic now?''


    As he was struggling with himself, the workers quickly finished the work as they put the capsule in his bedroom, next to the bed. As for the serum, since the room didn''tck storage space, they were put in the storage area.


    "We have finished work, sir. You can ess the capsule now." us said as he stood in front of Arthur.


    "Thank you for your work, us. It''s always appreciated."


    "No problem sir. If you face any technical difficulties with the capsule in the future please contact reception and we shalle as soon as possible to fix it." The older man added.


    "What kind of technical difficulties could happen though?" Arthur asked curiously. Till that point, Arthur had never thought that the capsule could break down or have some kind of problem. With how technologically advanced it is, that idea was wiped straight out of his brain.


    But, now that he thought about it, it made sense that a machine like this would face problems. Ignoring the fact that it''s the first of its kind, the stuff it does is just ridiculouslyplicated. Implementing realism at that level in one''s brain is pure fantasy manifested in the real world.


    "Well, the chances of a problem urring are extremely minuscule. But, the ones that could ur are naturally bugs, sudden connection loss, or energy shortages."


    "That sounds awfully scary." Arthur frowned.


    "Fear not. None of these can harm the user. You arepletely safe." us replied.


    "That''s good to hear." The boy exhaled a small breath of relief. ''I don''t want to die from my brain being fried by this machine. That would be the dumbest death of all time.'' He mused.


    "In any case, we shall leave now." Signaling for his men, they immediately left the room followed by us.


    "Have a nice day, us!"


    The older man turned to look at Arthur before smiling slightly. "You too, sir." and then closed the door behind him.


    "What a nice guy, hahaha." Arthurughed to himself as he stretched his limbs. "Well, I guess since I have nothing else to do. Time to go back to the game."


    Arthur felt quite excited to continue his hunting missions. His n was to leave the first vige in a few days optimally. He heard that the journey from the first vige to thest empire would take a very long time and would be very dangerous so he wanted to be prepared.


    ''In the forums, they were talking about organizing a massive expedition of sorts that will leave the first step vige. I might just join that one if possible.''


    Arthur was aware that trying to cross the vast first-step forest region alone would be akin to suicide. He might be the strongest yer in the world currently, but he knew that he was nothing in front of the stronger monsters roaming the forest. Even in a massive group, it was still going to be an extremely arduous trip.


    ''I am not insane. I need to cooperate with others to actually make it out of that vige.'' He thought to himself as he sat in the capsule.


    "Well, we shall see what would happen." He muttered as his brain connected to the game and lost consciousness.


    ***


    "Hm, hm, hm¡­"


    The vige was weirdly even more bustling today than usual. The moment Arthur logged in, he found himself surrounded by hundreds of yers going about their business. After walking around for a while, he noticed something interesting.


    ''I can''t see any familiar faces in the masses. I guess this proves that I indeed changed regions when I arrived here.''


    Arthur had this idea in his head ever since he got on the ne. Since this ind was somewhere far away from where he used to live, he expected the region to change. That was instantly proven to be the case once hended in the vige.


    "Hmm, what about the rankings?" He muttered as he opened the rankings. That was when he saw something rather shocking.


    "Wait, Darkmoon is in this region too?" Arthur muttered to himself as he stopped. Looking at the regional ranking, he noticed that Darkmoon appeared right in the second spot behind him.


    ''What are the chances that I will end up in the same region with them? Or maybe¡­ Could they also be students like me?''


    The possibility struck Arthur rather quickly and it felt really logical.


    "So, the second-best yer in the world could be on the Middle Ind. Interesting. I wonder if I will be able to meet them."


    Arthur knew that if he could see that person in the game, he would instantly recognize them outside of it. However, that was naturally easier said than done. Not only because there are endless numbers of viges in this region and his target could be in any one of them, but he also didn''t know what to look for even.


    "It''s like looking for a needle in a haystack. I might as well give up right here and now. If I''m destined to meet them, then it will happen sooner orter." He shrugged.


    With that, Arthur closed the ranking and continued walking deeper into the vige. "I want to buy some potions before heading out. There is a popr potion maker around here if I remember correctly." Looking around him, Arthur quickly located the shop he was looking for.


    This particr potion maker was quite popr because they sold +2 health and mana potions which was slightly better than the +1 potions. However, their price was naturally more expensive.


    ''I have no problem with money so I can buy a good number of them.'' He thought to himself as he walked inside.


    The ce was busy with customers as people bought all kinds of potions. From one that improves stamina to buffs that increase damage slightly over a period of time or increase defense. There were endless numbers of potions in this world and the possibilities were naturally uncountable.


    Those who chose the potion maker ss were slowly unraveling the vast, interconnected chain of potion chemistry. From what he saw on the inte, it was extremely deep andplicated but the reward for learning them was equally great.


    ''Those potion makers are going to be a valuable asset in guilds and even in the world itself. Having them could change the tides of a battle easily.'' Arthur thought to himself as he moved through the line slowly.


    When he finally reached the counter, he noticed that the line next to him was busy too. But, he didn''t really focus on the person standing next to him as he was reading the list of potions being sold. He didn''t also realize that the room had turned eerily quiet.


    "Can I have 10 health potions +2, 10 mana potions +2, and uh, 5 damage buff potions +1?" He asked as he looked at the clerk working behind the counter.


    That was when he heard the person next to him spoke. "Can I have all your health potion stock? All of it."


    A//N: Give me all your Golden Tickets!

 Chapter 55: Chapter 55- Fateful Meeting (Part 2)

    Silence immediately took over the entire ce. It became so quiet that the sound of someone''s breathing could be heard throughout the entire ce. Everyone immediately looked at the person who said those words.


    Arthur''s eyes moved to the side too when he heard that sentence. That was when he realized what kind of person he was standing next to. The yer was d in apletely red veil that covered all their body. It was baggy enough not to show whether they were a male or a female.


    On their head, they wore an ominous red mask that had no eyes and no facial expression. But, by far, their most interesting detail was their aura. While the others didn''t notice it, Arthur did notice it.


    ''They''re strong.'' His eyes grew colder. ''They''re probably very high up the ranks.''


    While his assumption might''ve been really shocking, his guts told him that he was indeed facing a very special yer. If their request wasn''t proof of that, in the first ce.


    "E-Excuse me, the entire stock?" The clerk was naturally as shocked as everyone else.


    "Yes." The masked person replied. Their voice was deep and distorted, perhaps a function of the mask.


    "S-Sir, we have 150 potions left in the stock." He replied.


    "Give them all to me."


    "Hold on a goddamn second." Arthur finally spoke when he heard that back and forth. He was still stunned by the request as 150 potions soundedpletely ridiculous. "I need those potions. You can then buy the rest."


    If the person next to him bought the entire stock then Arthur won''t be able to get any potions. Those were quite crucial when it came to hunting and fighting enemies. So far, Arthur hasn''t died once, and he wasn''t intending to try it any time soon if he can.


    The masked yer turned to look at him. Arthur couldn''t see their eyes, but he was certain it wasn''t a friendly look.


    "I need all of them." They replied. "Find potions elsewhere."


    ''What the hell?'' Arthur felt like he was about to snap but he decided to take a deep breath and looked at the Clerk. "Ignore them, can I please take my order and leave? I don''t have time."


    "I''m taking all the stock."


    "I don''t care. You don''t own this ce and you certainly don''t decide what you can take. There are other customers apart from you." Arthur retorted.


    "It''s their fault that they didn''te earlier. Is there a rule that stops me from buying their entire stock?" The masked yer asked Arthur with a cold tone.


    "I don''t care about rules. I stood here before you so I''m going to get my potions."


    As the two went back and forth, the tension inside the shop grew rapidly. The other yers started feeling something slightly heavy falling on their shoulders. The temperature inside was also going down slightly.


    ''Is there a fight about to break out?'' They all thought as they gulped down a mouthful of saliva. For some reason, these two yers sent shivers down their spines and they didn''t know why.


    They seemed way too terrifyingpared to the rest of the yers around them.


    The masked yer wentpletely silent as if they didn''t know what to say.


    "That''s what I thought," Arthur murmured before he turned to the clerk. "Should I repeat my ord-"


    *Swish*


    At that moment, Arthur heard a sharp sound before he felt something poking the back of his neck followed by the coldest words he had ever heard in his life.


    "Leave."


    Arthur stopped in his ce for a moment as if he was surprised. He didn''t even need to look back to understand what was happening.


    "Are you sure about this?" Arthur asked. "Drawing your sword in a safe area won''t do anything."


    "Consider this a threat. If you wish to continue ying this game peacefully, then leave."


    What was before a cold confrontation had turned into a full-on threat.


    "Sigh, why make it so hard, dude? I just want my potions. I don''t want to kill you." Arthur replied as he rubbed his forehead.


    "..." The masked yer didn''t say anything else.


    "Fine. If you wish to be such a pain in the ass, I will y your little game." Saying that, Arthur turned around and grabbed the tip of the sword. His grip was light at first, but then, it slowly grew stronger and stronger till the veins in his arms protruded.


    Then, he slowly pushed the sword down, against the wish of his opponent. He kept eye contact the entire time as if he was challenging them to try and do anything.


    ''As I thought, they have a lot of strength.'' Arthur thought to himself as his arm started shaking subtly. Arthur was certain his strength stat was above everyone else as it was one of his highest ones. Yet, he wasn''t finding an easy time pushing the sword down.


    That only meant that his opponent''s strength wasn''t that far behind him.


    "P-Please, don''t fight in the shop!" The clerk nervously tried to stop them before things got out of hand. He knew that if he let them fight, they would destroy his shop and that would be a disaster.


    The two continued staring at each other coldly before Arthur finally yanked the sword away and looked at the Clerk. "My apologies, sir. I had no intention to do this. Can I just have my potions and leave? I will deal with this idiotter."


    "... U-Understood."


    The clerk than hurried away before he came back with arge amount of potions in a big bag. He had pulled all the health potions he had in stock.


    "Uh, these are 10 potions for you. Do you still want the rest of the stock, sir?" He asked the masked yer.


    "... Give it to me." He said.


    Arthur then pulled out his pouch and gave the clerk the money for his entire order which was almost 60 silvers.


    Then, he stored those potions and left the shop. ''What the hell was that person''s problem? Who the hell buys 150 health potions? Do they think that will make a huge difference? If you''re a dumbass, you will die even if you have ten billion potions in your inventory.'' Arthur muttered to himself. ''It''s also way too goddamn expensive.


    A very bad idea through and through.''


    Looking over his shoulder, he noticed that the masked yer hadn''te out yet. He didn''t know if he had to wait for him to deal with this matter or if he should simply go about his business.


    ''If he''s going to keep chasing me, that will be really annoying.'' Arthur thought to himself. ''I''m too bothered to deal with an idiot. Even if he''s strong.''


    Rubbing the back of his head, Arthur continued walking through the vige till he reached the exit. This entire time, he kept looking behind him, expecting the masked yer to follow him. But, he saw nothing of that sort. At that point, he decided that it was pointless to wait for this yer.


    "I don''t have the entire day to waste on him. If he wants to mess around, he can just find me." He muttered lowly as he exited the vige, heading deeper into the forest.


    A few minutes passed peacefully as Arthur cut his way through the thick trees. His destination was the deeper parts of the forest that he hadn''t reached yet. Since his map only showed the areas he reached, he had a lot to explore more.


    ''Should I continue on the same path or should I try and expand the map in all directions?'' He asked himself as he stopped for a second to look at his map. Both options were viable since Arthur knew that the forest had way more secrets in its depths.


    "Hmm, going deeper might bring me unwanted enemies. I''m not strong enough to face stronger monsters yet. Maybe expanding the map would be more useful." He spoke to himself as he zoomed in on his position.


    As he was focused on it, Arthur''s senses suddenly went off as he felt a sense of overwhelming danger fill his body. His eyes widened and his breath stopped before he immediately sprung into action.


    *Swish*


    Like a sh, he jumped to the side at the same time as an arrow cut through the air and hit a tree not that far away from him.


    A split secondter, Arthur felt the same danger as a silhouette rushed toward him. ''Behind me? Was that a decoy?''


    Arthur quickly unsheathed his sword as he summoned two arrows. The two projectiles flew instantly toward the target, making them jump to the side and stop rushing toward Arthur.


    *Cling* *Cling*


    At the same time, Arthur deflected a sword attack from the enemy before he shed with his sword. However, the enemy was able to dodge and jump back. The boy looked at the attacker as he grinned.


    "Very cool of you to ambush someone like this. Are you too scared to face me head-to-head?" Arthur asked as he rested his sword on his shoulder. "Should I call you ''Masked Coward''?"


    A//N: Give me all your Golden Tickets!

 Chapter 56: Chapter 56- Fateful Meeting (Part 3)

    The masked yernded on his feet as he stared at Arthur from behind the mask. Arthur couldn''t read his expression but he could easily guess that the yer wasn''t pleased.


    "I have warned you. You do not understand the grave mistake you have made." The masked yer said as they swung their sword down.


    "You''re too much talk and no actions, my friend. Do I look like I''m scared? Maybe you should get rid of that mask to see better." Arthur signaled for his face with a mocking tone. He knew that he was ying on his enemy''s nerve and he didn''t really care.


    "... You''re dead meat." The yer seemed to have taken the bait as they charged toward Arthur in a sh.


    *cling*


    Their swords shed powerfully as the two stepped back before they engaged in a quick rain of attacks from both sides. Their speed was terrifying, to say the least as the weapons moved up and down and everywhere, shing in quick session.


    ''They''re very fast too. I can''t easily overwhelm them with speed either.'' Arthur thought to himself as he dodged an attack and countered with his sword, only to miss his target. Even though he wasn''t trying too hard, he still was surprised this person was quite easily keeping up with him.


    Arthur wasn''t arrogant by nature, but he was aware of how strong he waspared to other yers. Even amongst the highest-ranked yers, he was levels above them. But, he quickly realized that although he was ranked 1, that didn''t mean that he was overwhelmingly stronger than the ones behind him.


    What he didn''t ount for was the actual fighting experience they had. If someone was trained in martial arts or swordsmanship before starting this game, they would be able to easily beat someone a level or two above them who has no actual fighting experience.


    Since Arthur had no actual professional training before, hecked that advantage, meanwhile, his opponent was clearly good with the sword. As they shed weapons, Arthur noticed the way the masked yer was moving.


    They used a lot of footwork and sudden bursts of movement to try and take him by surprise. They were also able to slightly push Arthur back with each sh of their sword and even take him where he didn''t want to go.


    They were trained yers and very good ones at that.


    ''I can''t really face them in a battle of technique or I''m going to lose. Tsk, I didn''t want to really use my other skills but I guess this is the perfect time to try the new ones I have gotten.'' Arthur mused as he sidestepped a sword sh and then jumped back a distance.


    "You aren''t running!" The masked yer immediately tried to close the distance again.


    However, at that moment, Arthur''s body suddenly flickered with a faint burst of light. The masked yer saw that and for a moment, they didn''t understand what happened. Then, an overwhelming sense of fear took over their entire body.


    No, it wasn''t merely fear, their entire body seemed to have frozen in its ce as their heart skipped a beat. They had never felt this before in their life. A terror unlike anything else. It was strong, their mind was wiped clean of all thoughts for a split second. The world suddenly became blurry and even the temperature dropped horribly for them.


    ''H¡­ uh?'' Before realizing it, they found themselves falling to the ground with a loud thud. All of this had happened in one single moment.


    A momentter, the feeling started vanishing and the effect dwindled. However, by the time they regained theirposure, they realized that a sharp de was pointing at their face.


    "Move even a finger and I''m going to cut your head off," Arthur said coldly as he pointed the Sanguine de at his enemy. ''Wow, Soul Fear actually worked so well. I didn''t expect it topletely immobilize him even though it seems to onlyst a moment.'' He thought to himself.


    Although Arthur had used Soul Fear a few times after acquiring it, he had never seen its effect this up close. It worked well on weaker monsters so he assumed it could work on this yer since they technically fall under the ''Weaker enemy'' category the skill description talked about.


    However, he had never thought it would be strong enough to turn them into apletely open and vulnerable target.


    ''I guess I''m going to start using this more against yers, haha.''


    "You¡­ What did you do¡­?" The masked yer asked in a shocked voice. "What did you do?!"


    "It''s none of your business, friend. Be grateful I didn''t kill you yet." Arthur replied. "I have told you to just ignore it and move on but your stupid ego couldn''t handle that. I''m going to assume you''re just another spoiled child from a rich family that never took an insult in their life."


    The masked yer waspletely silent as they stared at Arthur.


    "I know your type. You would probably still chase after me even after I kill you so this won''t really help much. I will spare you the pain of starting all over again and losing your items and you will spare me the pain of being chased around by an angry, spoiled child, how about that?"


    "..."


    The masked yer didn''t reply at all as if he waspletely speechless. Arthur found that rather weird but didn''t think much of it.


    "Are you going to do that or n-"


    "AAAAAAGH!!"


    At that moment, Arthur heard a loud roar as something suddenly appeared out of the bushes rushing toward him like a train.


    ''Huh?'' The boy quickly tried to move, but he realized that the ambush came from a gigantic human being. Looking up, all he saw was a giant shadow looming over him before the impact.


    *BANG*


    At thest moment, Arthur was able to put his arms forward, tanking the impact. However, his entire body still shuddered from the sheer strength of the yer.


    ''HAAAGH!! What¡­ the hell¡­ is this?!'' Sliding on the rough terrain, he tried to push himself back. But, he realized that there was some kind of barrier around his enemy that seemed to boost his defence.


    "WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!! ATTACKING MY FRIEND IS A DEATH SENTENCE!!" The giant man roared loudly as he pushed Arthur back with all his power, sending the boy stumbling on the ground before hitting a tree. The impact was strong as Arthur felt his bones shake.


    "Move, Herculia!"


    At the same time, Arthur saw threerge rocks fly toward him one after the other from somewhere unknown.


    ''You have got to be kidding me!'' His eyes widened as he clenched his teeth. Then, he immediately rolled to the side as quickly as he could, barely dodging the impact as the rocks hit therge tree and burst into pieces.


    But, Arthur''s ambush didn''t end there as the next moment, the masked yer rushed toward him as he stabbed his sword forward.


    *Cling*


    Arthur was naturallypletely off bnce and still on the ground when the sword was falling down on him. So, All he could do was try and deflect it. But, in such a horrible position, the sword still hit its target, stabbing his left shoulder.


    The boy groaned slightly before he kicked the masked yer away and tried to stand up.


    "Stay down, bastard!" The man named Herculia took that moment to jump in the air as he fell on Arthur with his two fists aiming at the boy.


    ''Is he insane?!''


    The boy tried to jump back, but the impact of the hit still shook the area around him.


    "Fire arrows!"


    Another three projectiles flew at him from somewhere different, trying to target his blind spot. At the same time, Herculia and the masked yer tried to close the distance with Arthur.


    Thetter stood there and for a split second, he felt something snap in his head. "Enough!!!"


    With a loud yell that seemed to shake the entire forest around them, A ripple of aura exploded from Arthur''s body as his eyes turned a dark shade of red.


    [You have activated ''Lonesome Warrior''s Howl''.]


    Arthur''s calm face then turned into a furious one. He felt an endless rush of anger fill his entire head, almost clouding his mind and consciousness. However, at that moment, he was feelingpletely enraged.


    Holding his sword with both hands, he clenched the handle so tightly that his hand almost fused with it.


    "I''m going to kill all of you!!"


    A//N: Give me all your Golden Tickets!

 Chapter 57: Chapter 57- Fateful Meeting (Part 4)

    "What happened?" The trio that attacked Arthur was shocked by the sudden ripple of energy that erupted from their target. It was strong enough to knock the fire arrows from the air upon contact.


    Then, they felt a strong aura emitting from Arthur as his entire body seemingly formed a red halo.


    "He used an ability!" The masked yer yelled as he snapped out of it. "Herculia! Attack him before he does anything!"


    "I''m on it!"


    Therge man didn''t waste time as he channeled his mana to his fists before rushing toward Arthur as fast as he could. He intended to smash him with pure brute force before he could do anything.


    "Die, bastard!"


    As heunched his fist forward, Herculia thought that the boy couldn''t dodge since he didn''t move the entire time. However, at the veryst second, Arthur suddenly looked up, and then, he suddenly vanished.


    ''Huh?!''


    Herculia was taken by surprise when the boy disappeared from his sight. It was sudden and quick. By the time he realized that Arthur had moved to the side, the boy had alreadyunched an attack.


    *BANG*


    "HAGH!!" He felt a powerful punch carve his torso in with ease. Air was knocked out of his lungs as he was thrown to the side a few feet away.


    "Wha-?!" The masked yer waspletely taken aback. But, he quickly snapped out of it and desperately tried to use one of his abilities.


    ''I need to use shadow ste-'' Before he can even say anything, he found his enemy already in front of his face. All he could see were two red eyes staring into his very soul before he felt the impact of the horrible punch on his guts. His entire body rippled from the hit.


    *BLURGH*


    Coughing out a huge mouthful of saliva, he was knocked back to the ground.


    "Herculia! Danny!"


    The third yer who was hiding in the bushes screamed when she saw her two friends on the ground, groaning from pain. Arthur immediately looked up and stared at where she was hiding. His face was filled with rage.


    "Come out or I''m killing your two idiot friends!" He ordered her with an extremely cold voice.


    A few secondster, the girl slowly emerged from the bushes with a frown on her face as she kept her arms in the air.


    At that moment, Arthur''s aura vanished as his eyes returned to normal. A weird feeling of exhaustion washed over his entire body as his vision blurred for a moment. He swayed back slightly before regaining some of hisposure. A strong headache hit his head out of nowhere.


    ''Dammit, am I getting a side effect from using the Lonesome Warrior''s Howl?'' He asked himself as he gripped his sword. ''This is the first time I''m using this so I didn''t know that. Dammit, I can''t let them notice that.''


    "You bastards ambushed me like a bunch of cowards to try and kill me. For what?! For goddamn what, huh?! I just wanted some potions and you cannot even ept that. A bunch of obnoxious idiots!" He cursed as he lifted his hand up and snapped his finger. Immediately 5 blood arrows appeared around, floating in the air.


    "I tried to strike a deal with that dipshit and he didn''t even contemte that! Now, all of you are going to be sent to the shadow realm!"


    Although Arthur would''ve usually killed them instantly, the overwhelming anger he felt at that moment made him hurl curses at them for doing this. What he hated more than having to deal with a spoiled brat was dealing with multiple spoiled brats.


    "Who is this bastard¡­ Danny?" Herculia asked the masked yer who turned out to be someone named Danny.


    "Like¡­ hell do I know? Ugh, I can''t move."


    "You attacked my friend. I wasn''t there to ambush you. Do you think I would stand by and not help my friend when he''s being attacked?" Herculia said as he held his side.


    Arthur squinted his eyes as he looked at therge man. "Did you even realize that your friend attacked me first?"


    "I gave you a warning. I was in need of those potions and I was going to take them no matter what."


    "Wait, did you attack him because he took your potions, Danny?" The girl asked as she looked at him.


    "Leader said that we need at least 150 potions. Those were thest 150 potions in the store and he wanted to buy ten. I couldn''t let him get them and disappoint her. We need them far more than he does." Danny said.


    "..."


    Silence took over the entire ce in one fell swipe. Nobody spoke one word as they stared at each other confusedly.


    "You have got to be kidding me¡­" The girl facepalmed as she exhaled a long breath.


    "Danny¡­"


    "What? We needed those potions."


    "Not enough to try and attack other yers, you idiot!"


    Seeing this interaction, Arthur felt even more confused than before. He kept looking between the three of them as if he didn''t know what to say.


    "Wait, so you lot didn''t n this ambush out?" He asked as he cut the argument short. "Was it ''Masked Idiot''s'' mistake?"


    "I''m not Masked Idiot!" Danny growled angrily.


    "I''m sorry man but¡­ You were in the wrong here, I think." Herculia rubbed the back of his head with an awkward look.


    "Shut up musclehead. You don''t understand how important these potions are. We can''t just leave the vige and travel without at least 150 of them with us. Even ten could be the difference between us being wiped out and emerging from this forest alive. The leader knows well the danger thates with this task."


    "What danger?"


    At that moment, a soothing voice echoed in the entire area, catching everyone''s attention, including Arthur''s. Even though the voice only said two words in a calm and quiet tone, it immediately took over the entire conversation with ease.


    Arthur lifted his head up only to see someone sitting on a tree branch not that far away from the spot where he was standing. His immediate thought was ''How did that person appear out of nowhere?''


    He hadn''t felt their presence at all this entire time and he didn''t know why. That was a very important detail that he couldn''t ignore. The second thing he realized was unlike the other three, this woman had no hostile intentions at all from what he could see. He couldn''t even feel her aura to know how strong she was or if she was ready to attack or not.


    But, that particr part made him understand one thing. ''She''s stronger than all of them¡­ That''s the leader.''


    The significant difference between her and her group was horrifying. It was as if she was cut out of a different cloth. However, by far the most striking thing about the girl was her appearance.


    In one simple word, she looked stunningly beautiful to the point where Arthur had to take two looks to understand if she was indeed how she looked. However, somehow, each look made her look even more beautiful.


    She had strikingly white hair like snow and an equally shiny smooth skin that seemed to almost reflect the light of the sun. Her eyes were a deep shade of green that almost looked like a divine cosmic cloud in their beauty.


    For a second, the two made eye contact as they tried to read what the other was thinking of. But, that brief look turned into a few seconds of silence. The other three felt a weighing nervousness upon their leader''s sudden appearance.


    The tension rose in the air to an unbearable degree.


    Then, out of nowhere, Arthur lifted his finger and pointed at the girl with a nk expression. "Hey¡­ You¡­" He said.


    ''Oh no.''


    Everyone immediately tensed up as their readiness to start the fight again returned. For their leader, they were ready to do anything even if they had to fight him again. However, what Arthur said nextpletely wiped that idea off their heads. It was thest thing they expected to hear from him.


    "You''re a horrible leader. Probably the worst leader I have ever seen in my 15 years of living on this god-forsaken."


    "..."


    It was aplete shitfest.


    A//N: Give me all your Golden Tickets!

 Chapter 58: Chapter 58- Fateful Meeting (Part 5)

    Nobody expected Arthur to say something like that at all. It came out of nowhere and it even surprised the girl sitting on the tree. However, the boy didn''t seem like he was bothered as he continued.


    "How can you not be clear enough on what your group should and shouldn''t do? I almost killed them all by mistake just because one of your idiots thought ten extra potions are a matter of life and death." Arthur shook his head with a disappointed look. His tone sounded like a parent reprimanding their child after they did something wrong.


    It almost turned into somethingical.


    "Hey, you bastard! Don''t insult her! I will kill you!" Danny yelled loudly as he red dagger at Arthur. He felt outraged that this nobody insulted his leader in such a tant way.


    "Well, I''m not the one that attacked an innocent yer out of nowhere, am I?" Arthur retorted. "It''s either you get med for being aplete moron, or she gets med for having aplete moron in her group and not being aware of how stupid they are. Either way, you''re aplete moron."


    "You!!"


    "Danny, enough." At that moment, the girl spoke as she lifted her finger. "He is right. This has been a mistake on my part."


    "Huh? You don''t have to listen to him! He is just bbering nonsense."


    "No, I should''ve been clear with what you should do in case you couldn''t find enough potions." Then, with a simple move, she jumped from the branch andnded gracefully on the ground.


    That was when Arthur noticed the armor she was wearing. It was by no means extravagant, but it was still slick and beautiful, entuating her ridiculously good looks. Then, she walked slowly toward Arthur.


    "To that, I want to apologize for any inconvenience my group has given you. They might be hot-blooded sometimes, but they aren''t bad people." She said.


    "..." Arthur blinked before he nodded his head. "It''s fine. I also overdid it a little. I''m d I didn''t kill them by mistake, hahaha." Heughed awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his head.


    The girl stared at him with a nk expression. "Now that I think about it. How were you able to defeat them all on your own? I don''t like to brag, but they''re top-notch yers."


    "Eh¡­" Arthur looked away. "It''s not your problem. Anyway, since this matter is settled, I will excuse myself." He then turned around to make a quick and tactical escape. ''I can''t let her ask me about anything else or she would definitely realize who I am. She must be an extremely high yer.''


    Arthur felt like he would easily fall for her questions if they spoke long enough so he decided to save himself before he blunders. However, he soon realized that his escape wasn''t going to be easy.


    "Wait, can I at least know your name?"


    "Hm?" Arthur looked back at her. "No. I don''t like talking to strangers. I have severe social anxiety. Bye."


    Then, he quickly dashed away before she could even say anything else. ''Good, I made a run for it! She would''ve got more information out of me if I stayed another second there.'' Gulping down a mouthful of saliva, Arthurughed to himself as he crossed through the thick bush, going deeper into the forest.


    ''Now that I think about it, I didn''t see her name.'' He thought to himself.


    Meanwhile, back where the other group was, the girl stood there as she looked at where Arthur vanished with a nk expression. Nobody knew what was going through her head at that moment.


    "Leader¡­ I''m really sorry¡­" Danny approached her with an ashamed look on his face. "Because of me, you had to apologize to that bastard. I should''ve not done that!"


    The guilt he felt at that moment was very deep, mainly because he wished to be useful to her and to have her back when she needed him. But, instead, he made her bow her head to someone who didn''t deserve it. In fact, nobody truly deserved her bowing her head or apologizing.


    "Don''t mention it. It was my responsibility to be clear." She replied coldly as she turned around. "Thank your luck that you didn''t die."


    Danny looked at her with an amazed look for a second. Then, he said. "Did you see the entire fight?"


    "..." The girl didn''t reply. However, he took that as her saying ''yes''.


    "... Do you think that he''s¡­?" Danny didn''t even need to finish his words for her to understand what he was trying to imply. After all, it was as obvious as day to both of them and even to the other two.


    "Could be." She replied. "I can''t say for sure. But¡­ What he did is something I don''t think I can do and that can only lead to one thing."


    Her tone made Danny frown visibly as he quickly looked at the spot where Arthur vanished. "To think that he''s¡­ Of all people¡­"


    For some reason, this realization made his loss even more bitter and painful. It was truly a horrible day for him on all fronts.


    ***


    For the next several hours, Arthur roamed the entire forest, fighting monsters and collecting items everywhere he went. Sadly, he wasn''t able to find anything truly interesting the entire time and there were multiple reasons for that.


    The first obvious one was that yers were already reaching these areas and discovering them. This particr part of the forest wasn''t that deep so they were able to go there and be able to stay alive. The second reason was that Arthur didn''t go deep enough to actually find more mysterious stuff.


    However, even with all of that, he was still certain that the forest hid a lot of secrets everywhere and people were finding them every single moment.


    It was simply not his lucky day that day.


    "Ugh, nothing! Nothing! I found nothing!" Sitting near a tree, he watched the sunset with a sour look on his face. Arthur''s mood was foul after a long hunting trip that ended up being merely a hunting trip.


    ''Tsk, I know that I shouldn''t expect to find new stuff every single time. Still, I want to explore more and this is getting quite addicting.'' He thought to himself as he opened the map.


    "On the brighter side, I was able to expand my map a lot. It looks quite amazing now." He muttered as he examined the details present in it. He had easily tripled the area his map had shown before which was going to be very useful in the future.


    "I also gathered a lot of items, and even leveled up twice." He muttered. "I guess it wasn''t too bad in the end." He sighed as he closed his map, stood up and dusted his armor.


    Then, inhaled a long breath and opened the settings to log out. "It should be veryte at night now or even early in the morning. They said we have to get ready for today so I should stop for now."


    Saying that, Arthur logged out of the game and left the capsule. As he expected, it was around 4 AM at the time.


    "Hmm, I''m not really feeling tired. Should I eat ate-night dinner and then go to sleep?" He asked himself as he stood there near the window. The outside was surprisingly well-lit up.


    Up the mountain, the institution looked like a beautiful beacon of light that shined upon the entire ind. It was a mesmerizing sight to look at. For a while, Arthur admired the scenery silently as he rested his arms on the window frame.


    It was certainly a beautiful moment of rxation that he hadn''t had in a while. That moment also gave him a very good idea that made him smile widely.


    "Or¡­ Better than wasting time sleeping. How about I start¡­ training?"

 Chapter 59: Chapter 59- The Result Of Stupidity

    The idea didn''te to Arthur out of nowhere as it had been in the back of his mind even before he started ying DO. Because of his short stature and weak build, he struggled a lot and had contemted trying to start exercising before.


    But, the problem he immediately faced was time. Arthur didn''t have any time to actually do that as his entire day was spent either working or studying or at school. By the time he finishes all of that and eats dinner, he is beyond exhausted.


    He wasn''t able to integrate exercise into his daily life so he simply forgot about it. However, now that his life had changedpletely and his previous struggles were not a problem anymore to him, the idea of training came back again.


    ''Though, would training be useful considering that my body is getting stronger on its own?'' He thought to himself.


    So far, Arthur''s body has been getting stronger constantly as he has yed the game and he was noticing that change in real-time even after a few days of ying the game. That naturally made him wonder if he would even be doing the right thing if he tried to train and improve his physical abilities apart from the serum''s effect.


    "Hmm, I mean, technically, if I train, that would still help my improvement in some way, no?" Rubbing his chin he walked to his closet and picked some clothes he deemed good for training.


    "They even got my sizes right¡­ How the hell¡­?" Looking at himself in the mirror, Arthur asked himself. "At this point, I should probably just assume that they know everything about me."


    With a sigh, Arthur turned around and walked to the living room. There, he stood for a while thinking about what he should do while stretching and doing some light movement.


    "I should probably just start with something casual like push-ups and stuff. I would''ve wanted to go out for a jog or to one of the gyms, but that isn''t avable for now." He muttered as he finally started training.


    He first did some push-ups to gauge his limit and how far he improved using the serum only. He did notice how his body felt stronger and faster than before. Even his senses became sharper and better. However, how much did he exactly improve was still something he didn''t know.


    "Hmm, ok, let''s start with 20 push-ups." He muttered as he went down and started the exercise. The very first thing he noticed was that his body felt lighter than before. He could easily go up and down without any problems and no pain in his muscles.


    In a matter of seconds, he was able to do 10 as if it was nothing. The same was true for the next five pushups. He didn''t find any difort or trouble going down to the ground and up again.


    "Goddamn, I couldn''t even do 10 without struggling for my dear life before. Now, I think I can go way beyond 20." With an excited look on his face, Arthur quickly continued doing the repetitions.


    He reached 20, then 25, then 30 and he was still able to push even further. By the time he found himself unable to continue anymore and his muscles were getting really sore was around 42 push-ups.


    "Ugh,e on¡­ One more¡­" Clenching his teeth powerfully, Arthur pushed for another one before he finally couldn''t continue and fell to the ground tiredly. He heaved up and down as he rested there. However, a wide smile could be seen on his face.


    "Hahaha¡­ This is amazing¡­ Only a few days of ying and I''m already four times stronger than before." He muttered in shock. While he knew that mere push-ups could never truly give him an urate estimate of how stronger he became, it still showed him that the effect was indeed real and he was indeed improving.


    ''I''m living the dream¡­'' He thought to himself as he finally stood up with a grunt.


    "But, this is only the beginning. Time to actually push myself a little." He said as he rolled his sleeves. "I''m going wild!"


    ***


    A few hourster, Arthur was motionless lying in the bathtub. He looked like a dead corpse. The sound of the birds whistling outside as the sun rose to the sky, announcing the start of the day. The noises echoed in his ears as he stared at the ceiling dazedly.


    "... I can''t¡­ move my body¡­" He muttered with a painful groan. "I think¡­ I overdid it¡­"


    The pain he was feeling at that moment was real and almost unbearable and the reason for that was the stuff Arthur had done. For several hours after he began training, he did every single exercise he could think of that didn''t involve weights.


    He turned into aplete maniac that didn''t want to stop. He didn''t know why, but the excitement he felt when he saw his improvement made him want to elerate it even more. He just wanted to be way stronger now that he had received a taste of that power.


    Even when his body was already beyond exhausted after two hours of continuous and rigorous training, he still continued past that. He was able to stop only when his body was genuinely unable to move anymore.


    The pain that followed that was as he expected, brutal. Laying in the tub, he couldn''t even do anything.


    "I should''ve not¡­ Done that¡­" He muttered as he lifted his head up. "My muscles feel like chicken noodle soup with extra spiciness."


    Even when he lifted his hand a little, he saw it starting to shake uncontrobly. It was almost funny to watch.


    He had been like that for the past 30 minutes.


    "I need¡­ to leave the bathtub¡­ Or I might get a heat stroke¡­" With pursed lips, Arthur tried to force himself out of the bath only to end up on the ground.


    "Hnng! Come on!" Luckily he found some support to make him stand up. His legs wobbled a lot and he almost fell again but he still forced himself into the shower. After that, for the next 20 minutes, he struggled to shower and wear his clothes properly.


    By the time he was finished, he had exhausted all his efforts and simplyid on the ground to catch his breath.


    "Note to my future self¡­ Never do this again! I have almost killed myself!" He yelled as he rolled around like a sausage.


    At that moment, he heard a knock on the door. His face froze immediately. "I forgot about¡­ Goddamit¡­ Not now!"


    Because of his pain, Arthur forget that he was expected to receive some things from the academy today. The knock on the door was naturally rted to that. Sucking in a deep breath, Arthur forced himself to stand up again.


    "I need a cane¡­ I need help!" With all his will, he dragged his exhausted body to the door and opened it.


    There, he saw a familiar face.


    "Good morning, Mr Arthur! How are you tod-" The woman froze mid-sentence as she noticed Arthur''s weird behavior.


    *Wobble*


    "Good morning¡­ Selia¡­ I''m, as you can see¡­ doing great." He muttered as he held into the door for dear life.


    *Wobble*


    "Hm? Are you really ok?" She asked worriedly.


    "Yeah, I''m really fine¡­ I was training." Heughed awkwardly. "Anyway, pleasee in." He said.


    "... Thank you for your invitation but, I just came here to hand you your required items for the start of the new year." She said as she picked up a small package and handed it to him. "There is a manual with all the information you need to know in there so please read it carefully. You also have permission to explore the academy city now. Have a nice day!"


    Then, before Arthur could say anything, she walked away.


    Arthur was still stunned as he looked at the package and then at his empty doorstep where the woman was standing.


    "... I guess she was in a hurry." He muttered as he slowly closed the door behind him and tried to walk back to his bedroom.


    "Woah!" Before he could even move, he stumbled forward and fell on his face. Luckily, before impact, he was able to protect the package. Heid there for a few seconds.


    "I hate this."


    A//N: Thanks for reading!

 Chapter 60: Chapter 60- BlueLink (Part 1)

    After much struggle, Arthur finally reached his bedroom as he fell on the bed with a tired look on his face. He couldn''t believe that it took him this long to actually make it back there.


    "This is so dumb. How am I even this tired?! Make it make sense." He cursed as he finally looked at the package and then brought it next to him. "Ok, let''s see what she gave me."


    The package was considerably big and made out of what seemed to be fortified ss and metal. It didn''t have any actual decorations or aesthetic additions except for the logo of Divinity Corp on top and on the side of it.


    With a curious look, Arthur tried to shake it slightly but couldn''t hear anything inside. So, instead, he decided to open it.


    "Is that a button on the side?" He muttered when he noticed the small protrusion right beneath the second logo. Carefully, he tapped on it.


    Almost immediately, he noticed that the logo had started shining with a blue light. Then, steam came out from the inside of the box as the lid started lifting up slowly, revealing what was inside.


    "... Unnecessary but cool," Arthurmented with a weird expression. "Ok, let''s see what we have here."


    The interior of the box was covered in soft, high-quality cushioning that spliced the box into several different slots. The part at the very top had some clothes in them.


    "Wait, is that what I think it is?!" The boy eximed as he quickly picked the clothes up only to realize that he was right. "It''s the uniform!"


    The uniform wasposed of a pair of blue pants and a blue blouse with the logo of the game on the left chest. Surprisingly, with theck of different colors, it didn''t appear weird or funny and instead seemed quite elegant and simple.


    "I like the approach they took to the style. It looks really nice." Without wasting a moment, Arthur wore the clothes to see how they looked on him.


    Then, he stood in front of the mirror to see how it looked. As he expected, it fit him perfectly well. He felt like apletely different person wearing these clothes.


    "They''re also really light and very easy to move in. I feel weirdlyfortable in them." Moving his arms and legs a little, he realized that the uniform was quite stretchy which helped with movement. "I wonder what kind of fabric they used to make it. It doesn''t seem like a normal fabric at all."


    Arthur had never worn anything that had the same properties as this uniform and he couldn''t recognize it either. ''This is definitely perfect though. I don''t think it could''ve been any better. Compared to the usual uniforms I have to wear, the difference is huge.''


    Laughing to himself, Arthur looked at the box again only to notice that there was also a pair of white shoes that were a part of the uniform. Picking them up, he noticed that they were made out of uniquely smooth yet robust leather.


    Putting them on, they felt veryfortable and yet alsotched into his feet very well. "I can definitely run in these and not feel any difference from jogging shoes." He muttered. "I''m pretty sure they had put in mind physical training when they made these as they seem to be perfect for that too."


    Rubbing his neck, Arthur admired his looks in the mirror onest time before he sat down again to continue looking through the box. The third item he found was a smartphone.


    "Oh, I forgot about the smartphone." He muttered as he picked it up and examined it. The device was as expected very futuristic yet still had the same general appearance as a high-end phone that he was familiar with.


    On the back, it had three cameras and the logo in the middle while in the front, it was a massive touch screen with three buttons on the side. When he turned it on, he heard a robotic voice speak.


    "Wee to BlueLink, please continue registration to activate the phone. Put your thumb on the signaled spot on the screen."


    "BlueLink? What an interesting name. Hmm, ok, that''s where I put my thumb." The moment he tapped on the spot, the screen showed a loading bar as if the phone was reading his fingerprint.


    A few secondster, it finished the analysis before it made a ringing sound.


    "Identificationpleted. Wee, Student Arthur." The voice said as the screen finally turned on.


    The lock screen looked very normal if Arthur ignored the amazing quality the screen showed.


    "Is this 4K resolution or am I hallucinating?" Rubbing his eyes, he looked at the screen again with a surprised expression. "I don''t think 4K screens even exist in modern phones yet. This is insane."


    The phone had already shown that it was ahead by miles in terms of technology before Arthur even opened it.


    Shaking his head, he finally put his finger on the screen again and the device was unlocked. Immediately, he was met with several apps on the phone. There was the standard, ''Contacts'', ''Phone'', ''Gallery'', ''Camera'', and the such. Then, there are the more eye-catching ones.


    "Hmm, Profile?" The first one that caught his attention was the ''Profile'' app. "Is this just my profile with all my information?"


    The idea, as weird as it was, wasn''tpletely foreign to Arthur. ''I had seen it before in fictional stories but in reality? Never.''


    With that in mind, Arthur tapped on it. The moment the app opened, he saw a picture of himself.


    "Wait¡­ Is that the picture I took at the airport?" Arthur frowned as he looked closer. "Yeah, that''s definitely my tired-looking face from yesterday. So that''s why they took it, to use it for the profile."


    Shaking his head, Arthur looked beneath the picture. There, he saw his full name, the school year, then his ID number, and other information like height, and weight.


    "So far so good." He muttered as he reached thest one. "ss 1-A¡­ Wait, my ss has already been decided this early? That''s new. Usually, they tell me my ss on the first day." He rubbed his head confusedly.


    His first thought after that was naturally if this ss was considered good or bad. "Considering how much Divinity Corp likes rankings and hierarchy, I doubt they would use letters to indicate sses without an actual ranking involved in some way. In that case, I think 1-A is considered good."


    He didn''t know if it was the best, but Arthur was certain it was good or at least not bad. However, his problem wasn''t there, but in the potential ranking itself.


    "This sounds like a headache. If I''m in a good ss already, that means I will stand out like a sore thumb. Goddamit." Exhaling a long breath, he looked at the phone again. "My best bet is to hope that the ss is big enough that no individual will stand out unless they want to. Uh, who am I even kidding? I will still stand out either way." He facepalmed.


    Arthur knew that there would be 4000 students in total. He didn''t know how they divided these students but he was certain that the students belonging to the best ss were going to be the target of other students beneath them. Whether that targeting is positive or negative, however, was a whole different matter.


    "Sigh, oh well, I can''t do much about it now. We shall see how things will proceed soon enough." He muttered as he left the app.


    The second app he noticed was the ''Blue Crest Bank'' or ''BCB'' for short. As the name suggested, it showed his bank bnce. However, it didn''t show normal currency and instead, a different kind of currency called ''Blue Crest Credits''.


    "Wait, I already have 10000 of these? I guess that makes sense. I don''t think they want students to work part-time jobs here." Arthur muttered. "But, does it depend on how we perform academically and how much do we get every month?"


    Those questions struck Arthur rather quickly and couldn''t figure out the answer. However, surprisingly, the app had the answers. He tapped on a small question mark in the upper corner.


    There, he found several questions and their answers, listed below.


    Reading through them, he quickly figured out how this system worked. The credits were something every student gets every single month. Each one will get 10000 credits which they can use however they wish. The 10k is the bare minimum a student can get. But, if they perform well in the academy, they will get bonuses and other perks.


    He also could convert these credits into any real-world currency he wished to convert it to.


    But, thest part was by far the most interesting one of them all. So much so Arthur had to read it twice for it to finally sink in.


    "Breaking the rules added in the manual deducts credits and can potentially reduce the credits received each month. Breaking rules several times can lead to either theplete stoppage of credits or the loss of all perks umted before that. Any more than that and the student is at risk of being expelled."


    A//N: Thank you for reading!

 Chapter 61: Chapter 61- BlueLink (Part 2)

    The boy blinked in surprise as he wentpletely silent for a good few seconds. He had to contemte those words deeply again and again. After all, the weight they carried was heavy.


    He looked like he was confused yet also shocked by what he saw. In the end, he opened his mouth to say one single word.


    "... Interesting."


    The fact that breaking rules would deduct credit points made some sense. But, the fact that someone would actually lose all their credits sounded like a very brutal punishment. That meant that they had to live their lives on the Middle Ind with no ie whatsoever.


    "I mean they wouldn''t probably starve to death since they can eat at the cafeteria. But still, they can''t do anything else." He muttered. "I wonder what kind of offenses would lead to such a punishment."


    Arthur found himself even more curious about this manual mentioned in the app. He could already see that there was onest item in the box that still had not been touched. But, before looking at it, he decided to check the rest of the apps on the phone.


    Leaving the bank ount, he looked at the rest of the apps. There was an app for his school schedule, potential breaks, and other things rted to the timetable. There were the normal lessons that he was ustomed to like Math, literature, and the like. Then, there are new things like ''Martial Arts'', ''Swordsmanship'', ''Archery'', and other forms of fighting added to their schedule.


    "This is actually perfect. I''m finally going to get proper training to use my sword. This is huge!" He eximed with a smile. "Though, it seems I''m going to get extremely busy. This schedule is a little insane."


    Naturally, with the addition of several new things, the timetable waspletely filled. He didn''t know if it was going to be too exhausting or if he could even handle or bnce such a new lifestyle, but Arthur wasn''t scared at all.


    In fact, he felt quite excited to finally start the new school year in such a ce.


    "Oh well, I''m going to spend the entire night ying either way so I''m not missing out on anything." He muttered as he left the app and finally looked at thest one.


    "Ok, so this is the map. Good, I forgot about it for a moment." Opening the app, he was met with an extremely detailed construction of the middle ind in 2D and 3D with markers that showed his position and the locations of other ces. There was also a search bar to look for specific locations on the ind in case Arthur needed that.


    It looked quite thorough in its presentation which made Arthur less worried about getting lost in this gigantic ind. However, there was one particr function he noticed that caught his attention.


    "Wait, why is there a contact list in here? Hold on¡­" Tapping on it, Arthur quickly realized what it was. "Wait, I can point out the location of my friends on the map? This ispletely new!"


    Arthur had never seen such a thing before. It sounded like a bad idea at first when he thought about it. But, since it only allowed those you ept as friends on your BlueLink to know where you are, it shouldn''t be a huge problem.


    "Either way, I''m not adding anyone to my contact list. Screw them all." He shrugged as he finally put the phone away. "Good, with that done, let''s read this goddamn manual and see how I shouldn''t screw myself over and get expelled."


    The manual was as he expected, a ck book with the logo of the game on it. It looked quite massive and intimidating to read but he still opened it.


    The first page was simply a weing letter to him as a new student there and wishing him a great time. In the end, it was signed by someone but they didn''t add their name.


    "No name? Weird." Arthur rubbed the back of his head. "I mean, it''s clear this is some kind of higher-up in Divinity Corp. But, why no name?"


    What was worth mentioning was that nobody actually knew the identity of the higher-ups in the Divinity. They seemed to keep themselves away from the spotlight and simply have representatives that deal with the media. This was but another instance of that mystery. Naturally, nobody knew why they were doing that or how they even could do that.


    "Oh well, this isn''t really something I should care about. Ok, hmm, let''s see what the rules are."


    Then, for the next hour or so, Arthur continued reading the entire manual carefully. As he expected, the rest of the book was rules and pieces of information that each student is required to know.


    Most of it was things he already knew and was familiar with as they were a part of every normal institution. Things like respecting the teachers and the staff, not destroying any institution''s property, not doing anything illegal, and things like that.


    However, there were also things that weren''t normal at all. Things like ''Killing or harming students or staff is instant expulsion along with being handed to thew enforcement of the nearest nation. idental idents aren''t included.''


    "I guess since they are going to teach us how to actually fight, conflicts are bound to happen so they don''t want any victims or casualties," Arthurmented with a calm expression. "However, this one is a little weird."


    Looking at the one after that, he frowned. "''It is prohibited to leave the Academy City without permission. Leaving the city would lead to instant expulsion no matter the reason.''. Huh? Why is that? Is there something dangerous in the forest around the city?"


    What concerned Arthur was the tone they used. It felt quite harsher and colder than the rest of the rules before it. That made him question why they would be this worried about a student leaving the city on their own.


    "Uh, well, if they are this insistent on it then I won''t question it. I don''t have any reason to leave the city either way. I don''t like nature that much either way." He shrugged as he continued reading.


    The rest of the rules involve the attitude the students have to take toward the people around them and the lessons they are being taught. In a nutshell, they want the students to be disciplined, to always attend the lessons unless there is a clear reason why they couldn''t, and to simply treat everyone kindly. Exclusive content from m,v lem|p,yr


    "Uh, I doubt about thatst part. Most of these guys are spoiled and rich brats. Asking them to be nice is like asking a fly to give you some honey." Arthur rolled his eyes.


    He knew conflict and mistreatment was bound to happen between these students. He noticed that the rules didn''t mention a single time that students had to be equal in everything.


    Perhaps because Divinity knew that it was impossible to ask them to do that as they had the innate desire to control one another so they didn''t try to stop them and simply limited how much they could go to actually apply their control over one another.


    "It''s going to be a battle of control. Perhaps not a bloody or violent one, but it''s still going to be ugly." Arthur squinted his eyes as he muttered. "Oh well, I guess I should be ready to witness a chaotic war."


    A//N: Thanks for reading!

 Chapter 62: Chapter 62- You!

    After he finished reading the manual, Arthur put it on the table and finally stood up with a small groan.


    "Well, what should I do now?" He asked himself. "I can just spend the entire day ying the game. But, to be honest, I want to buy some stuff from the city beforehand. I won''t find that many opportunities to explore the city in the next few days."


    Arthur''s n for the rest of the week was to train and simply y DO the rest of the time non-stop. He didn''t want to fall behind everyone else especially this early on in the game where each level mattered and each point in any stat could decide who wins and who loses.


    He knew that in order for him to keep his number 1 status, he had to actually put in the work required. There was also something extremely important that will happen in a few days. ''I''m going to leave the vige soon and that journey might take me a very long time. I need to be very prepared for it.''


    So far, Arthur has seen many people starting their journey through the vastnds of the Divine Realm. Naturally, nobody had sessfully crossed the first step forest region yet. He intended to find a group of other yers and then leave since staying in that area was starting to be boring to him.


    "That settles it then." With a smile on his face, Arthur finally picked up his BlueLink and left his apartment. ''It''s nice that I can travel this light without the need to carry anything other than my device. I like this a lot.''


    He didn''t need a wallet, keys or anything else as his device reced them all. It was his key to his apartment, his wallet, and his map.


    Closing the door behind him, Arthur made sure that it was properly locked before he turned around and headed out of the building. On the way, the receptionist greeted him with a smile before he requested that Arthur put his device near the ss panel to register that he had exited the building at that time.


    He then told him that he needed to do this every time he came in or went out. It was a safety mechanism they put there to make sure all the students were there and nobody got in trouble.


    ''It''s like checking in and out of work. Very organized.'' Arthur mused as he stepped outside. Since it was morning, the weather was warm and sunny with the birds chirping happily on the trees.


    Looking around him, Arthur saw many students like him everywhere. Their numbers were surprisingly big.


    ''2000 students, huh? This is certainly looking like it.'' With pursed lips, Arthur started walking through the male dormitory area, heading to the exit.


    There, he was able to easily pass through the gate. Many other students were walking out too so the guards didn''t stop any of them and simply watched from the side.


    Stopping a few meters away from the gate, Arthur took in a deep breath of the fresh air before he smiled and started walking again. "Where should I go firs-"


    *Grumble*


    "... I guess I don''t even need to ask anymore."


    Arthur hadn''t eaten breakfast yet so he naturally felt hungry. Although, the past few days, he didn''t feel hungry as often as usual. He didn''t know if that was because he was too focused on the game and everything else happening around him or if that was some kind of effect from the Serum.


    Either way, Arthur wasn''t really consuming as much food as he used to which sounded quite weird when he thought about it.


    ''I hope I''m not turning into some kind of monster that doesn''t need to eat. I like food. Wouldn''t want to rece it with anything else.'' He frowned.


    Good food had always been something Arthur appreciated deeply. It was a form of entertainment just like anything else so he naturally liked it a lot.


    "This seems like a good ce to have breakfast." Looking through his map, he quickly pinpointed a random restaurant nearby.


    So, without hesitation, he headed there quickly. A few minutester, he found himself standing in front of the location. Just like everywhere else in this city, this restaurant looked very luxurious and beautiful.


    With an exterior wall made out of ss and a massive sign above, it didn''t seem like something Arthur would ever think about visiting in his life. After all, one meal here would''ve probably cost him a day of work or even more. Yet, here he was.


    ''It doesn''t seem to be too active. Let''s go inside.'' After much contemtion, he stepped inside the ce.


    There was some activity inside and some students had already taken spots to eat their breakfast like him. From what Arthur could see, not many actually knew each other on this ind. After all, they were all brought from different parts of the world. There were of course those who knew one another and they stuck together but the majority were trying to establish connections with new faces.


    ''Most of them are rich people so they are good at this kind of thing. I personally have zero interest and zero ability to be that sociable so I don''t care.'' He shrugged and walked to a random table and sat down before picking up the menu.


    "Hmm, there are a lot of options here. Many exotic foods too." Arthur muttered as he rubbed his chin. "It seems they have put in mind what each student might prefer."


    With how diverse the group of students here was, they had to ount for their preferred food and what they were ustomed to.


    *Gulp*


    "They all look delicious and they aren''t that expensive either¡­ The most expensive one is 50 credits."


    The prices surprisingly were very affordable with how much money Arthur was given. It was indeed logical for them to have the prices very lowpared to the amount of credits each student gets since most of them were ustomed to a luxurious lifestyle where money was never a problem.


    Robbing them of that privilege would end up backfiring on the Academy.


    "Hello sir, how can I help you today?" A few minutester, a waitress approached him with an inviting smile.


    "Can I have a cup of coffee with two sugar cubes, two chocte crepes, and an orange juice?" Arthur asked.


    "Of course. Is that everything?"


    "For now," Arthur replied.


    "Understood, please wait a moment."


    With that, thedy walked away to deliver his order. Meanwhile, Arthur sat there, looking outside the window and enjoying the cozy atmosphere of the restaurant.


    A few minutester, the waitress came back again with a te in her hand. She put Arthur''s order in front of him and the amazing smell of this meal hit his nose hard.


    ''Oh boy this is about to be the best meal I''ve ever had.''


    "Enjoy your meal!" She said.


    "Thank you, I''m going to!"


    With that, the waitress walked away to let Arthur eat his food. Thetter licked his lips before he picked up the fork and knife. What transpired after that was just the best time of Arthur''s life. He started wolfing down the food with excitement. As he expected, the food was simply amazing.


    ''This is by far the best breakfast I have ever eaten in my life. Hahaha! Num, num, so good!'' With his mouth full of food, he wanted to cry tears of happiness. ''This is the life I deserve. Hahahaha! Nothing can ruin my mood now!''


    As he wasughing to himself like that, Arthur didn''t notice that something had just happened in the restaurant.


    Almost all the students had gonepletely silent as someone walked into the restaurant. It was as if some kind of angel had descended upon the ce, illuminating the entire ce.


    "Oh my god¡­"


    Those who were eating stopped eating, and those who were talking wentpletely silent as they stared in shock. After all, when the most beautiful person they had ever seen walked in, they couldn''t simply pretend as if they didn''t see them.


    The appearance of this person was so stunning that it easily caught their attention without even trying. Nothing about this person felt real¡­ That was how gorgeous they were.


    "Who is that?"


    "Like hell do I know¡­ That girl is so beautiful¡­ Am I looking at an angel?"


    "... I''m going to talk to her." Original content from M-VL-em|p,yr


    "Are you insane?! Don''t you know who that is?!" One student heard the other talk and so he whispered to them.


    "Who is she?"


    "That''s I Goldsmith¡­ Her family owns the International Goldsmith Bank! They''re one of the richest families in the world!"


    "What?! That''s her?!" Hearing that, they almost choked on their own saliva. "I have never seen her before¡­ I didn''t know their daughter was this¡­ stunning."


    The small piece of information quickly spread out across the entire ce as people started whispering to one another. The admiration they had for the girl rose to new heights. What was before simply a mindless appreciation of her extreme beauty turned into shock and admiration because of her status too.


    Nobody hasn''t heard of the Goldsmith family as they were one of the most popr families in the world. Their name spread far and wide for their ownership of the Goldsmith International Bank which controlled an astronomical amount of money. They were the cream of the crop in terms of rich nobility.


    I passed through the ruckus as if she wasn''t bothered at all. Her expression was calm and collected, hiding all thoughts.


    "Are there any empty tables?" She approached one of the stunned waiters and asked coldly.


    Thetter was still seemingly in a daze, only to snap out of it when he realized that she was standing in front of him. He blushed furiously and quickly pointed at an empty table. "Of course, Miss."


    Looking around her, she nodded and then walked away. Passing beside other students, they were allpletely captivated by her as if she had cast some kind of spell on them.


    But, she didn''t care at all. After all, nobody here was worth her attention. Or that was what she assumed at first. Passing by one of the random seats, she noticed that one student didn''t seem to be looking at her and was rather shoving food into his mouth non-stop.


    She didn''t know why, but he stood out instantly to her for one reason or another. However, when he lifted his head up as he noticed her passing by, their eyes made contact for a moment, and they both froze in their ce.


    Their eyes widened at the same time as they wentpletely silent. Arthur''s mouth was still filled with food and his mouth.


    Arthur: "..."


    I: "..."


    A few seconds passed like that before Arthur finally snapped out of it and started chewing his food again before swallowing it. Then, he slowly looked down and pretended to start eating again.


    That was the signal that brought I back to reality.


    "You!"


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book before moving on!

 Chapter 63: Chapter 63- Request

    I eximed with a shocked tone as she stared at Arthur with wide eyes.


    "Shush!" Arthur quickly put his hand on his mouth, signaling for her to lower her voice. His eyes wandered to the people around him and quickly noticed them watching the interaction with curious looks.


    They noticed how I had stopped in front of his table and that naturally raised their curiosity.


    ''Goddamit, why the hell is this girl here?'' He cursed inwardly. Of all the people he expected to stumble upon now, I was thest person. She was also perhaps thest person he wished to meet after what happened yesterday. ''So she was on this ind too? Great! Perfect!


    I''m very lucky, aren''t I? Like what are the chances of this happening?''


    Arthur felt like fate was mocking him with how things had turned out.


    "..." I blinked a few times before she nodded her head. Then, walked past him and sat on the table right behind him with her back facing his back. The students were naturally confused for a few seconds.


    "Why did she stop near his table?"


    "Maybe he said something weird to her? The bastard!"


    "Well, she seemed to have moved on. What a weirdo."


    Hearing the mocking tone of the students, Arthur sighed as he picked up his cup of coffee and drank from it. ''Sigh, patience, Arthur. I need to be patient.''


    "I didn''t expect us to meet again this soon," I said in a quiet tone as she pretended as if she was reading the menu.


    "Me neither," Arthur replied.


    "Actually, I had a hunch that you might be here too. You didn''t look older or younger than me."


    "People told me I look younger than my age." Arthur continued eating as if nothing happened. At this point, he gave up trying to escape or pretend I wasn''t there.


    "They don''t have a keen eye."


    "Pfft, a weird way topliment yourself, but sure." Arthurughed slightly. Then, the two went silent for a while as if they didn''t know what to say. Eventually, I opened her mouth again.


    "So, can I know your name now or are you going to run away again?"


    "... I didn''t run away, Miss. That''s called a tactical retreat. It''s an essential part of all confrontations." Arthur clicked his tongue.


    "A tactical retreat requires a threat in the first ce. Was I a threat to you?"


    Arthur: "..."


    The boy opened his mouth before closing it again as if he didn''t know what to say. Then, he sighed and replied. "Well, you weren''t a threat. More like an annoying intruder if I have to be frank."


    "Oh, an annoying intruder?"


    "Yeah, no offense to you. But, you and your small group seem like too much trouble for my taste. I don''t mess with that."


    Arthur was beingpletely honest. The moment he came across the masked yer and the rest of the group, his senses went off. They seemed like the exact type of people that would bring him trouble. They didn''t necessarily seem like bad people, but they had that ''Main character'' aura that he could recognize easily.


    ''Especially this girl. She stands out like a sore thumb. No, more like a beacon of light in the darkness.'' He thought to himself.


    "That is the very first time someone told me that," I replied with an impressed look on her face.


    Don''t miss chapters on m v l e m p y r


    "You''re the one who asked." Arthur shrugged. "Anyway, I''m Arthur. Nice to meet you."


    "I. Nice to meet you too." She replied.


    "I hope this will be thest time we interact, I." He said as he finally finished his food and lifted his hand to call for the waitress.


    However, I spoke at that moment. "Can I ask onest question?"


    "What?" Arthur replied as he got ready to leave. However, her next words made himpletely freeze for a split second.


    "Are you hiding that you''re rank 1 because you don''t want the attention thates with it?"


    Arthur''s expression wentpletely nk. Meanwhile, I casually sipped her coffee.


    "What are you talking about?" Arthur sat down again. ''Shit, she caught on?''


    "It''s very obvious if you ask me. I have seen how you fight and I know that you''re stronger than me. So, naturally, that makes you Rank 1. Unless I made a mistake somewhere." She replied.


    "Wha-" Arthur was about to continue pretending that he didn''t know what she was saying. But, then, something clicked in his head when he heard her words. His face frowned visibly before he turned to look at I for the first time. The girl also looked at him silently.


    "You''re¡­ You''re Darkmoon?" He asked.


    "Nice to meet you again." She replied.


    "..." Arthur pursed his lips as he continued looking at her before he slowly turned around and sat again. "Well¡­ That makes a lot of sense, doesn''t it? You''re the strongest yer I met so far."


    "Same here." She replied.


    "... Wow, just wow." Arthurughed as he rubbed his face. "Yeah, this is some kind of joke for sure. I''m being pranked right now."


    "I''m sorry for discovering your little secret, Mr. Rank 1."


    "Sigh, are you going to reveal that piece of info?" He asked. At this point, Arthur realized that he had already been caught from the start and he had no chance of actually changing her mind. I seemed like an extremely clever individual and changing her mind was almost impossible.


    "Hmm, no, I won''t do that. I have no interest in spreading other people''s matters." She replied. "I just found myself curious when I realized that you might be the Rank 1. But, how did you do that?"


    "... I don''t know really. I''m just ying and having fun. I don''t know why I''m Rank 1. Honestly, it''s all too weird to me too." He replied.


    Arthur genuinely didn''t know how he ended up in the position he was in at that moment. He thought he was going to simply enjoy ying the game casually yet somehow, he ended up being the best yer in the world amongst hundreds of millions of other yers. It felt unreal even after he came to ept it.


    ''Some people definitely deserve it more than I do. But, good luck to them taking it from me. I''m not handing it over.'' He thought to himself.


    "Interesting," I muttered as she looked at the cup in front of her, deep in thought. "What is your goal in DO?"


    "Goal?"


    "Do you wish to achieve something? Perhaps something great."


    Her question was rather odd and the tone in which she asked was also odd. But, Arthur didn''t think much about it as he didn''t understand her at all.


    "No, not really. I''m just trying to have fun and change my life for the better. If I can do that, then I''m satisfied." He replied.


    For a moment, Arthur smiled peacefully. His dream for the future was very straightforward and even simplistic. Yet, it didn''t change at all. Even now when he could easily aim for something ''great'', he still didn''t wish to change himself.


    ''My wish will never change and I don''t want it to change either.'' He mused.


    Those words made I stop for a moment from sipping her coffee as she closed her eyes. Then, she said. "Can I call you ''Arthur, if you don''t mind?"


    "... Hm? Yeah, I don''t mind."


    "Well, Arthur, I''m going to request something from you. Meet me tonight at 7:00 PM at the entrance of the vige." She said as she stood up. "I think it might interest you."

 Chapter 64: Chapter 64- Accord (Part 1)

    "Huh?" Arthur raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"


    The way I was speaking made him even more curious about this ''Request'' she was talking about. After all, if it was rted to the game, then it was surely something worth checking out.


    ''Unless it isn''t something good for me then that''s a whole different matter.'' He squinted his eyes as he looked at the girl over his shoulder.


    "I cannot tell you here. But, it is something that would benefit both of us. I believe we can work it out." She replied.


    "..." The boy continued looking at her for a few seconds before he sighed. "Ok, I will meet you there then. But, it better be something worth my time."


    "Oh, it sure would be."


    As they were talking, the waitress approached Arthur with a smile and handed him the check before she pulled the electronic device so he could pay. The process was very simple as he only had to swipe his device over it and it would automatically pay the price.


    After that, he stood up to leave. But, before leaving, he looked at I and said. "It was a nice conversation. Have a nice day."


    "Likewise."


    Then, Arthur walked away with a calm expression as if this interaction hadn''t happened in the first ce. However, deep down, his head was filled with thoughts. Mainly about what this unexpected diversion in his n was going to lead to.


    ''That girl is dangerous¡­ Very dangerous.'' He thought to himself. ''I must not make her an enemy even if she doesn''t be an ally.''


    As weird as it was, Arthur felt like he understood I very well even though they barely talked. His senses told him that she was someone not to be messed with and that feeling rarelyes to Arthur even when dealing with dangerous people.


    Something about that girl, or something about how she spoke and carried herself felt¡­ Ethereal.


    ''That kind of presence is all trouble. Tsk, but what can I do? I''m a greedy bastard. If there is a chance I will get something good, then I''m doing that.''


    Unbeknownst to the boy, that choice he made at that moment was going to be the biggest catalyst to something that would happen in the far future. However, that was a story for another time.


    ***


    For the next few hours, Arthur continued moving around the city, buying stuff and visiting all the interesting ces he could see or find on the map. As he expected, the entire city was filled with all kinds of services, from cinemas to gyms and even sophisticated sports like Golf and Polo.


    With how many things there were, Arthur couldn''t stop at one ce for more than a few minutes before moving to the next one. He was having a lot of fun without realizing it and the thoughts from earlier vanished like mist.


    Eventually, it was afternoon so he went to another restaurant, and had some lunch before finally heading back to the dormitory with bags in his hands.


    ''I did buy some clothes, but I don''t know why. I already have clothes I brought with me and I''m going to be wearing mostly a uniform anyway. Oh well, this is my first time ever spur shopping.'' Heughed to himself as he walked into his room.


    "Sigh, that was a long trip." He muttered as he threw himself on the bed with a tired look. His muscles were still soar from the morning so it felt even more painful now to move.


    But, Arthur felt quite satisfied with what he did, except for the I situation.


    "How much time is left before I have to log in?" He looked at the clock which indicated that it was a little bit past 3 O''clock which meant that he had four hours left before the meeting.


    "I need to take a shower and then log in." He muttered as he stood up and quickly walked into the bathroom. He took a good shower before he got into the capsule.


    Logging in, Arthur quickly headed toward the town''s merchant where he sold all the items he gathered from hunting the previous night. After that, he bought some debuff potions from the potion maker.


    ''I don''t know if I''m going to need these. But, I won''t say no to some damage debuff cast on my enemies. Especially if there are too many of them.''


    Although that was the excuse he tried to say to himself, in reality, he knew exactly why he bought those potions and he couldn''t even deny it.


    After that, he headed straight toward the exit of the vige. There, he took a good spot where he could hide and watch what was happening. He had an hour or two to spare before the meeting but he didn''t have any intention to go out to hunt since that would take way more time.


    ''I have some meat jerky that I haven''t tried before. I actually never tried any food in this game before now that I think about it.'' Arthur thought to himself as he took afortable position and pulled out some of the items he bought.


    [Name: Horned Rabbit Jerky


    Rank: E


    Description: A dried piece of meat from a horned rabbit.


    Effect: Grants the user 5% extra agility for 5 seconds.]


    "Wow, very useful." He giggled as he took a bite from the jerky. Surprisingly, the taste wasn''t as bad as he expected. In fact, it had a pleasant salty taste to it that wasn''t too overpowering nor too mild.


    A perfect snack to spend time idling around.


    ''Well, while I''m here, I should check my profile and see what I should do.'' He thought to himself.


    Opening his profile, Arthur looked at his current stats.


    [Name: Arthur]


    [Gender: Male]


    [Level: 17]


    [Main ss: Blood Monarch (Locked) 2/10]


    [Rank: SSS]


    [Secondary sses: Battle Specialist]


    [Main Abilities: Blood Eater (Level 2)/ Blood w (Level 4)]


    [Secondary Abilities: Blood Arrows (Level 4)/ Soul Fear (level 1)/ Wretched Crawler''s Eye (Level 1)/ Lonesome Warrior''s Howl (Level 1)/ Mortal sh (Level 1)]


    [Stats:


    Health: 27


    Strength: 24


    Agility: 26


    Stamina: 20


    Mind: 24


    Presence: 25]


    [Bonus Points: 24]


    "Holy¡­ I have 24 extra points?! Since when?" Arthur blurted out with shock when he saw thest number. So far, he hadn''t paid that particr thing much attention as it wasn''t something he could use permanently.


    With each level he was getting, he was also getting 2 extra points and that kept stacking on its own for a while now. The result was 24 points that he hadn''t used yet.


    ''These could quite literally make me ridiculously strong.'' He thought to himself. ''I should probably use them now. Or maybe use some and leave some since I don''t know if I will ever need extra points in one particr stat.''


    After thinking about it for a moment, he decided to use 15 points and leave 9 points for emergency situations.


    ''Ok, how do I actually allocate them, though? What are my most important stats?''


    Looking at his profile again, Arthur quickly realized that this question was way harder to answer than he expected. ''I have a very bnced stat distribution. I don''t know what is even important anymore as I use them all.


    Arthur''s battle style required speed and overwhelming strength to overpower his enemies. If he can''t overpower them, the battle bes way harder than it could be since he has no actual fighting experience.


    ''Well, that logically means I need more agility and more strength, no?'' He rubbed his chin. ''I can definitely use some more Stamina though. Ugh! This is so annoying!''


    After much contemting and consideration, Arthur decided to go the safe way. He used 5 points on strength, 5 points on agility, and 5 points on stamina.


    ''This should be good enou-'' At that moment, he felt an overwhelming rush of strength wash over his body as if he had just absorbed an amazing amount of energy. His entire body shuddered in pleasure.


    "This feels exactly like killing a strong boss." He muttered with a small sigh. "Ok, I am prepared now. This is the best I can do for now. I don''t think I can get that stronger in the next few days."


    Arthur knew that with each level, getting stronger was bing harder and harder in such a low-level area. If he wanted to resume his rapid progress, he had to face harder enemies and that could only happen when he left the forest.


    Till that happened, he had to simply do whatever he could with what he had.


    With that, time slowly passed for Arthur as he simply rxed and enjoyed the nice weather of the vige. He watched yers walk in and out of the vige with all kinds of funny expressions on their faces. Those who had killed some monsters looked happy, while those who died or lost something were as sad as they could be.


    However, almost all of them had a passion for the game. He could see that they were having fun doing this just like he was.


    "That''s nice to see. People are really getting into Divinity Online and they''re only getting more into it with each passing day." He muttered with a smile on his face. "Hm?"


    At that moment, Arthur noticed someone among the many yers walking around. "There she is."


    Continue your journey with m.vl-em,py-r


    I stood right next to the gate with her back resting on the wooden wall as she seemingly waited for someone. Arthur slowly stood up and looked at her closely. "She''s alone."


    Watching her surroundings, Arthur didn''t notice anyone else with her. So, he decided to reveal himself.


    However, at that moment, he heard a loud yell.


    "It''s you!!"


    "Huh?"

 Chapter 65: Chapter 65- Accord (Part 2)

    On the other side of the street, a group of yers appeared out of nowhere and yelled loudly. Their eyes were looking at I with deep animosity.


    "We finally found you!" One of the yers yelled as they approached her. The rest of the yers noticed that and quickly moved out of the way. They seemed to recognize this particr group for some reason.


    "Now, what is happening here?" Arthur muttered as he crouched down again and watched carefully as the group surrounded I. "Did she get in trouble with some yers?"


    From what he can see, there was some kind of conflict going on. However, he didn''t know what it was.


    Although she waspletely surrounded, I didn''t seem that bothered as she stood there, humming quietly.


    "Hey, I''m talking to you, bitch!" One of the yers yelled with an angry tone. "We want our items back or you''re going to regret it greatly!"


    ''Oh, did she kill them?'' Arthur raised an eyebrow. ''That''s probably the case. That also exins why they''re angry.''


    The group looked like a typical, childish, teenage, click with horrible personalities. If Arthur had to take a wild guess, the conflict perhaps happened because they tried to hit on I and ended up regretting that decision very badly.


    However, Arthur knew that the game had some mechanisms implemented to stop yers from doing any heinous crimes toward other yers. Anyone who tries to do something without consent from the target will be permanently banned and their name will be registered and sent tow enforcement.


    Divinity took the risk of what could happen in the game very seriously since they knew the massive bacsh they might get if such a crime urred inside their game even once.


    "Are you sure about this?" Finally opening her eyes, I asked.


    "Don''t think what happened the first time will happen again. We''re far stronger now! We''ll make you regret ever doing that!"


    I calmly stared at the group as if she hadn''t heard any of their threats before she sighed and turned away. "Ok, follow me."


    Then, she started walking out of the vige into the forest. The group was stunned for a moment as if they didn''t expect this reaction. After all, they were now clearly outnumbering her, and weren''t as reckless as when they first tried to attack her.


    "What should we do?"


    "We need to get her, of course! I can''t wait to see that fucking fear in her eyes!"


    It didn''t take them long to decide on what to do as they quickly rushed after her. Their desire to get revenge was simply blinding their eyes.


    I walked casually as if she wasn''t in a rush as she was followed by the yers. Weirdly enough, her back was fully open and they could easily attack her whenever they wanted. But, none of them did, and they didn''t know why.


    It was clearly the perfect time to attack her yet their hearts and minds were telling them not to do that or they would regret it heavily. That feeling naturally hurt their pride as it can only be described as fear.


    That situation continued till they were far away from the vige. All noise quietened down as the sound of the gushing wind and the asional animal noises took over instead. That was when I finally stopped and turned to face the group.


    "Let''s hurry, I have an appointment." She said as lifted her hand up only for a sword to manifest in her palm. The sword was a magnificent purple in colour with a mix of ck in it that made it look almost ominous or evil. Its design was also sleek,plimenting its light yet robust nature.


    Putting it to the side, she unsheathed the sword slowly before pointing it at her targets with a cold expression. "Who''s first?"


    The yers'' faces slowly turned pale as they felt a crushing aura being exuded from I. Their hearts skipped a beat. Deep down, they felt like they weren''t the ones who had the advantage; instead, they felt like they were simply victims who fell into a trap and would never escape from it.


    "Get your weapons, idiots!" The first to snap out of it quickly alerted the rest of them. As horrified as they were, they still swallowed it down and quickly spread out.


    The tension immediately rose in the air as the two sides eyed one another. Then, in one moment, all the yers attacked her at the same time.


    "GET HER!!"


    "YOU''RE DONE!!"


    Their loud yells echoed in the entire forest as they swarmed I from all directions like rabid monsters. Some were using swords while others carried hammers, axes, or bows. However, even in such a clearly bad situation, I didn''t seem bothered at all.


    Instead, she simply moved her sword down and slowly stabbed it into the ground. Then, she put both hands on the handle as she bent down a little. Her beautiful lips opened slightly as she muttered two words.


    "Devourer of Worlds."


    The moment she uttered those words, the sword suddenly lit up with a bright purple light. That light quickly grew in size, taking over the area around it including I. But, like a gluttonous monster, it didn''t stop growing, quickly expanding meters away from the sword itself.


    In a quick second, it engulfed the other yers before they could even escape or react. Then, when it reached a certain limit, it stopped and along with it, things went quiet for a split moment before chaos erupted.


    I pushed the sword deeper into the ground and clenched her fists around it even tighter. That seemed to have triggered a reaction from the light as it suddenly retracted back toward her at an extremely rapid pace. Along with it, it pulled all the yers, the grass, and even the leaves that were in that domain.


    "WOAAAH!!"


    "What is happening?!"


    "Grab into something!!"


    All the yers fell to the ground as they were dragged toward I like ragdolls. Nobody can fight this sudden insane gravitational power. It was like a raging current was pulling them in non-stop.


    Some tried to dig their hands into the ground, but they were peeled off with ease and dragged into the mud. Eventually, they all ended up piling around I with their bodies tattered. The damage this attack had dealt was brutal, almost killing all of them in one shot.


    However, they were still alive somehow. That was when I finally pulled the sword out of the ground and exhaled a small breath. Her eyes were as calm and as cold as a beautiful clearke, reflecting the light around them.


    "W-What happened?"


    "She didn''t¡­ use that¡­ before¡­"


    As they struggled to even stand back up, I lifted her sword and stabbed the nearest one in the back. Then, she quickly moved from one to another, killing them swiftly.


    "Please, spare us!!"


    Discover adventure at m-vl-em-py-r


    "I''m sorry!! I didn''t want to do this!"


    "Help!!"


    Quickly, their cries turned into pleas and begging for I to spare them. The entire fight ended before it could even start. They couldn''t even swing their weapons at her and she had already defeated all of them. It was a nightmare.


    I looked at them coldly before she continued killing them one by one as if they were a bunch of flies. She didn''t care about their pleas. In a few seconds, all the yers died and their bodies vanished. Pulling her sword out of thest target, she swung it to the side to get rid of the blood and then sheathed it again.


    "Sigh¡­" She exhaled a small breath as she looked up. "Did you enjoy the show?" She asked as if she was talking to someone. However, her eyes weren''t looking at anyone. A few seconds passed like that before a voice replied.


    "You''re strong."


    I''s face rxed a little as she turned around, only to see Arthur standing there with aplicated expression on his face.


    "I will take that as apliment." She said.


    The boy shifted his gaze from I to the spots where the yers had died before he shook his head. "They should''ve known better. I was intending to give you a helping hand if I saw that you couldn''t handle them. But, I guess I was mistaken."


    "I don''t particrly ask for help when I''m squashing some ants."


    "Fair enough." Arthur shrugged as he walked toward her. "So, here I am. Right on time too." He said as he looked at the time in the settings. "What is it that you wanted to talk about?"


    "It''s very simple really so I will keep it short," I said. "I want you to join me, Arthur."


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book before moving on!

 Chapter 66: Chapter 66- Accord (Part 3)

    "Join you?" Arthur blinked in surprise. He didn''t expect to hear that at all.


    "I''m looking for strong people to join me. You are the best candidate I could find." She replied casually. "It could benefit you as much as it will benefit me."


    "Hold your horses, I. Aren''t you jumping a few steps?" Arthur lifted his hand in confusion. I was moving way too quickly for his taste so he had to stop her. "I barely know you. Why would you want me to join your group?"


    It didn''t make sense at all for I to request that from him. They had met yesterday and their meeting wasn''t even a friendly one as he almost killed her entire group. Yet, somehow, she was now asking him to join her. It sounded like a weird joke.


    "Jumping a few steps?" I tilted her to the side as if she didn''t understand what Arthur was saying. "I believe this is a very natural development."


    "No, no, we were strangers barely a day ago. Why would you think I am going to be a good addition to your group?" Arthur asked.


    "As I said, you are strong and I need strong people."


    "For what?" Arthur asked.


    "Well¡­ Many reasons that I cannot disclose yet. But, it will be beneficial to you too as I''m seeking to get as strong as possible in DO. If we help each other, I believe we can progress faster."


    Both of them knew that Divinity Online pushed yers to make teams and guilds to tackle all kinds of challenges they mighte across in the game. Being alone while possible, was very disadvantageous. Still, Arthur''s n so far was to remain alone as he didn''t have any reason to join any group.


    He didn''t have friends or acquaintances that he could y with and he didn''t care much about that.


    Arthur took a moment to think about her words before he said. "I don''t believe that is that simple." He shook his head.


    "Why is that? I believe this is a pretty simple request."


    "No. Hmm, how should I phrase this not to sound obnoxious¡­" He rubbed the back of his head. "Let''s say that I might get in more trouble if I join your group than I will if I don''t."


    "What kind of trouble?"


    "Simply put, I can see that you and your group are a bunch of very talented people with high social status. That, in my dictionary, means trouble. I am a very simple person who wants to have some fun. I don''t want any trouble that isn''t worth my time."


    Arthur had kept himself lowkey his entire life. He understood that ever since he was born, he wasn''t destined for any greatness or higher cause. He was simply another person who would live and die and be forgotten soon after. On the other hand, I and her group looked like rich heirs to some renowned families in the world.


    They most definitely had enemies and opposers and if he involved himself with them long enough, he was bound to be a part of that melting pot of rivalry and hatred.


    ''Well, I am certainly doing something different now.'' He thought to himself as he looked up at I. That was when he realized that the girl was a little stunned from what he said.


    ''Shit, she must''ve gotten offended by what I said.'' He frowned. ''Oh well, I''m just being honest. I don''t sugarcoat.''


    Arthur was always honest with what he thought and expressed himself honestly whenever he could. He wasn''t someone who appreciated lies or deception unless there was a good reason for any of them. If this meant that he was going to face some negative reaction, then he was fine with it.


    However, what I said next wasn''t as he expected at all.


    "You did mention this before. But, why do you believe that I''m going to bring you trouble? I do not like to bring people into my own business."


    "Neither do I."


    "Then, there is no reason for you to feel threatened. I am not asking for you to follow me. I want some cooperation with mutual benefits." She exined. "You get what you want, and I get what I want."


    "Can I at least know what it is that I might help you do? Give me at least one example."


    "..." I pursed her lips as if she found his question hard to answer. "I cannot disclose that." Find hidden gems at m-vl-em-pyr


    "Then, I cannot help you. I might like exploring new things, but I''m not that stupid." He shrugged as he turned around to leave. "I turn down your offer. Thanks for asking me, though. I appreciate it."


    Then, he started walking away without looking back at all. Although his mind was clear, Arthur still felt weirdly off when he turned her down. Perhaps something deep within him was trying to find good in what she offered. But, he couldn''t bring himself to just follow that without any proper exnation.


    ''Dammit, I hate when my curiosity tries to change my mind.'' He sighed inwardly as he tried to get those thoughts off his mind. ''This is the end of it. I don''t need to talk to her ag-''


    "Hold on a second." At that moment, the girl spoke again. Arthur stopped and looked back at her. "It''s trust that you are looking for, correct? I believe you want some kind of assurance that you won''t get harmed from such a cooperation?"


    "More or less," Arthur replied.


    "Then, how about a temporary coboration?"


    "A temporary coboration?" Arthur was immediately curious as to what she was saying.


    "Yes, my group and I are going to leave the vige tomorrow. We have already nned our destination which is the Last Empire''s nearest city, and then the capital. If you wish, you can join us and see for yourself if you can find any benefit in this."


    "..." Arthur squinted his eyes as he looked at her silently. "You''re leaving tomorrow?"


    "Yes. The trip might take weeks on foot so it should be long enough for you to make up your mind."


    I''s words made a lot of sense and surprisingly, they aligned perfectly with what Arthur was nning. He intended to leave the vige in the next few days, and he was trying to look for a group that he could leave with.


    I''s offer was exactly what he was looking for and to top it off, it didn''t add any weirdmitments to his time so after they reached their destination, he could freely move on his own.


    ''No matter how I look at it. She does have a point. I can definitely discern if they''re going to bring me trouble or not if I travel with them. If it doesn''t work, then I can try again whenever I can.'' He thought to himself.


    Rubbing his chin, Arthur patiently thought about it for a while as I waited for his response. However, he couldn''t find any massive downsides to epting the offer. It was mostly benefits.


    ''I mean, I can''t really ask for a better group to travel with since the number 2 yer in the world is in it along with extremely strong yers. If I can''t make it to the Last Empire with them, then I know damn well I''m never making it with any other group.'' Arthur thought to himself.


    If he had to go with random yers, he knew they would be more of a burden then they are a help. Finding strong yers who can keep up with him was the key point in increasing his chances.


    It was simply the best decision he could make. So, he lifted his head up and stared at I.


    "When are you leaving tomorrow?"


    His question made the girl''s eyes sh with a bright glint. Arthur could even swear he saw her lips arc for a split second.


    "By dawn. We are going to leave then."


    Arthur nodded his head before he turned around. "I will be there. But, I have one single request."


    "What is it?"


    "My way of doing things is very¡­ Unorthodox. So, I don''t think we can have any chemistry or teamwork until I can learn how things work. I hope you won''t mind that."


    While his tone sounded rather apologetic, Arthur was also giving her a warning that her idea of him might not be as good as she expected. After all, Arthur was far from the invincible, all-knowing monster that she might think he was.


    He was most definitely a monster, but a very lucky one.

 Chapter 67: Chapter 67- Miro’s Conviction (Part 1)

    After his conversation with I, Arthur headed back to the vige as he was thinking about what he heard. For some reason, he wasn''t as hesitant about doing this as he expected himself to be.


    He found himself quitefortable with the idea of cooperating with I and her group even if it was only for a short period of time.


    In reality, deep down, he felt quite happy that someone saw that much value in him. After living so long with no actual expectations from anyone, this was apletely new experience for him that he feared at first. The main trouble Arthur feared wascking what it takes to actually stand next to great figures or important people.


    ''Call it low self-esteem or whatever. I believe that is what helped me survive for so long. I have a weird ego that only shows up when I''m being disrespected. When I''m alone, I lose all of that for some reason.'' Heughed to himself.


    It was a very weird mix that even he didn''t understand yet he was able to live with it as much as he could.


    Stepping inside the vige, Arthur stopped for a moment to look around him. "Well, what should I do now? I wasn''t expecting to leave this soon." Rubbing the back of his head, Arthur tried to go through what he nned to do previously before this sudden change of ns.


    His initial idea was to simply continue exploring the rest of the forest and hunt monsters. Perhaps he could alsoe across something new in the forest that nobody discovered yet. He wanted to make more money so that he wouldn''t find himself in a pinch in the future.


    But, now that his time was cut short, he can only do the essential things. ''I need to buy supplies, potions, and food that can boost my stats in case we don''te across any.'' As he was remembering what he had to do, Arthur''s eyes suddenly widened as he recalled something far more important that almost slipped out of his mind.


    "Oh, wait! Scratch all of that. There is something I need to prioritize now." He muttered as he quickly turned toward one particr direction and started walking in a hurry.


    In a few minutes, he reached his destination. Looking at the sign, he smiled. "I haven''t been here in a few days."


    Arthur then walked inside as the doorbell rang. The interior was the same as a few days before. Nothing changed and nothing seemed out of ce. The ce didn''t have any new customers either.


    ''It''s weird that nobody discovered this ce yet. I expected them to find it very soon.'' He mused as he looked around him. With how good this shop was, Arthur was certain it would''ve been extremely popr amongst yers. Yet, the reality was very different.


    yers were only buying new abilities from the main shops in the heart of the vige. This one was still as abandoned as ever. However, he didn''t find that to be a problem as he liked the quiet atmosphere of this ce.


    "Meow!!"


    At that moment, Arthur heard a loud noiseing from the other side of the ce. Looking there, Arthur saw the same weird creature that weed him the first time he arrived there. The cat-like alien stared at him with what seemed to be an angry re as it opened its mouth wide, showing its sharp fangs.


    "Meow!!"


    "... H-Hey big guy. I''m sorry for intruding." Arthur spoke in a soft tone, trying not to anger the cat any further.


    "Meow!!" However, his words didn''t seem to calm the situation at all as the cat suddenly jumped down from the table and red daggers at him while moving forward slowly.


    ''This little shit is about to attack me, isn''t he?'' Arthur clenched his teeth as he stepped back slightly. "Come on, man. I did nothing. I''m just here to meet your owner." Arthur said with a frown.


    "Meow!!"


    "I''m not your enemy. Just rx, ok?"


    But, the cat ignored his pleas to stop this and suddenly rushed toward him with an angry growl. Embark on a quest with m,vl_em|p_yr


    However, at that moment, someone spoke from somewhere.


    "Ragdoll! Didn''t I say not to attack any new custom-" Emerging from the other room was none other than Nina. "Oh, Arthur? Wee!"


    The cat immediately stopped its charge and looked at Arthur for a moment. Then, it did something that Arthur couldn''t believe.


    "Tsk¡­"


    ''Wait, did this cat just click his tongue?! He just did! You little rascal!!'' Arthur almost snapped when he saw the little cat look down on him so condescendingly. But, he quickly took a deep breath and tried to keep hisposure. ''Rx, Arthur. It''s just a weird cat.


    His name is Ragdoll for god''s sake. I can''t really be angry.''


    Shaking his head, he finally turned to look at Nina. "Hey, Nina, been a few days."


    "Did you finally miss me and decided to visit?" She asked with a yful smile as she approached him.


    "Yeah, that''s exactly what I did." He replied jokingly as he shook her hand. "Well, actually, that''s not the full reason why I''m back."


    "Hm? Do you wish to buy another scroll?" She asked as she tilted her head to the side.


    "No, actually, I''m here because your grandfather told me to pay you a visit before leaving the vige."


    Nina''s eyes widened slightly. "Oh, you''re already leaving?"


    "Yes. I''m leaving tomorrow morning. He told me toe here before leaving since he wanted to ask something from me." He said.


    Arthur still didn''t know what that request was and why Nina''s grandfather wanted him to wait till right before leaving to tell him.


    As he contemted that, he didn''t notice the subtle change in Nina''s face, as if she had realized something. Then, she quickly returned to normal as if nothing happened.


    "Well, he is luckily here. Do you want me to bring him?"


    "If you can," Arthur replied.


    "Ok, wait a moment."


    Then, Nina turned around and left through the backdoor. Then, for the next several minutes, it waspletely quiet. Arthur waited patiently for Nina and her grandfather to return but it was taking a considerably long time.


    ''Is he busy or something?'' Walking around the ce aimlessly, Arthur felt confused as to why it was taking that long. ''Or maybe he changed his mind?''


    He didn''t know the answer and he was starting to grow a little uneasy. After all, he feared that he might miss something really good. A secret quest is a very rare thing in normal games and could be even rarer in Divinity Online since NPCs here are far more realistic than other NPCs.


    ''I don''t think you can even call them NPCs anymore. I''m dealing with people.'' He shrugged.


    At that moment, the door to the room opened and Nina walked in along with Miro. The old man had the same stoic expression on his face that Arthur was now familiar with. However, Arthur noticed that also had a weirdly serious look on her face that he had never seen before.


    She looked quite¡­ perturbed for one reason or another.


    "You''re back, child," Miro said as he sat down on the chair and sighed. "I didn''t expect you toe back so soon."


    "... What can I say? I like working fast." Arthur replied with a small smile to which the old man simply nodded. Then, he took a moment of silence as if he was gathering his thoughts.


    Arthur waited for the man to talk as whatever he was thinking about must''ve been so heavy that he had to actually consider every word he was about to say. A few momentster, he opened his mouth again.


    "Let me ask you one question beforehand, child."


    "What question?"


    "Do you believe in fate?" He asked as he looked at Arthur seriously.


    The boy blinked a few times. "Fate?"


    "Yes, do you believe in the predestined?"


    "... Uh, I cannot say I fully believe in it, no," Arthur replied. The answer wasn''t really 100% honest as Arthur had never really thought about it before. His life was miserably from the moment it began so if fate was indeed a thing, then it must''ve hated Arthur personally.


    "But, I think there is always something beyond what I or anyone else can perceive, so it could be possible that something is predestined to happen."


    Miro took a moment to absorb everything Arthur said as he nodded. "That''s¡­ good enough." He muttered as he finally stood up and slowly walked around the table. Stopping in front of Arthur, he did something that Arthur didn''t expect at all.


    He slowly sat on his knees and put his hands on his thighs before he bowed slightly. "I want to ask one thing from you, child¡­ We need your help." He said in a calm tone as he kept his head down. "Please." He added at the end.

 Chapter 68: Chapter 68- Miro’s Conviction (Part 2)

    Arthur''s eyes widened visibly as he looked at the prostrating man in front of him. This was by far thest thing he expected to see from Miro. The seemingly prideful and stoic man was now on his knees asking for help.


    It took him a few seconds to realize what just happened before he quickly snapped out of it. "Huh? Stand up. Why are you doing this?" Arthur asked hurriedly. "Please stand up. I don''t know how to deal with such a situation."


    Hearing that, Miro shook his head. "What I''m about to say is something too heavy. I am requesting something really hard from you."


    "What is it? Do you know anything about this, Nina?" Arthur turned to the woman. However, Nina simply averted her eyes as if she were ashamed.


    ''What the hell is going on here?'' The boy felt even more lost when he saw their expression.


    "Sigh, what I''m going to tell you now is a secret. It''s something that nobody should know and we kept it hidden for a long time now." Miro replied as he slowly stood up. "But, I believe you are the person that was mentioned to us. So, you should know."


    "..."


    "Child, when you look at both of us, what do you see?" Miro asked.


    "... What am I supposed to see? Just two normal people?" Arthur raised an eyebrow. He didn''t understand why Miro was asking him such a question out of nowhere and what it had to do with their current topic.


    "Well, I wouldn''t say we are normal people," Miro said as he turned to look at Nina as if he was giving her a signal to do something.


    The woman pursed her lips as if she was hesitant but she sighed before she put her hand slowly on her face. Her fingers tapped her forehead very gently but the result of that was not so simple.


    Upon contact, a weird shiny engraving appeared on her forehead. It looked like some kind of rune or shape that Arthur couldn''t recognize.


    Then, that blue light slowly grew in brightness till it almost blinded Arthurpletely. When he was able to open his eyes again, he saw somethingpletely different standing in front of him.


    In Nina''s position, he saw a creature that was a mix between a human and what seemed to be some kind of fox species. She stood on her legs like a human but had long pointy ears, a long furry red tail, and tattoo-like engravings across her entire body.


    The aura emitting from her yet, was so mesmerizing that it took his breath away. It felt like he was witnessing the birth of a divine creature right in front of his eyes.


    "... N-Nina?" He muttered in a daze. "Is that you?"


    The woman opened her eyes slowly, revealing a pair of beautiful red irises. She lookedpletely ethereal and he didn''t understand how that was even possible. While Nina was certainly beautiful before, her beauty had now gained a whole different side.


    "This our true form." She spoke. "If you didn''t figure it out yet; we aren''t really humans. We are actually. Me and my grandpae from a different race. ''Beastmen'' to be exact."


    "Beastmen¡­" Arthur muttered. "So, you two were hiding this fact from everyone in this vige?"


    "We arrived in this vige a few years ago. I have made sure we hid amongst humans. We couldn''t afford to let anyone know our true identity." Miro continued. "If they knew, they would''ve killed us."


    "What? Why would they kill you?"


    "Because we are considered enemies to humans. In fact, the reason we even arrived here was because that we were able to escape on our own from the clutches of humans far away from here. We were prisoners along with many of our people under humans." Miro''s face grew darker as if he was remembering some truly horrible stuff.


    "..." Arthur simply listened with a nk expression.


    "We have been under the mercy of humans for a very long time now. They treated us like inferior scum that shouldn''t even be alive. We were killed, abused, imprisoned, and turned into their ythings." The old man''s fists clenched as he tried to hold back his anger from resurfacing.


    Nina noticed that and tapped her grandfather''s back slightly as if she was trying to make him calm down.


    The old man gave her a nod of acknowledgment as he continued. "For decades, we have been trapped in that god-forsaken prison, not even allowed to see the light of day."


    "Prison?"


    "... The Abyssal Bastion. It is the biggest and most notorious prison in the Divine Realm. The Last Empire built that hell to put every single creature they deemed ''Criminal'' there to rot and die. It was said that those who enter through its doors never see the sun again and that was the case for us. I have lived my entire life there."


    "Wait, your entire life?! That means¡­" Arthur blurted out as he realized what Miro was insinuating.


    "Yes." The old man nodded. "I was born inside that ce and grew up there. Nina is the same."


    "For the first several decades of my life, I''ve only known the walls of that prison as my home. I didn''t even know an outside world existed."


    To say that Arthur was shocked was an understatement. He stared dazedly at the two people, unable to say a word. After all, after hearing such a thing, what could he truly say?


    These two have been born and raised their entire lives in a prison. He could never imagine how that felt. Not to mention the torture they went through. Even though this story was brief, the weight it left on his shoulders was heavy.


    "Then, how did you escape? Didn''t you say that nobody can escape it?"


    "That''s what we thought. But, that changed one night. Although we tried to escape countless times before, we never seeded. However, that particr night, our people took a different approach. Instead of trying to escape secretly, we decided to do a sacrifice. We decided to simply fight our way through the doors and run away.


    Our goal was for a few of us to find the way out and run away."


    "Wait, fight your way through? That sounds like¡­"


    "Suicide? It was. We knew that doing this was going to cost us countless lives and would make the lives of the rest even more miserable. But, we knew that this was better than staying there forever. We chose our freedom over our lives." Miro said. "We had a belief that if we can get even one single person out, we can have a chance."


    "... How?"


    Arthur didn''t understand how making one escape was going to save the rest. This sounded like something impossible to pull off.


    "Because we were taught from when we were children that one day, one individual was going to reach us in the depths of that hell and pull us all out of it. An individual who was chosen by the Supreme Entity to be our hero. We knew that if we can find that individual, we can get our people out and save them." Nina exined. "It''s a prophecy to our people.


    We knew that the time of their arrival wasn''t that far away either which is also the time when you ''Gifted'' were bound to arrive. Which meant that our chosen one is one of you."


    Then, she pointed at Arthur as if she was trying to prove her point. The boy blinked slowly as he tried to take everything in. "So, you two were able to escape and you ended up here because you knew the Gifted would arrive?"


    "Yes."


    "But, how are you going to know which one is the one you''re looking for?" Arthur asked. Read more tales on NovelFire-l-em,py-r


    "We didn''t know," Nina replied. "We simply had to find them with our guts. We didn''t even know if they would be in this particr vige. But, as my grandpa said, we had to believe that fate would bring us to that person."


    Miro and Nina then silently looked at Arthur without adding anything else. He felt confused for a second but then it slowly dawned on him.


    "Don''t tell me¡­"


    "Yes, we believe we have found the person we''re looking for," Miro said. "Arthur, I''m asking you to help our people. It''s a very dangerous and almost impossible task to infiltrate the Abyssal Bastion and leave it. But, if it is you, then it can happen. No, it will happen. So¡­ We ask you for our freedom and we will give you anything you wish for."


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 69: Chapter 69- Miro’s Conviction (Part 3)

    [Ding!]


    [Quest detected.]


    [Difficulty: Unknown


    Objective: Infiltrate the Abyssal Bastion and free all the Beastmen.


    Reward: Gain the loyalty of all Beastmen/ Unknown.


    Penalty: Death of all Beastmen.]


    [ept.][Refuse.]


    "..." Arthur saw the panel that appeared in front of him and he could only frown visibly. This was by far the most ominous notification he had received so far. Everything about it conveyed horrifying danger. Even the goddamn objective sounds brutal and unknown difficulty? What does that even mean? Is it so brutally hard that even the game couldn''t give it a proper difficulty level?''


    Arthur didn''t know if he was supposed to cry orugh at such a piece of information. Instead, he simply rubbed the back of his head as he fell into deep thought.


    ''What should you do, Arthur? I''m clearly nowhere near being ready to take on such a task. The rewards are bound to be insane. But, this also sounds like a dumb thing since I will probably die a thousand times before I can even make it inside once. I would lose all my progress.''


    Quickly, he realized that this a particrly powerful situation of ''Extremely High Risk, Extremely High Reward''. If Arthur could pull off such an insane feat, he was beyond to be to soar to a whole new level. But, if he failed, and that was the most probable situation, then he was going to lose a lot.


    A logical person would just ignore this and simply move on. There are a lot of other opportunities to get stronger. While they might not be as good as this one, they still have a far better sess rate.


    But, that was the important part, Arthur never deemed himself to be that logical. He used logic, but he never truly followed it all the time.


    ''Oh man, my insane side is acting up now. This isn''t funny, Arthur. Why am I even contemting this?'' Rubbing his face, he quickly realized that he was indeed not only contemting this offer but was leaning heavily toward epting it. ''I''m such a greedy bastard. I''m the greediest of them all! I put those rich billionaires to shame!''


    "One question, Miro." Arthur finally spoke after a long sigh. "Is your wish to simply save your people or are you seeking something else?"


    "..." The old man''s eyes widened slightly as he stared into Arthur''s cold ones.


    "You know what I''m talking about," Arthur added, making the old man''s lips purse as he tightened his fists.


    "I want those¡­ I want those who caused our torture to die¡­ I want to kill them all, one by one."


    His voice wavered as he spoke, but Arthur could feel the sheer hatred and anger Miro carried in his heart. The boy couldn''t truly fathom how he felt at that moment. He lived his entire life being tortured, then when he escaped, he had to sacrifice countless of his loved ones, only to have to live years hidden away from people waiting for someone to save them.


    The patience one should have to do this is iprehensible. Arthur knew he wouldn''t be able to handle it knowing that every single moment when he wasn''t trying to save his loved ones, they were being tortured, killed, or abused.


    Without realizing it, he started feeling deep sympathy for this man and for Nina. His eyes slowly wandered to the ''Penalty'' of failure in the quest.


    ''Death of all Beastmen¡­'' He frowned. ''You bastards¡­ This game really knows how to y on my feelings.''


    So far, Arthur had only interacted with two beastmen, and yet he had only received good things from them. They were kind and helpful and nothing about them was ''Beastly'' as someone would expect.


    "I tried to stop my grandpa from saying anything. I didn''t want to put such a huge weight on your shoulders when you barely knew us for a few days. You are a human so I understand if you don''t want to go against other humans." Nina said.


    "I already know that, girl. But, if I can give our people another chance, then I''m ready to prostrate in front of anyone and ask for help." Miro replied. "They have helped us escape for one reason. I can''t let them down anymore. They have waited for too long."


    Then, Miro turned to Arthur and continued. "I have waited for your arrival for years now. If you do refuse this, then that is all fine. I will try to get them out myself."


    "Grandpa?" Nina was taken aback by what her grandfather dered out of nowhere.


    "We have waited too long, Nina. It''s time to take action, whether we die doing it or not, I cannot spend the rest of my life not doing anything. I have been thinking about it for a while now, but I tried to keep myself from doing anything, hoping we would find the chosen one."


    "..." Nina lifted her hand to her mouth clearly shaking. She could see it in her grandfather''s eyes, he was being honest and a glimpse of death shed across his eyes. He was indeed ready to die.


    "I have wronged them for far too long, Nina. I can''t bear it anymore." Miro continued. "I will be damned to the day I die."


    The girl didn''t know what to say at that moment. She understood what he was insinuating when he mentioned ''them''.


    For a moment, she realized the pain her grandfather was living through. Nina couldn''t remember what happened that night very well, but her grandfather did and he never told her what he saw. However, she could see that it was truly something awful.


    Tears slowly welled up in her eyes. "Grandpa¡­ I''m sorry." She put her hand on his shoulder and gripped it tightly. "I''m really sorry. I didn''t notice that."


    She felt really horrible for not realizing the pain her grandfather lived with. She waspletely blind to it.


    "It isn''t your fault, child. You have done nothing wrong." The old man shook his head.


    "I will do it."


    At that moment, the two heard Arthur speak and turned to look at him. The boy had a serious look on his face. "I''m going to try and save your people. Though, I cannot really promise you anything since I don''t even know how I can do that."


    [Ding!]


    [Quest has been epted.]


    "... You''re going to help us?" Miro blinked.


    "You two have suffered a lot at the hands of humans yet you still treated me nicely. If I can truly do something, then I will try to do it. I don''t know about any chosen one or anything like that, but if you two believe that I can do it, then I will give it a try." He shrugged.


    Arthur knew that he wasn''t some kind of hero or leader to actually say ''I''m going to save to them''. He simply decided to give this a try. Mainly because he truly felt bad for these two.


    ''Besides, this sounds like something really fun. As hard as it may be. I wanted some exciting things. I doubt there could be anything more exciting than infiltrating a high-security prison and helping the prisoners escape. Hahaha, truly once in a lifetime experience.'' He thought to himself.


    Join the journey at m-vl-em-py-r


    "You better ready some good rewards for me when Ie back."

 Chapter 70: Chapter 70- The Journey Begins

    The two stared at Arthur nkly as if they were frozen in time. Their faces wereically stunned. After all, they didn''t think Arthur was going to say that, not because of how ridiculous their request was.


    "Arthur¡­ I¡­ Don''t know what to say." Nina said as she finally snapped out of her daze. Then, she rushed toward Arthur as she wrapped him in a tight hug. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"


    Her arms gripped him so tightly that he almost suffocated. However, the feeling was not bad at all.


    ''I don''t hate this.'' He thought to himself as he coughed slightly.


    "Well, I''m also doing it for myself so it ain''t totally some heroic decision I made right there." He said awkwardly.


    "Thank you so much." However, Nina didn''t care at all; she kept hugging him and fighting the tears that threatened to escape from her eyes. The happiness she felt at that moment was truly deep. "Even though we''re asking for something like this, you still epted. We cannot thank you enough. Isn''t that right, grandpa?"


    Turning to Miro, Nina noticed that the man still had a nk expression as if he still didn''t realize what happened.


    "Grandpa?"


    "I have no words to express my gratitude, child." He finally opened his mouth. "I had my doubts when I first met you. I felt something different exuding from you, but I wanted to deny it. I feared that I could be wrong and I would send an innocent person to their demise. But¡­"


    At that moment, the old man lifted his head, and a small, sad smile formed on his face. The smile, as pained as it was, still carried something special. Hope¡­ It was filled with hope.


    "Now I am certain¡­ You are the one we have been truly waiting for." He added.


    Arthur blinked in surprise before he smiled slightly. "I said I''m not that special, didn''t I? I''m just having my own fun."


    The old man nodded his head.


    "So, do you have any n in mind or any useful information that you might want to share with me? Since you guys have been inside the prison before, I need to know everything I need to know before going anywhere near that ce."


    "I have had a n for a while now. Since we expected to find you, we have kept in mind many details of the bastion. After all, we don''t want to let you do this alone. It is still our battle to take with the hero."


    "Oh, you want to infiltrate it with me?" Arthur asked.


    "Yes, we must provide any help we can to make this possible. We don''t expect to sit here and wait for a miracle."


    "That''s¡­ That makes sense." The boy rubbed the back of his head thoughtfully. He can understand why they didn''t want to just leave it to him. This was their problem after all and if they didn''t face it and at least help, then how could they stand before their own people after that?


    "Ok, sure. We can work together. But, where exactly is this bastion?" Arthur asked.


    "It is up north from the capital. To reach it, you have to ess a forbidden section of the capital that will lead you to where the bastion was built. That''s the only way in and the only way out."


    "Wait, the capital? So we have to go to the capital first?"


    ''Well, that''s very convenient.''


    "Yes. We have to go to the capital. But, we cannot take this on at the moment. You did mention leaving tomorrow, didn''t you?"


    "Yes."


    "That is fine. If you wish, we can set a date to meet in the capital. Me and Nina have to prepare ourselves." Miro replied. "We haven''t fought in years."


    "Hmm, a set date huh?"


    "Yes, we can then n our move, and how we are going to approach this. How about¡­ A month from now?"


    Arthur fell into deep thought when he heard the suggestion. ''A month? Hmm, that doesn''t sound too bad. In a month, I can definitely do a lot of stuff, and get way stronger if I y my cards right. Maybe that would make this a little more possible.''


    The boy was aware that at his current level, there was simply no way to tackle such an extremely difficult quest. However, a month of preparation was bound to make a difference. It also gave Arthur some room to explore the capital, gather information, and learn a lot of stuff.


    "Understood. A month it is."


    "That''s settled then. A month from now, by dawn, near the southern capital gate. We shall meet." Miro said as he stepped forward and extended his hand to Arthur. "We can never return such a favor, Arthur. But, you shall gain our loyalty to the end of time."


    The boy looked at Miro''s hand for a few moments before he nodded and took it with a smile.


    "Let''s just get them out of there and then we can talk about this." He said.


    ***


    After that, Arthur left the shop. Miro didn''t provide him with information since the two were going to meet in a month. He said that he needed to do some important stuff before actually moving forward. He also warned Arthur not to try and do anything reckless when he was there.


    From what he understood, the capital, while being the strongest and safest ce in the human territory, was still very dangerous for those who weren''t careful. It''s filled with extremely strong people and that was more than enough to create conflicts.


    Taking those pieces of advice in mind, Arthur decided to follow them. He knew that he was probably not going to avoid troublepletely, but he at least had a mental note that he could get into a very sticky situation if he acted like an idiot.


    ''Haha, it''s not like I''m going to actually do something stupid. I''m far better than that. It will just be a smooth sail till the time to start this goddamn quest arrives. Then, it might turn a little chaotic.'' He thought to himself.


    "Hnng, what a weird day." Stretching his limbs, Arthur looked up at the sky. It was already night in the game so the entire world around him was dark. "Well, what was nning to do? Oh right, buy some stuff. I still have several hours before the meeting so I should probably try to hunt some monsters."


    Realizing how busy he was going to get before the journey, Arthur quickly stopped cking and started moving toward his objectives. The time to idle around and take it easy is now over. What was ahead was far harder, and far more dangerous.


    This was but the start, and the moment he stepped out of this ce, the true test began. The test that would determine whether he was going to remain the number 1 yer, or if the other yers were going to reach and exceed him.


    ***


    Meanwhile, far away from where Arthur was. In and foreign to him and one that he had never seen before.


    Inside a massive man-made structure that loomed over the world with its high altitude. Its thick walls are made out of robust stone and pirs akin to mountains rooted into the ground. It was a behemoth that would strike fear into anyone''s heart.


    Even from the outside, one could hear loud noises, cries, and yells of an endless number of people.


    "GET HIM!!!!"


    "YEAAH!! KILL HIM!!!"


    The source of that noise was indeed arge crowd of people. However, their cries weren''t of despair, and more of excitement. A rabid, almost bestial excitement robbed of any humanity.


    They all sat around a massive arena where two silhouettes could be seen. One was a hideousrge monster akin to a lion, bear hybrid.


    "ROAR!"


    The other was a humanoid. A man with a rusty sword and a small wooden shield. Both opponents were engaging in a brutal battle. Blood was spewed everywhere and the two were heavily injured.


    However, they didn''t stop fighting. Under the crowds'' eyes, they were killing each other. But, this battle was clearly nearing its end.


    The two rushed toward each other at the same time. The monster threw its sharp ws forward to slice through the man, while the man simply swung his sword. Everything happened in a split second.


    *Ssh*


    By the time the crowd realized what happened, blood sshed everywhere like a fountain as the monster groaned loudly. Then, it fell to the ground motionless. Silence took over the entire arena for a second as if everyone was in deep shock before sheers erupted like an earthquake.


    There were so many people that the world did indeed shake with their cries. However, the man didn''t care as he stood there, heaving up and down as he tried to catch his breath.


    "AAAAAAND THE WINNER IS¡­ GINJO THE MONKEY!!!"


    "Hah¡­" Standing there, soaking in his own blood, the man listened to the announcer speaking his name.


    "... Curse you all¡­" He muttered under his breath.


    [End Of Volume 1]


    Volume Title: shy Beginnings


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 71: Chapter 71- Giant Horses

    For the rest of the night, Arthur went around, finishing all the possible tasks he could finish before the time to leave. He bought all the stuff he expected he might need. He wasn''t an expert in surviving in the wilderness, but he saw enough stuff on the inte to know some of the most important things.


    In the end, it cost him a lot of money to actually buy all of that but since he already had a good amount of money, it didn''t turn out badly at all.


    ''I can definitely earn all that money back with the monster drops I will get on the journey.'' He thought to himself. It was a well-wroth investment on his side that he will benefit from soon after.


    After that, Arthur left the vige and continued his exploration of the forest for the next several hours. He didn''t go too deep as he didn''t want to bete for the meeting. He kept hunting down monsters, experimenting with his new abilities.


    He tried to find ways to actually integrate these abilities into one another to create a chain ofbos he could use during fights. Arthur realized that simply using each ability on its own might not truly reveal their true potential.


    He had to actually make themplement each other so that he could have more versatility in his fighting style. However, that naturally was way easier said than done. There were several problems with his theory.


    To begin with, integrating totally different abilities into one single attack or a chain of attacks required a lot of focus and a lot of mana. He had to somehow be able to split his mind into two different entities so that each one could focus on one ability or another. Or, he had to somehow use an ability and at the same time prepare the next one so that he could activate it right after.


    Both were theoretically possible but almost impossible to implement that quickly. Arthur spent several hours trying to do that, and failed miserably. However, that didn''t dishearten him as he knew that he wouldn''t be able to simply do something like this so easily.


    This game was still a realistic world that required practice and hard work.


    ''This is actually a good way to spend my time when I''m not hunting. I have to actually start trying to learn how to evolve my fighting style. I can''t simply rely on pure strength or stats. That won''t cut it.''


    He knew that every single other yer was going to take that route as it was the most obvious and the easiest one. To be the best requires one to take the hardest route that leads to the best results and Arthur decided to do that.


    After exhausting himself in the forest for a long time, he finally sumbed to it and decided to stop.


    "Hah¡­ Hah¡­" Wiping the sweat off his face, Arthur looked around him. The forest was still dark with only the moon above shining upon him, revealing what Arthur had done the past several hours.


    The area where he was practicing had turned into aplete mess. Destroyed trees, and carved craters around him. It looked as if a brutal battle had ensued there. But, it was all the result of Arthur''s experimentation.


    "I think I overdid it a little." Heughed as he picked up his sword and turned around to leave. "What time is it no-"


    Opening his settings to check the time, Arthur''s breath halted when he saw the clock.


    "5:45?! Oh no! I''m going to bete!!"


    Realizing that he had been too focused on training that he forgot about the meeting. The dawn was in exactly 2 minutes and he was at least 10 minutes away from the vige. So, Arthur could only ignore his exhaustion and started running as fast as he could.


    ''Nice job, Arthur! Now, they would think I''m not punctual with my time!''


    Using every point of agility he had, he stormed through the forest like a sh. He had 31 points in agility so he was three times faster than a normal human. That could easily be seen as he was crossing dozens of meters in less than a second.


    His eyes took in the moving scenery around him, easily pinpointing every detail. His senses had also evolved as his stats started going up. There was no specific stat for them, but it seemed to be the result of his body growing stronger.


    So, even though he was moving very fast, he wasn''t at risk of hitting a tree or stumbling as he could easily see the path ahead of him.


    Some time passed before Arthur could see a glimpse of the vige. ''I''m close! Dammit! I''m going to be a minutete!'' He clenched his teeth as he tried to move even faster even though he was running as fast as he could.


    By the time he reached the gate of the vige, it was 5:48. The sun peeked from the horizon, illuminating the world around him.


    "Out of the way, idiots!!" Ahead, he saw a group of yers standing near the gate.


    "Huh?! Holy shit!!"


    The group innocently looked up only to see something truly terrifying. A person was moving toward them at the speed of a car. A trail of dust and dirt could be seen behind him. However, his scary face made it even more rming.


    "Stop!!!" Immediately, they jumped out of the way before he could smash into them. Luckily, they were in time to move away as Arthur shed through.


    "Hah, hah¡­" Upon stepping inside the vige, he glided on the ground to slowly reduce his speed to a halt. "Did I make it?"


    Looking around him, Arthur searched for I and her group. However, he couldn''t really see them.


    "Huh? Was I toote?" As his body quickly recovered from the exhaustion, Arthur stood there,pletely lost. ''Uh, maybe they''re a littlete. That''s fine too.''


    Arthur turned around to walk to a neabry seat, however, at that moment, he heard a sounding from a distance. Along with it, he heard gasps from other yers.


    "Hm?" Turning his head, Arthur saw something unexpected. A group of giant horse-like creatures were moving toward him. The creatures were at least two times the size of a normal horse with long horns and soft manes that moved against the wind.


    On these horses, he saw familiar faces.


    "He''s there." The group saw Arthur and quickly stopped their horses right near him. The boy was still a little stunned by this sudden development but he still opened his mouth.


    "Are these your means of transportation?" He asked as he pointed at the giant horses.


    I was standing at the far front near him so she replied. "We have bought them for this trip. These are very fast and strong. They can definitely take on a long journey with some proper care." She said as she tapped the head of the horse gently.


    "Well¡­ I didn''t¡­ Ehem, I didn''t buy a horse." He said awkwardly. ''She didn''t mention anything about horses! I didn''t even know these things are being sold.''

 Chapter 72: Chapter 72- Deep Into The Unknown (Part 1)

    "I have brought you one too," I replied as she pointed at one particr horse at the back that didn''t have any mounter.


    "Oh¡­ I appreciate that. How much for that horse? I will pay you back the sum." Arthur blinked as he pulled out his pouch of money. However, I shook her head.


    "No need, consider this a gift from me."


    "I can''t ept that. It must''ve been expensive." Arthur replied. Looking at these animals, it didn''t take a genius to figure out that they must''ve cost a lot of money to buy.


    "ept the gift. I believe this is a good way to establish our partnership." I insisted with a serious tone.


    "..." The boy pursed his lips as he tried to find words to turn her down. Arthur wasn''t a huge fan of gifts since he never received any in the first ce so he didn''t know how to ept one. Yet I didn''t seem to be backing down for some reason which put him in an awkward spot.


    "Ok, if you insist then. But, I don''t really know how to ride a horse." Arthur said as he approached the giant creature and gently tapped on its head.


    "Tsk, so useless."


    At that moment, he heard a grumbling whisper that made him look up. The one who made thatment was none other than Danny. Although the entire group was oddly silent, Danny was perhaps the most displeased out of them for some reason.


    "I''m sorry for not knowing how to ride a horse. Not everyone got daddy''s money to learn horsemanship." Arthur replied with a small smile.


    "What did you just-"


    "Enough, Danny. It''s not time for this childish behavior." I immediately intercepted the conversation before it went out of control.


    "Come on, Danny. We already agreed to this." Herculia tapped his friend on the shoulder.


    "I''m not with this at all! Why are we asking this bastard to join us? He will most definitely try to use us and then run away like a coward." Danny retorted angrily as he red at Arthur through the mask.


    Not only was he shocked when he heard that I had asked Arthur to join him, but he also felt very humiliated after that. The yer that beat him up with ease was now somehow a part of their group. He could never ept that.


    Herculia and Emmy were also displeased, but they weren''t as displeased as he was. After all, they knew that I had done that for a good reason. They needed all the power they would have to cross the forest and whatever lies beyond the forest.


    There was no better option than the best yer in the world currently. It was something that was truly worth swallowing their pride over. For the greater good and for their bigger goal, this was but a small sacrifice.


    "It''s I''s order," Emmy replied seriously. "If you wish to do something different, then go ahead. But, we won''t wait for you."


    "..." Hearing that, Danny clicked his tongue with a deep frown and turned away as if he didn''t wish to speak anymore. However, even his mask couldn''t hide his dark aura that was leaking out of his body.


    Meanwhile, Arthur simply jumped on top of the horse as if he wasn''t the one being talked about. He really didn''t care what they thought of him secretly. As long as they didn''t do anything stupid and simply did their job, he didn''t care if they liked or hated him. This was purely a business rtionship that will end as soon as both parties got what they wanted.


    "Riding a horse is way easier in this game, Arthur. Just grab into the reins and simply think of where you want him to move and he will do that." I exined as she approached him on her horse and showed him where to grab. Being that close, Arthur took a glimpse at her face for a moment.


    Somehow, this close, she looked even more stunning than she already did. Her long eyshes and her mesmerizing eyes looked even more beautiful up close.


    "Do you understand?" She turned to look at him.


    "... Yeah, this sounds simple enough." Arthur nodded as he grabbed the reins and did as she instructed. Surprisingly, it didn''t take him long to control the horse''s movement as it started moving around.


    It was as she exactly said. He didn''t need any technique or knowledge to make it move. He simply controlled it as if he was using a keyboard or a controller.


    "Good. Did you bring everything you need?" She asked him.


    "Yes, I''m perfectly ready." He said.


    I nodded her head before she turned to her friends. "As we have nned beforehand. This trip might take a very long time so we need to cross as much distance as possible in the first few days. We might end up needing to slow down somewhere so we have to avoid any hindrance at the start. Understood?"


    "Yes." Emmy replied.


    "Got it here." Herculia lifted his hand.


    However, Danny didn''t reply as if he didn''t hear her.


    "Danny?"


    "... I understand." He sighed as he nodded his head. However, he was definitely not happy at all.


    ''Damn, this guy really holds grudges. I''m sorry I beat you up that hard.'' Arthur mused as he adjusted his seat so he can be asfortable as possible.


    "Good. Let''s move then."


    With that, one by one, the group started leaving the vige. Their speed was moderate at first but they quickly picked up pace as they moved away from the vige. The sound of the horse hooves echoed in the area as they started running through the dirt road, only leaving clouds of dust behind them.


    Arthur looked over his shoulder at the vige. He had been in this ce for a few days now, but he felt as if he had spent months or years there. It was a very nice ce with a very calm ambience. He knew that it was meant to be that way since it was a beginner''s area, but he still wished he could spend some more time there.


    ''Well, this shouldn''t be thest time I see this ce. Mighte back here in the future to do some stuff.'' Arthur thought to himself.


    Although he had explored a massive chunk of the forest, there was still a lot to uncover from this ce. When he is done with what he wanted to do, he wanted to explore every single spot in this forest.


    Whatever lied in it might be something truly spectacr.


    "I didn''t say this beforehand, but¡­" At that moment, Arthur heard someone speaking to him. Looking to the side, he saw Emmy staring back at him. ''Wee to the team, uh¡­"


    "Arthur." The boy replied. "You can call me Arthur."


    "Emmy¡­ I''m Emmy." She replied with a nod.


    "Thank you for weing me. I hope we can get along." He smiled nicely. ''I don''t really care if we get along or not, though.''


    "..." The girl didn''t say anything else and simply turned away.


    "She''s a very shy girl by nature. Hahaha!" On his left side, Arthur heard Herculia''sughter. "Wee to the team, my friend. I''m Herculia."


    "Nice to meet you." The boy acknowledged him with a smile.


    "Hey, you bastard, I never said I''m shy. I simply had nothing else to say!" Emmy puffed her cheeks angrily.


    "Sure, sure. She''s actually just very shy." He whispered to Arthur.


    "I can still hear you! I will strangle you in your sleep!"


    "No, please spare me." Herculia pretended to be terrified as he lifted his hands up. However, by doing that, he lost control of the horse, almost making it trip and fall.


    "Woah!"


    "Pfft, hahaha, you get what you deserve! Karma is real!" Emmyughed.


    "..."


    Meanwhile, Arthur watched their interaction amusedly. He found it quite funny but also very wholesome. They didn''t sound as obnoxious as he expected them to be. In fact, so far, apart from Danny, the others were actually not bad people.


    ''I can''t really judge them yet. But, their rtionship definitely looks real.'' He thought to himself.


    Whether they were actually good people was still something that only time would tell. In the next several days, he will discover if he has ended up with a good group or a horrible group.


    Looking ahead of him into the distant horizon, Arthur closed his eyes for a moment. ''Whatever lies beyond this forest, here wee.''


    He had a feeling that this journey was going to be very special. What he was going to see beyond this forest was bound to be mystical.


    Next destination, The Last Empire.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 73: Chapter 73- Deep Into The Unknown (Part 2)

    The scenery shifted quickly around the group as they moved through the long, seemingly endless path. The horses were moving at enormous speeds, and yet it didn''t feel like they were making any progress.


    The forest looked the exact same so the sense of scale was only dawning on them with each passing minute. They knew that the Divine Realm was unfathomably big, so much so nobody could even imagine orprehend how big it was.


    The more terrifying fact was that all of this size was the areas people ''knew'' about. Nobody had discovered every single ce in the Divine Realm yet. As far as they''re concerned, it could be several times bigger in size than what they anticipated.


    ''This map is stupidly big.'' Arthur muttered as he opened his map to check their location. As they moved, the map slowly grew bigger and bigger, and yet it still felt insignificantly small. Sighing, he closed it again and looked ahead of him.


    The group was seemingly focused on the path. Each is in their own world, probably thinking about other things.


    ''They look really stressed for some reason.'' He rubbed the back of his head confusedly. ''Why I wonder.''


    Arthur knew that this trip was dangerous, but in the end, it was merely a game so they didn''t have to be that stressful.


    ''Wait, I''m stupid, aren''t I? They probably don''t see it as a mere game at all. It''s a huge investment that can get them an unfathomable amount of money once the conversion is avable.''


    Every rich family was eager to take a piece of this big pie or simply take the entire pie. Since the guild system and the money conversion system were still not open yet, everyone was gasping for every possible advantage they might get before the true war began.


    Once guilds are established, they will expand so quickly that perhaps the entire Divine Realm will be akin to a chessboard where they can y whatever they wish. Especially when Arthur knew that there were Divine Shards waiting for them to be discovered and acquired.


    These massive entities will fight tooth and nail to get them as that will entail insane profits and huge publicity. After all, this game had taken the world by storm and almost every single human on the had heard of it.


    ''And these kids are going to be right in the center of these massive conflicts.'' Arthur looked at I and her group. He could easily tell that they weren''t simply driven by a desire to have fun or to explore a new game but a far greater goal.


    They were driven by their families for the most part. The better they are in the game, the better their position in the real world will be once things are out of control.


    ''In a sense, that does exin why they are on the edge. Because any mistake could lose them a lot of progress when every single level and every single stat is important.'' Arthur mused. ''What a bunch of poor fools. I wish to never have to do that in my life.''


    As miserably as his life had been, Arthur was grateful for one thing and one thing only. His problems were never big enough to make him lose his mind. Sure, he had work, he had school and bills.


    But, those were things that he could handle and they were tailor-made to fit him exactly. He wasn''t fighting to be some kind of n leader and dominate an entire industry or rise with his family to the peak against equally-minded people.


    That was too much out of his scope and he was d it was.


    As he was like that, Arthur''s eyes suddenly opened as he sensed something. He lifted his head and looked in one particr direction. His face immediately turned serious.


    "Guys, I think we havepany." He said.


    *ROAR*


    A secondter, a massive creature emerged from the woods right in front of them. It was a massive silver bear with sharp long spikes on its back like a porcupine.


    "Herculia, Danny, Emmy, you know what to do."


    Almost immediately, the four yers went into formation as they spread across the entire road before taking different paths as if they had already trained on this.


    Arthur was a little lost at first, but he decided to ignore them and simply rushed toward the monster directly. Then, when he got close enough, he immediately stood up on top of the horse''s back.


    His body was able to easily bnce itself on top as his core strength was now far beyond anything normal.


    "Huh? WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" Danny yelled in shock when he saw the boy basically throwing himself into the monster''s ws.


    The creature was already shing down with its paw, aiming to crush Arthur with one hit. The others immediately stopped as they watched what was about to unfold.


    At the same time, Arthur snapped his fingers,unching all the arrows at the same time. The projectiles instantly reached the bear and hit it in several ces.


    That staggered the monster for a moment, a moment that was more than enough for Arthur to leap from his horse in the air, reaching several meters high.


    Arthur''s eyes glinted with a cold light as he pierced his sword forward, stabbing the monster right in the neck. Blood sshed everywhere followed by the loud howl of the bear as it started frantically throwing its body everywhere, trying to get Arthur off its body.


    The boy tried to quickly pull his sword out and escape, but he couldn''t dodge the rain of attacks from that close.


    *BANG*


    "AGH!" Feeling the crushing force of the monster''s paw on his back, he almost fell down on his head. But, he quickly grabbed the sword at thest possible second. His body swung around wildly as he felt his arm muscles almost breaking from the sheer power of the monster.  now


    "You''re a very problematic bastard!" Arthur clenched his teeth as he yanked his sword out and then jumped in the air.


    However, when he tried to retreat quickly, the monster suddenly did something unexpected. The spikes on its back suddenly stood up and before he knew it, a rain of projectiles flew toward him and everywhere else.


    "Hide!!!" Arthur yelled when he noticed the others approaching the battle.


    However, his call was a little toote as everyone''s position was simply too bad to actually hide again.


    ''Shit, they''re gonna hit them!'' As he quickly deflected the spikes with his sword. His agility was enough to move the sword against the projectiles. But, he wasn''t sure if the others could do that too.


    But, much to his surprise, what they did after that broke his expectations.


    "Emmy." With one single word from I, things suddenly shifted. A split secondter, four different transparent barriers appeared around everyone. At the same time, Herculia rushed forward like a raging beast as he lunged at the dying bear.


    His muscles expanded as he yelled. "Danny! Get him!"


    His friend had already started moving the moment he saw what happened. With swift motion, he sliced through the monster''s legs to stop it from trying to stand up again. As Herculia wrestled with it on the ground, the monster used every ounce of power left in it.


    At that moment, I stepped forward as she lifted her hand. In the palm of her hand, a small ball of purple energy manifested out of nowhere.


    The ball looked unassuming at first. But Arthur immediately felt a threat from it that he hadn''t felt from anything else in this game before. Something about that ball of energy was screaming ''danger''.


    Then, she casually threw it toward the monster''s head. The ball flew quietly toward its target as if it were a feather. But, the moment it made contact with it¡­


    *BOOOM*


    The monster''s head exploded everywhere. Brain matter and blood sshed on the ground all around them as the monster fell dead to the ground.


    "..." Arthur stared at the headless monster with an expressionless face for a second as he slowly stood up. ''Wow¡­ That was pretty quick. I guess I underestimated them a little too much.''


    The way the group handled the situation was perfect. Their teamwork and coordination easily finished the monster off without any damage taken.


    ''So this is what top yers can do, huh? I''m with a group that I can actually rely on when needed.''


    Sighing inwardly, Arthur looked at the notifications he received. Since the kill was shared between all of them, the experience points were also shared. However, since this particr bear was noticeably strong, the points weren''t too bad.


    ''I did the most damage so I guess I received the most points.'' He rubbed the back of his head.


    "You fucking moron!! What the hell was that?"


    However, at that moment, Arthur heard a loud yell.Looking up, he saw the masked yer Danny approaching him with a strong re on his face.


    ''Here we go again.'' Arthur rolled his eyes.

 Chapter 74: Chapter 74- Deep Into The Unknown (Part 3)

    Danny walked toward Arthur and stopped right in front of him. However, he didn''t immediately do anything physical and instead opened his mouth again.


    "You almost ruined that fight, you idiot!" He yelled angrily.


    "..." Arthur didn''t reply and simply stared at him silently.


    "We could easily handle that. But, your reckless move almost caused us problems!"


    "Hey, Danny, stop-" Emmy tried to stop him, but thetter immediately turned to look at her.


    "No, he needs to understand that he had messed up big time. Is this really the guy we''re supposed to get help from? If this is what he does in a simple fight like this one, then I don''t want to know what could happen when wee across something worse."


    When Danny saw Arthur''s reckless and direct assault, he was at first shocked, then impressed by what happened. After all, as simple as it looked, his approach was very hard. Not only because it required a lot of strength and agility, but also because he was able to easily deal a deadly blow to the bear in one single attack.


    He was certain that if that bear was left alone, it would''ve died a few secondster. That naturally made him feel even angrier. He felt bitter and salty and he couldn''t hide it.


    "Danny, en-" At that moment, I tried to stop her friend, but Arthur surprisingly lifted his hand as a signal for her to stop and let him speak.


    "Your name is Danny, right? Listen here, Danny. I have no reason to follow your orders or do what you want me to do. If you''re displeased with what I''m doing, then I simply do not care. I have already told your leader that I do things my way and she was fine with that. If you are dissatisfied with it, then I have nothing to say to you.


    Good luck dealing with it." Arthur replied coldly.


    In reality, Arthur understood where Danny wasing from. He was definitely a little reckless and could''ve caused some trouble for the others. But, if he didn''t approach him with insults and yelling, he would''ve taken it up.


    However, the moment Danny started being aggressive, Arthur lost all desire to own up to his mistake.


    "What?"


    "I said, deal with it. I do not really care. I can easily kill that monster and ten like it if I want. I don''t need your ''Teamwork'' to do stuff. Until we start understanding each other and start working as a team, refrain from starting these kinds of conversations with me or I will send you back to the vige quicker than your eyes could see." He said as he moved past Danny without looking back.


    Stopping in front of I, he said. "Now that I saw how you guys work, I must say that you are very impressive. I can definitely work with you. We could find a middle ground where our styles can merge well. My apologies for doing that." He said. He knew that saying this right after what he said to Danny was like adding salt to the injury, but that was his intention.


    "It is fine. I expected that. Still, that was very impressive. The bear would''ve died from that hit." She replied.


    "Haha, it''s really nothing. I still have a lot to learn." Arthurughed awkwardly as he turned to Herculia and Emmy. "I hope I didn''t put you two in too much of a difficult situation, did I?"


    "Hm, oh, it''s all good, my brother. That actually made it easier to tackle that monster and keep it pinned down." Herculia replied.


    "I was already anticipating the spikes so no problem on my side either." Emmy shook her head.


    "Ok, good. Well, you can take the remains of the monster, I will just¡­" Arthur looked at the blood eater notification and frowned. ''Should I use Blood Eater here or would that be stupid? Hmm, this shouldn''t be a problem. It''s not like this is an offensive ability or anything.''


    Although keeping his cards a secret was optimal, he knew that wouldn''t be worth it in the long run. If he came across strong monsters on their journey, not absorbing extra points from them would be a huge waste and an umtion of that would hinder his growth.


    ''Better they know than to lose on many points.'' He mused and tapped on the button. Immediately, all the blood inside the monster flew out toward him.


    "Huh?!"


    Naturally, he heard gasps of shock from the others as they watched him absorb all the blood. When the process finished, he exhaled a long breath.


    "..."


    Silence took over the entire ce as they all stared at Arthur as if he were some kind of alien.


    "What¡­ was that?" Herculia pointed up with a stunned look.


    "One of my abilities. I can absorb the blood of dead enemies to get extra stat points."


    "... An ability like that exists?" Emmy blurted out. "That sounds ridiculous."


    "Well, if I''m using it right in front of you, then I''m pretty sure it does exist." Arthur shrugged.


    "No, I mean¡­ This sounds stupid¡­" Emmy felt even more shocked when she thought about it. ''An ability like that would be a huge advantage. Each kill would be more beneficial to him than anyone else. I have never heard of anyone else owning such an ability. But¡­ If that''s the case, then it makes sense why he is growing so fast.''


    "Fuck¡­" Meanwhile, Danny grumbled under his breath.


    I was the least surprised from what she saw as that was what she expected from the best yer in the world. It was only a glimpse of his true power and what he had hidden was perhaps far more terrifying, but she could already see how monstrously strong he was.


    ''I need to make him my ally¡­ No matter what.''


    She didn''t want to miss out on such a talent now that she had seen it with her own eyes. Arthur was very special and that was apparent.


    ''I need to get him before the wrong eyes fall on him. That will happen sooner orter.'' Her eyes shed with a cold glint for a split second.


    Even when Arthur was still unknown to people, his identity was bound to be revealed and it was a matter of time. So, I was going to take advantage of it the most.


    ''Even though he doesn''t seem to be interested now¡­ That might change soon. No, I will make sure it changes.''


    As she was having such thoughts, Arthur waspletely oblivious to it as he turned away. "Well, I think we should continue guys, we don''t have the entire day to idle around."


    "You heard him, let''s go. I will take the bear''s corpse with me." Herculia said as he pped loudly.


    His words snapped them out of it and made them mount their horses again. Then, they quickly resumed moving as if nothing happened.


    However, this small fight, as easy as it was, had changed a lot in the group, and the center of that change was Arthur. Although they already saw him in a different light, they were only realizing how weird he was with each passing moment they spent together.


    Some found that very positive, and one particr person didn''t like it at all.


    Unbeknownst to all of them, the journey will soon change everything. From their own thoughts to their very own destiny.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 75: Chapter 75- Deep Into The Unknown (Part 4)

    For the next several hours, the group moved through the thick forest non-stop. They didn''t slow down at all unless they came across enemies which was a verymon urrence.


    Creatures varying in size and numbers noticed their presence and tried to ambush them on several asions. However, since they were still in a rtively easy area of the forest, these enemies were swiftly dealt with.


    Arthur took his time killing every enemy that his senses caught. His speed and power made almost every confrontation a one-hit defeat. The others didn''t fare that far behind either, especially I who also was able to swiftly deal with every enemy that got close to her without wasting a single moment.


    Everyone was very efficient and smart which made them cross a huge distance in mere several hours. Arthur''s map expanded several times during that.


    No major problems happened on the first day and the sun swiftly descended into the horizon.


    "I think we should stop here for the day and set camp," I said as she looked over her shoulder. "The horses are exhausted."


    After pushing them for almost 12 hours straight, the horses were naturally tired. They had far more stamina than normal, but that still had its limit.


    The group naturally stopped on the road and looked around them. The world wasn''tpletely submerged in darkness yet so they could see clearly. Arthur''s night vision also passively activated so there wasn''t much difference between the day and the night for him.


    "I think we should move out of the road a little and set camp somewhere in the forest." He suggested as he kept looking around him, peering through the thick greenery as he searched for a suitable spot to camp.


    Eventually, his eyes fell on a promising ce.


    "How about that?" He pointed in the direction. "I see an open area where we can settle."


    "We shouldn''t get into the forest and stay on the road," Danny replied.


    "Staying on the road means we are very exposed to everything around us including yers that could potentially try to steal from us. Hiding in the forest is better." Arthur retorted.


    "Nobody will follow us for this long. We''re too far away from the vige."


    "You underestimate how far people would go to gain something." Arthur shook his head. "I know people who would go months doing one single thing simply to get what they want. A few hours of traveling won''t stop anybody."


    "Arthur is right, we can''t risk being attacked by yers. Animals are more managable." I said as she moved her horse. "Let''s do that."


    So, one by one, the group marched through the thick trees, leaving Danny behind who was struggling to stay calm. Sucking in a deep breath, he started moving after them.


    The open area Arthur suggested was a patch of grass surrounded by the trees with some glimpses of light peeking through the gaps in the leaves above them. It looked very cozy and well-hidden.


    "Seems good enough. Thank you for your help, Arthur." I said as she jumped from her horse. "Let''s get to work. Herculia, set up the tents."


    "Right on it."


    "Emmy, make a fire." She turned to her other friend."


    "I have some wood." She replied.


    "Danny, tie the horses and feed them." Finally, she gave thest order to Danny who nodded his head and went to work immediately.


    Seeing how the group got busy rather quickly, Arthur decided to do something useful too since he didn''t want to just idle around.


    "I will scout the area and see if there are any threats." He said.


    "Wait," I spoke to him. "I wille with you. Gathering sometimes is necessary."


    "..." The boy blinked a few times before nodding his head.


    Then, the two left the camp as they walked deeper into the forest. At this point, the sun hadpletely set and the darkness of the night engulfed them. The forest waspletely dim with some lighting from the moon above and the stars shining brightly in the sky.


    ''This night vision is so useful. I can see very clearly.''


    Arthur had been using ''Wretched Crawler''s Eyes'' for a while now and they were as useful as he expected if not more. Having a clear vision in the darkness was crucial for survival and this was proving to be the case with every passing day.


    The two walked inplete silence for a while until I noticed something as she changed direction and walked toward it. Reaching a nearby tree, she plucked one of the fruits hanging from its branches.


    "What''s that?" Arthur asked curiously.


    "A waving lime. It''s a sweet citrusy fruit. Doesn''t have any special effects, though." She said as she inspected it and then stored it in her inventory. Then, she picked a few more and moved somewhere else. "Hmm, some purple berries. These are good against weak poison."


    "How do you know all of that?" Arthur asked. Although reading the description of the fruit can provide an exnation, I didn''t seem surprised by their effects.


    "I have seen these before all across the forest. They are verymon and very easy to acquire." She exined. "I have memorized 50 different types of nts and fruits so far and hope to expand that more soon."


    "... 50?" Arthur blinked. "That''s¡­ a lot."


    ''How did she even memorize that many in a few days? What kind of memory does she have?'' Arthur mused secretly. ''I guess that''s what''s expected from a genius.''


    Seeing how casually she was saying that Arthur realized that I was indeed a brilliant individual on so many fronts. Not only did she seem like she was a natural leader, but she also was very capable on many different fronts.


    ''Sigh, what am I even doing here, man? I don''t fit at all.'' He sighed inwardly as he turned away from I.


    "There doesn''t seem to be much activity around us. Animals don''t like to move in the dark for the most part, except for the nocturnal ones."


    "Yeah, it''s still very dangerous around here. Tell your friends to stay alert. You never know what you mighte across." As he was talking, Arthur kept moving around, checking the area for anything suspicious.


    His senses were already aware that there weren''t any dangerous predators nearby, but he still didn''t trust it enough not to check with his own eyes.


    "They know what to expect so they will be fine," I said.


    "I sure do hope so-" At that moment, Arthur pushed a huge tree branch out of his way, and what it revealed to him made himpletely freeze.


    I didn''t notice that at first as she was busy gathering fruits, but then she noticed the odd silence and turned around to check.


    "Arthur?" She called his name when she saw him standing there silently.


    "... Hey, I, you might need toe check this out." He finally spoke.


    "Did you find something?" She walked toward him curiously.


    "Yeah, I would say this is one hell of a thing." He said.


    Peeking over his shoulder, she saw what he was looking at and she froze for a moment. "Is that¡­?"


    "You know what this is?" Arthur raised an eyebrow. What he was staring at was arge stone pir standing in the middle of the forest. The structure was at least 20 meters tall with weird engravings all around it.


    It looked like an old remnant from a distant past, long forgotten by people. It stood there, in the middle of nowhere, battling time.


    "I think I do." She replied as she moved past him, approaching the pir. Her eyes shed with fascination at how beautiful it looked. Even though the stones were grey and cracked, it still carried a very profound presence. "This a ''Lesser Beacon'', if I''m not wrong."


    "A lesser beacon?" Arthur asked as he walked next to her. "What the hell is that?"


    "It''s an ancient relic from thousands of years set by unknown creators. Some yers had found these scattered across the forest. Activating them expands your map automatically and reveals hidden areas if there are any." She replied.


    "Oh, a map beacon? That''s very interesting. I haven''t heard of them before."


    "Not many have been discovered so far, and I only heard some bits and pieces of information about them. This is a really good find."


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 76: Chapter 76- Deep Into The Unknown (Part 5)

    "How do you activate this thing?"


    The two walked around the pir as they inspected it with their eyes. As unique as it seemed, the pir looked very much normal. It didn''t exude any light whatsoever to know if it was even still working.


    However, they knew that there was a way to actually activate it. They only had to find it.


    "Didn''t those yers mention how they got it working?" Arthur asked as he traced his hand over the runic words carved into the hard stone. He was searching for a trigger or a button that could make it work.


    "No, I don''t remember seeing anything like that," I replied. "They probably didn''t want to reveal that to others."


    ''Stingy bastards.'' Arthur rolled his eyes. ''Well, I''m a stingy bastard too so I can''t really me them for hiding it. It''s already very generous that they revealed this to the world.''


    Since there was an unfathomable number of yers ying the game every single day, things were bound to be discovered quickly. The first few days were slow since people were still getting ustomed to the world, but now, there was a new discovery every single second.


    Arthur was certain that a good chunk of the forest had already been discovered and people were quickly moving deeper and deeper. It was only a matter of time before the entire First Step Region waspletely mapped.


    Those who were the first to discover something would naturally wish to show that to the world and gain a lot of respect and recognition.


    ''They all want to be new celebrities. The top 100 yers are already gaining a lot of media attention and that will only get bigger and bigger.''


    As Arthur was deep into his own thoughts, he didn''t notice a small amount of mana leak through his fingers. However, upon exiting, the energy was instantly absorbed by the pir and for a moment, the runes on the stone shone with a faint blue light.


    "Hm?" The boy caught that as he snapped out of his daze. "Was that¡­?" He squinted his eyes as he looked at the runes again.


    ''I swear I saw them just light up.'' He thought to himself. ''What did I just do to trigger that? Wait, could it be mana?''


    Having a curious thought, he tried to experiment. He put his hand on the pir and channeled mana to his hand. Almost instantly, the runes lit up again.


    "Oh! I think I found it!" He eximed.


    "What did you find?" I walked around to check what he saw. There, she noticed the runes had lit up.


    "It''s mana. We activate it through mana." He replied. Then, he put his second hand on the rough pir and channeled even more energy into it. The runes lit up even brighter than before and the energy slowly spread from there to the rest of the runes around it.


    Slowly, one by one, they all started lighting up brightly like small stars.


    ''This is consuming a surprising amount of mana.'' Arthur raised his eyebrows as he focused on moving even more energy into the pir. Luckily, he had a lot more Mana than when he started so he assumed it wouldn''t be a problem.


    However, I noticed that. Then, with a nk expression, she put her hands on the pir too, and started channeling her mana. Almost instantly, the progress elerated considerably.


    Arthur turned to look at I. "You don''t have to do this."


    "No, I don''t want you to spend all your energy on this. You need your abilities for an emergency." She replied. "We can share."


    "..." Arthur blinked in surprise as he stared at the girl silently. His eyes shed with an iprehensible glint before he turned away slowly. Nobody knew what was going through his head at that moment.


    "Thanks." He said.


    "... Any time," I replied.


    The two continued channeling their energy inplete silence, watching in awe as the pir lit up from its very base up to the very top. The scene looked so magical that it almost took their breath away. The runes twinkled brightly, merging with one another in what could only be described as a festival of light.


    Eventually, the light reached the summit and from there, thingspletely shifted. The mana quickly umted at the top in the form of a blue sphere. Its radius continued to expand till it loomed over the duo. It looked like a balloon that was being pumped with air.


    Then, at one point, that ball reached its limit and exploded. The explosion wasn''t violent, and yet it looked shockingly beautiful.


    Experience amazing tales on m vl-em|p-yr


    Like a wave in the sea, the energy spread quickly everywhere at the same time. Ripples of it cut through the air as it went far away into the distance.


    "Wow¡­" Arthur muttered in awe. The sky above them was now a beautiful color he had never seen before. "So beautiful."


    [Ding!]


    [You have discovered a ''Lesser Beacon''.]


    [Ding!]


    [Map has been updated.]


    Snapping out his amazement, Arthur quickly opened his map. There, he saw the map slowly expand on its own all around him.


    What waspletely grey was now a highly detailed map that went a surprisingly far distance away from Arthur. However, what was even more interesting was that the map was showing many things on it too.


    New marks that Arthur was not familiar with. Ones that looked like beasts that were moving around, and others that looked like chests. Not to mention the marks that looked like herbs and fruits.


    "Holy sh-... This is huge!" He yelled excitedly. "Have you received it?"


    "Yes¡­ This is¡­" I muttered.


    "It''s great! This is going to make navigating the forest a lot easier for a good while. It seems to be showing us the locations of monsters and even hidden chests."


    This one particr detail was perhaps the best thing they had found so far. If they could know where monsters are lurking, that would spare them the headache of staying on edge the entire time they were.


    "This changes a lot of things, I tell you." Arthur giggled. "We can''t simply ignore all these marks and continue on. There must be some pretty useful stuff scattered all around us and we would''ve not even known."


    Even when he was saying that, the map was showing many interesting things close to the area where they were standing.


    "... You''re right. We need to check these marks. At least the more interesting ones." I nodded her head. "If we can pinpoint all the ones within our range, we can definitely do it while staying on schedule. That is very possible."


    "Well, that will require some work. I will try to find some interesting ones myself. I''m really good at that."


    "I would be thankful. For now, we need to go back." She replied. "It''s already toote to do anything. We spend the night here and then we will move by dawn."


    I then started walking away. Meanwhile, Arthur still curiously scrolled through the map.


    As he was about to close it, his eyes fell on a particr mark on the map that instantly stood out like a sore thumb. The mark was that of a door, a stone door to be exact.


    As small as the drawing was, Arthur recognized it instantly and his eyes widened with excitement.


    "A memory gate¡­ That''s a memory gate!"


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 77: Chapter 77- Deep Into The Unknown (Part 6)

    "Hm?" I heard Arthur''s excited voice and turned around to look at him. "A memory gate?"


    "Yeah, this is definitely a memory gate up north." He said as he pointed to his map. "I know it."


    Arthur would never forget when he entered one of these gates as that was still the hardest fight he had fought since he started ying the game. Nothinges close to it so far. That door had be a core memory in his head.


    I quickly opened her map too to check what he was talking about and surprisingly, she saw it, up north in a random spot in the forest. It looked seamless and well hidden so she didn''t notice it when she checked the map the first time.


    "So, you''re the one that entered one of these the first time?" I asked curiously.


    "Yes, I did and that was very hard. The thing I had to fight in there isn''t easy at all." He replied. "If anything, I probably would''ve died if I wasn''t lucky enough."


    "... What did you fight?"


    "A creature named ''Ethereal''. I don''t know what it is or why it''s in there but killing it gave me a lot of good stuff. I''m definitely going to enter this gate too."


    Arthur knew that this could be a far harder battle if he entered that gate, but the gains were naturally too enticing to ignore. Especially when he already has an idea of what he could get from it. But, he quickly realized a big problem.


    "Oh, right, I can''t do that without hindering the group," Arthur muttered. Going in there takes at least an hour or two if he was able to end the fight quickly which was a lot of time wasted.


    "Well, I am also very curious about these memory gates. It''s not that far out of our way either. I will ask the others for their opinion. But, this should be a beneficial thing to do." I shook her head.


    "Oh, so you''reing along? That is very helpful."


    ''Actually, this might be a very good idea. If we can actually enter the same gate and not get separated, it would make the fight significantly more manageable.'' Arthur thought to himself.


    He was certain that this memory gate was going to be way harder than the previous one he found simply because it was way deeper into the forestpared to the first one which was rtively close to the vige.


    ''Well, this is definitely going to be interesting. I am far stronger than when I fought that thing, but am I truly strong enough to take this on? Well, we will see.''


    Looking up to the sky, Arthur noticed that the blue light had dissipated and the pir had returned to its lightless state as if nothing happened.


    ***


    The duo then returned to the spot where the camp was set. They found the rest of the group already finished with their roles. There were several tents enough for everyone, a campfire in the middle, and some food being grilled on it.


    They were all sitting around the fire, waiting for the food to cook before eating it. The moment they saw the duo, Danny immediately stood up.


    "Why did you take so long, leader?" He asked in a very worried tone. "I was about to go search for you."


    "We came across something very interesting." I replied with a casual tone.


    Arthur noticed the boy secretly giving him a strong re. But, he ignored it and simply walked toward the camp. "What are you guys cooking?"


    "Deer meat. Have you ever tried it before?" Herculia said with a smile.


    "Actually, no. I did try meat jerky though. That was really good." Arthur nodded.


    "Trust me, this stuff is far better. I can''t enough of it." The big manughed loudly as he tapped Arthur on the shoulder. "When is the meat gonna be ready, Emmy? We''re starving!"


    "You won''t die from hunger in this game, idiot. Be patient." Emmy replied.


    "Something interesting?" Meanwhile, Danny waspletely focused on I. "What did you find?"


    "Actually, it was Arthur who found it. A Lesser Beacon." She replied as she sat down with a small sigh. "We unlocked a good chunk of the map."


    "A lesser beacon?! There is one of those nearby?!" Hearing that, the other two immediately took interest. "We haven''te across a single one this entire time."


    "It turned out to be far better than we expected. You should unlock it tomorrow before we leave. We need the map." I said.


    "Of course."


    "We also have a small change of ns." She added. "We spotted a memory gate on our way. I believe we should see what''s inside of it before we move on. Arthur had said that it has some pretty good rewards."


    "A memory gate¡­" Danny muttered as he instinctively looked up at Arthur. "So you were the one who did it¡­"


    "..." Thetter ignored himpletely as he was focused on the grilling meat.


    "Aren''t those very dangerous?" Emmy asked confusedly.


    "They are."


    "What if we get killed? Wouldn''t that waste a lot of time?" Herculia added. "One death and we would lose at least two days'' worth of progress."


    I looked at her two friends silently for a second. She was already aware of these risks and she had ounted for them in her judgment.


    "That is why we simply need to not die. We have a strong ally with us. If we don''t do any major blunders, we should be fine." She replied.


    "That is still not very convincing, I," Danny said. "We know nothing about these gates or what they might contain."


    "And that is why I''m here," Arthur replied. "I have seen what''s inside one of these gates and I know what to expect. Oh, this is pretty good. *Nom* Nom*."


    The atmosphere grew darker around the group for a few moments. They felt a little hesitant about this, even though I and Arthur tried to convince them. After all, the risk of dying was simply too heavy on their shoulders.


    They can''t afford to die, not now at least. There was simply too much to lose if even one of them made a mistake and ended up returning to the vige. They didn''t have enough time to actually waste.


    I saw that in their faces and she immediately understood why they were that hesitant. So, she stood up and looked at everyone. "You three, log out. I want to talk to you."


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    "Log out? Now?"


    "Yes, I need to tell you something. I hope you don''t mind guarding this ce for a few minutes, Arthur." She said coldly.


    "Hm? Oh, no problem here. You can go ahead and leave." He shrugged casually as he continued eating his food enthusiastically. He really didn''t care what was happening between the four of them as it was nothing of his business.


    They had their own motives and goals that he didn''t want to be involved in. So, he decided to leave it to I, their leader, to convince them.


    With that, the four yers logged out of the game one after the other, leaving Arthur alone in the camp. The ce turned very quiet except for the sound of the burning fire.


    "I like this tranquility. Good food, good weather, good silence." He muttered as he continued eating.


    ***


    *Meanwhile, in the outside world.*


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 78: Chapter 78- I Will Carry Your Fear

    I''s eyes opened slowly as she took in everything around her. Her capsule opened its door, letting her out. She stretched her arms before she looked around her. Her bedroom looked like every other room with no actual extra decorations.


    She wasn''t really into any particr artistic sense and she found nd and rather boring ces far more interesting than overly shy or overly sophisticated ones.


    She closed her eyes for a moment as she sucked in a small breath before she walked toward her bed and sat down. She looked at her table and picked her phone up. She looked at it deeply as if she was thinking about something.


    One could see the endless thoughts shing through her eyes at that moment. Then, she opened it and made a call. A few secondster, several faces appeared on her phone''s screen.


    Looking at the screen, she saw the faces of her three friends. She had known them basically her entire life and they were the only trustworthy people she had in her life. Everyone else, including the people in her own family, is either too cunning to be trusted or too vile to even think of them as a family member.


    However, I was d she had these three as they were the only ones that she didn''t have to be wary of. That was why, she had to talk to them privately and know why they were against her idea. After all, their opinions were important to her.


    "Why did you want us to log out, I?" Herculia asked.


    "I want to ask you a question." She began. "What is our main goal in Divinity Online?"


    "..." The group went silent for a moment before Danny finally spoke.


    "To establish our presence in that world as a powerhouse?"


    "Exactly. And what does that require?"


    "... For us to get stronger." Emmy was the one to speak this time.


    I nodded her head faintly before she looked up. "I have told you before we even started this game. There will be huge risks taken across the road. Risks that could make or break us. There is no easy way to power."


    Just like the real world, DO was a ce where only those who were ready to take risks and do massive leaps of faith would truly reap the rewards. ying it safe and trying to avoid threats will only put you in the column of every other person. Just another yer ying the game that will never be recognized.


    "Nobody said otherwise. But, we can''t afford to do it now."


    "It is precisely now that we must do it. We are now in a perfect position. We are ahead of most yers. But, that won''t be for long unless we can erge that gap even more." She said. "There cannot be any other way but to face far stronger enemies."


    The other three wentpletely silent as if they didn''t know what to say. They understood where their leader wasing from. But, there was one thing hindering them from epting. One simple thing that weighed on their minds and I knew what it was.


    "Why are you this afraid of trying?" She asked as she squinted her eyes. "I know that weight on your shoulders that you must carry. They expect a lot from you."


    Her words struck their hearts where they didn''t expect. She was right, they were very afraid. They were horrified of failure as that meant they would lose a lot. Their families and the society they lived in was a battleground. People schemed against one another to try and emerge victorious.


    They were born into that violent environment and had to learn how to adapt and be like them. Greedy, unstoppable monsters that would do anything to acquire what they want no matter the results.


    However, they also learned that failure is inexcusable. If they fail, others will instantly consume them. So, they could only do what they were taught.


    I wasn''t anything different. In fact, she had it far worse than they did, and forpletely different reasons. The Goldsmith family was an extremely influential family and their power was simply unimaginable. The head of such a family was bound to be one of the strongest people in the world.


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    I was the expected heir of such a conglomerate and those who were opposed to this were numerous. They all waited eagerly for her to fail so that they can take the opportunity. Many others took it into their own hands to make sure that she fails. Yet, so far, they couldn''t do it.


    The girl was simply far more brilliant than they expected. She was a cold and harsh monster that could predict the moves of her enemy way before they could execute them. She had no weak points to exploit either.


    "That is why¡­ Let me carry that weight with you." She finally opened her eyes again as she spoke. "Have I ever let you down?"


    "... I." Danny looked at the girl through the screen with a surprised look. "Of course not. You never let us down."


    "That is true."


    "You have always made it work, one way or another."


    The other two affirmed quickly.


    "This won''t be the first time. We are going to make it. So, follow me." She said in a firm and confident tone. In her eyes, there wasn''t a sh of hesitation. All they could see was someone who firmly believed in themselves. That was I, and they grew to love that side of her.


    A true leader in every sense. Someone who was ready to carry their fear with them till the end. Her words resonated in their heads again and again like an echo. They could only ask themselves why they were afraid when they had I with them. Their leader won''t let them down, not now, not ever.


    "Goddamit, let''s do this!" The first to speak was Herculia as he rubbed his hair aggressively. "I don''t like being a coward!"


    "Yeah, Herculia is right. We shouldn''t be afraid now." Emmy shook her head as she smiled. "We need to do what it takes."


    "What about you Danny?" I turned to thest one. The boy waspletely silent as if he was contemting it still. However, instead, she noticed that he was looking at her in a daze.


    "Danny?"


    "Huh? Oh! It''s¡­ Ehem, it''s nothing. I am also in." He coughed awkwardly.


    I nodded her head with a relieved look. "Well, we should go back now. We can''t leave Arthur alone for too long."


    "Tsk, that bastard must''ve stolen everything and ran away," Danny grumbled.


    "He doesn''t seem like the type of person to do that. If anything, he does seem like quite the innocent person." Emmy replied.


    Her impression of Arthur so far was that he was a happy-go-lucky boy who did whatever he wanted. He didn''t seem like the cunning type nor the type to betray them.


    "I agree with Emmy. I honestly like this guy. He isn''t bad at all." Herculia replied. "Even I seems to like him too."


    Hearing that, Danny''s heart sunk in as he quickly looked at his screen again. "That can''t be, right?"


    "I don''t like nor dislike him," I responded. "He is, however, a curious person who seems to be hiding far more than the eye could see."


    As brief as it was, their interactions had only been revealing how unique Arthur was. Whether it was his monstrous strength or his ability to find things that others can''t. He was aplete mystery that I could only feel even more intrigued to solve.


    ''A very curious person indeed.'' She mused.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 79: Chapter 79- Camp Fire Talks

    "Hm, they''re really taking their sweet time, huh? I hope there isn''t a problem of sorts." Arthur muttered as he sat there, looking at the clear sky. It had been over 10 minutes since I and the others had logged out and there was no trace of them.


    He expected them to be back quickly, but he was far from right. That naturally made him question whether they were going to follow him or not.


    ''What if they decide to not do it? Does that mean that I have to go in there on my own?'' He frowned. ''Well, that won''t be a problem. But, I doubt they would want to wait for me.''


    If the group leaves then Arthur would have to continue the journey on his own and that was too risky. They hadn''t even crossed the forest and the enemies were already growing stronger very rapidly. It didn''t sound like it was possible for him to actually do it on his own.


    "Oh man, I don''t want to miss out on this gate either. What should I do?" Quickly, Arthur started panicking a little. The more time it was taking them, the more he was certain that they weren''t going to ept it. I naturally won''t just ignore her group''s opinion just to follow him.


    As he was like that, four silhouettes suddenly appeared next to him. Looking up, he noticed that the group was back.


    "We''re back," Herculia said as he sat down again. "Did we make you wait for too long, my friend?"


    "... No, it wasn''t much." Arthur blinked as he looked at their faces. Surprisingly, they seemed happier than before. Or at least, not as gloomy as before.


    "So, what did you decide?" He asked curiously.


    I sat down facing him as she picked up a skewer of meat. "We are going as nned. We will enter this memory gate too."


    "..." The boy blinked in surprise before a wide smile appeared on his face. "That''s great! I was worried for a second that you might reconsider it."


    "It required some convincing, though." I looked over her shoulder at her friends.


    "H-Hey, we were just a little worried." Emmy shook her head.


    "Wouldn''t call that ''little'', to be hone- Ouch!" Before he could even finish speaking, Herculia got an elbow to his side that made him stop. "Just kidding! You need to put points into strength to make that hu- Ouch! Hey! Stop it!"


    "Let me pluck your hair out and see if you find it enjoyable or not!"


    "I said stop it! You little girl!"


    "I am not little!"


    As the two were struggling against one another, Arthur could onlyugh. It was simply too funny.


    "Come on, eat your food, and stop ying around." Danny picked up a skewer of his own and started eating.


    "Tsk, you''re lucky this time."


    "Yeah, sure, sure."


    With that, the group continued eating the grilled meat as they talked about random things. The conversation was peaceful and idle and the atmosphere made it even better. Arthur was surprised to realize that he was having fun talking to them.


    Except for Danny, the rest are very friendly and even rtable in some ways. They didn''t seem like they were detached from reality orckedmon sense which was something he would expect from rich people.


    On the other hand, they were also very intrigued about Arthur. They didn''t know much about him which pushed them into asking him questions about his life.


    "Where are you from, by the way?" Herculia asked him.


    "I''m from a small country in the west called ''Creles''. You probably don''t know it." He shrugged.


    "Hm, interesting. What do your parents do for a living?" Emmy curiously asked. But, Arthur froze for a moment as he looked up.


    "... They''re dead."


    "Oh."


    Silence took over the entire campfire for a second. Nobody knew what to say, and then Emmy started to panic. "I-I''m really sorry. I didn''t know that."


    "It''s fine. I really don''t care. I have never met them to begin with so they''re basically like strangers to me." He shrugged.


    "You''ve never met your parents?" I was the one to be shocked this time. "That sounds¡­ rough."


    "Eh, it wasn''t too horrible. My grandma raised me in their stead and I lived a normal life for the most part." He exined. "She''s dead too, though."


    "..."


    "Hey, you really don''t need to look at me like that. I don''t need any pity." Heughed. "I''m fine the way I am."


    "Oh, we didn''t mean to pity you," Herculia replied. "It just sounds very impressive, doesn''t it?"


    "It isn''t that impressive. I just learned to live on my own and take care of myself. Although, if there is one thing I might''ve hated, it was probably having to work to make a living. That I did hate a lot actually."


    "Wait, you had to work? But, you''re very young. How is that allowed?" Emmy frowned. Knowing that Arthur was the same age as them, meant that he had worked since he was at least 13 or 14.


    "Ask them, not me. I was able to manage it somehow. Now, since I moved into the Middle Ind, things are far better than before." He smiled. ''It is really way better now.''


    "Is that so¡­?" Seeing the happy look on his face, I felt weirdly relieved. She didn''t know why, but hearing about his past and seeing that his life had improved was nice to some extent. "Though, may I ask you something?"


    "Go ahead."


    "If your financial condition wasn''t the best. How did you buy a capsule of your own? Did you save for it?"


    This question quickly captured everyone''s attention as it was quite intriguing. Arthur didn''t sound like he could afford to pay thousands just to buy a capsule.


    The boy''s expression turned nk before he looked down. ''Well, this is a little weird. Should I tell them? I mean, I don''t know why I received one myself so this shouldn''t be a problem.''


    "You wouldn''t believe me when I say that I received it as a gift from an anonymous person."


    "An anonymous person?" Isal raised an eyebrow.


    "Yes, all I know about them is that they bought it and ordered it to my address. Along with a lifetime supply of high-grade serum."


    "... What a generous gift!" Herculia eximed. "Kind people are still there. This world isn''tpletely gone to ruin yet."


    "I doubt this is a generous gift." Emmy rubbed her chin. "From what he said, it doesn''t sound like something anybody could afford. A lifetime supply of serum is millions or even tens of millions spent in the long run."


    "Oh." The big man gasped. "I didn''t think of it that way."


    "I have my suspicions too. But, I couldn''t say no since I was very eager to y this game. I still don''t know why I received it."


    "Have you evere across anyone rich or influential in your life?" I asked.


    "... No, not that I can remember." He said. ''Why the hell would Ie across someone like that? I''m the most mediocre human being to ever walk this world.''


    "Interesting." I fell into deep thought as if she was contemting his words.


    "In any case, I''m d I got this game. I would''ve not yed it for at least several more years if I didn''t get it now." He said. "I am grateful for that."


    As shady as it may seem, Arthur was still happy he got what he wished for. It was surely not something he might like when the truth was revealed, but for now, he was blessed.


    However, the others didn''t necessarily see it that way. In fact, what Arthur didn''t notice was that they all had one simr look on their faces. Suspicion.


    ''Someone who can afford such things. I wonder who that is? And why did they help Arthur?'' I looked at the boy with a cold expression. ''It is certainly not simple at all and I have a bad feeling about it.''


    Her rms were going off for some reason and every time they do, she finds herself facing a threat. She didn''t know why she felt this way when she had nothing to do with this, but she wasn''t going to ignore this feeling either.


    Whatever brought her toward Arthur was bound to link her to him in the long term.


    ''Our partnership might not be as straightforward as I expected.''


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 80: Chapter 80- Hidden Chest

    With that, the group spent the rest of the night idling around. It was very quiet and peaceful so the atmosphere was perfect to simply have a moment of self-refleciton. They could''ve logged out, but since it was also night outside, there wasn''t a huge difference.


    In fact, they felt like this campfire was a far more pleasant ce to spend time. It gave them a moment of needed peace before the true storm. Each one sat there, either talking to one another about random things, or simply resting.


    Eventually, the night passed and the lightless world started receiving some sun rays. That was when the group finally started gathering their stuff and preparing to leave. In a matter of minutes, the camp was emptied and the me was extinguished.


    "Are the horses ready?" I asked as she looked around her. It was still not morning yet and the light prating through the trees was minimal so the vision wasn''t perfect yet.


    "Yes, they''re ready."


    "Good. I believe everyone knows what we want to do. The memory gate is less than a day away from us. If we don''t waste time then we could definitely reach it before night." She dered. "We must keep a steady pace. If you notice any hidden items, chests, or anything of that sort, we will stop to check it."


    They all nodded their heads in agreement. There weren''t many actual hidden items on their path so they were sure they wouldn''t miss any.


    With that, the group got on their horses and immediately resumed their journey. Since the weather was nice and the air was cold and fresh, they were very motivated. Even the horses were more energetic as they ran faster than yesterday.


    "Hey, Arthur, want some biscuits and cheese?" Herculia asked as he pulled out a block of cheese and a bag of biscuits.


    "Where did you even get that?" Arthur asked.


    "I bought it from the vige before we left. They''re pretty good as a snack." He said. "Here, try some."


    Then, he threw him some cheese and some biscuits. Surprisingly, the cheese looked like the cheese he was familiar with.


    ''Considering how every animal looks in this game, I don''t want to even know what animal milk they made this cheese from.'' Arthur thought to himself as he inspected them. Then, he put some of the cheese on the biscuits and threw it in his mouth. Almost instantly, it hit him.


    "Holy!!! This is good!"


    "I know, right?! I didn''t think this cheese would actually be this good!"


    Arthur quickly swallowed the first bite and took another one. He didn''t think it would be this vorful. The saltiness of the biscuit and the taste of the cheese was simply impable.


    "H-Hey, give me some too," Emmy said when she noticed Arthur''s expression.


    "Ok, ok, you don''t have to re at me." Herculiaughed as he gave her some too. After giving it a try, she had the same reaction.


    "What is this even?" She asked as she looked at it.


    "I don''t know. *Nom* *Nom* but this is really good. Good job, Herculia!" Arthur said as he continued shoving bites into his mouth like a glutton.


    "Hahaha, the merchant told me that this cheese was made from the milk of a two-headed fanged worm." Herculiaughed loudly.


    Almost immediately, the two froze in their ces. Arthur''s mouth stopped munchingpletely. Then, he slowly looked up.


    "... F-From what?"


    "As I said, the milk of a two-headed fanged worm. I don''t know what that is, but who cares hahaha, am I right?!"


    Your adventure awaits on m,v le,mpyr


    "A worm?! You gave me cheese made out of a worm''s milk?!" Arthur almost instantly felt like throwing up. The delicious taste shifted and his taste buds started noticing different things. "How the hell does a worm even have milk?!"


    "I''m going to kill you, muscle head!!" Emmy started spitting it out instantly as she red daggers at her friend.


    "Why?! You said you liked it! It''s delicious so who cares where it came from?" He retorted.


    "At least tell me beforehand!" Arthur sighed. ''Worm''s milk, huh? This game is full of surprises.''


    He didn''t know whether tough or cry at this realization. It wasically sad.


    "Stop messing around and focus. We''re nearing the first potential chest." I said as she looked at her map. "It''s right there."


    The group stopped their horses on the path and looked at the spot where the chest was supposedly hidden.


    "I will go check it out," Danny said as he jumped from his mount and walked into the forest. The others watched him silently.


    He stopped where the spot was and he looked around him. He couldn''t see anything particrly eye-catching at first. He searched around for a while, stomping the ground and checking behind bushes. However, he found nothing.


    "I can''t find anything." He announced to the others.


    "Maybe it''s not there precisely," Emmy suggested.


    "No, I''m right above the chest''s location."


    "I think we should go search with him," Herculia said.


    "Goddamit, I knew this was going to waste time," Danny grumbled as he continued looking around.


    As they were about to get off their horses, Arthur stopped them.


    "Hey, Danny, look for any weird engravings or runic words written on trees around you." He said. "Usually, hidden items are behind such things in games. Maybe this is the same situation."


    "Runic engravings? Why would there be-" Before the boy could even retort, his eyes fell on a tree close to him. On its trunk, he saw some carvings that should''ve not belonged there. He blinked in shock as he slowly approached it.


    "So, did you find anything?" Arthur asked


    "..." Danny clicked his tongue as he put his hand on the tree. "I think I found it. There are runic words written on a tree."


    "Nice guess, Arthur!" Herculia tapped him on his shoulder with a proudugh.


    "Now, try to channel your mana into them."


    "... Tsk, don''t order me around bastard!"


    Even though Danny was displeased he still did that. The moment his mana exited his body, the runes started shining brightly. Then, quickly, that light spread to the entire tree. The branches and the trunk started moving and twisting and the tree started visibly shrinking in real time.


    In a matter of seconds, the magnificent tree turned into a small chest, leaving behind no trace.


    "... Interesting," Danny muttered as he blinked. The change was something that he didn''t expect at all. ''So the chest was hidden as a tree.''


    "I''ve found the chest." He said as he crouched down and opened it. Inside, Danny found one single thing inside.


    "A ne?" He muttered as he picked it up. The item was a shiny ne with several crystal beads linked to it. It looked old and yet also very high-quality.


    [Maria''s Heilroom


    Rank: C


    Description: A Pure Maiden''s most important belonging. The moment she perished, the heirloom became a piece of ancient history.


    Type: Jewelry


    Special Ability: Reduces spell casting time by 10%.]


    "This..." Danny squinted his eyes.


    "What did you find, Danny? Hurry up."


    "Huh? Oh, hold on a second. This is pretty good." He replied as he stood up. "Emmy, I found something perfect for you."


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 81: Chapter 81- When The Twist Is Far Too Funny

    Danny walked out of the forest again with the item in hand a smile on his face.


    "Something for me?" Emmy asked. "What do you mean?"


    "Here, take a look." He threw her the item and got on his horse. Emmy grabbed it and inspected it and almost immediately, her eyes widened. "This¡­"


    "It''s great, isn''t it? That will make your casting speed considerably faster." He said.


    "I-Is it really fine for me to get this? I mean, you guys might need it too." She quickly snapped out of her daze as she looked at her friends.


    "An item that increases casting speed sounds like something that would fit you perfectly. I believe you should be the one to use it." Herculia replied.


    "She relies on casting spells, right? Then she would be the one to benefit from it the most." Arthur shrugged.


    "Keep it, Emmy," I said.


    "... Guys." The girl blinked a few times. She was touched by their kindness and she could only smile a little. After all, nobody here opposed the idea at all, and that made her feel warmth in her heart. "Ok, I will make good use of it."


    With that, she put the ne around her neck. But, she didn''t feel anything different after that. ''I guess I can only confirm that it''s working when I use it.''


    "Ok, with that done, we should continue," I said as she moved her horse. The others followed suit.


    They cut through the seemingly endless path, heading straight toward their next destination, the memory gate.


    ***


    A few hours passed swiftly after that. On their way, the group found two other chests not that far away from their path. One of them had a small dagger with a weak poison effect that was given to Danny. The other item was a scarf that increased defense by a small percentage and it was handed to I since her defense was stillckingpared to her other extremely high stats.


    I''s extremely offense-oriented battle style made her naturally more open to attacks since she wasn''t really defending much. So, any items that can help that are very useful to her more than anyone else. That helped her not worry about suffering immense damage while dealing immense damage of her own.


    Other than that, the group came across several monsters as normal. They weren''t that stronger than the ones they came across the day before. However, the difficulty was surely rising and they could feel it very well. They knew that it won''t be as easy very soon and they had to be very prepared for it.


    The sun moved across the sky as if it was traveling with them. As it neared the horizon the sky was turning darker, and the group finally reached their destination.


    "We made it on time," I muttered as she looked at her map. Their marks indicated that they were only a few dozen meters away from the memory gate. Since it was hidden in the forest, they couldn''t see it from where they were standing.


    The atmosphere was a little tense as they neared the spot. Everybody had a serious look on their faces. They had the entire day to get mentally ready for whatever was awaiting for them inside the gate and now that preparation was showing its results.


    "We should tie the horses here. Nobody should find them if we''re lucky." Arthur said as he jumped down from his mount. The others followed suit and they swiftly tied the horses to the trees around them.


    "Stay calm, ok? We will be back quickly." Arthur rubbed his horse''s head gently to ease its fear. The creature epted the head pats willingly. "Good boy." Arthur smiled.


    With that, he turned around and looked at the others. Everyone was seemingly ready to move.


    "I guess I will take the lead since none of you is familiar with these gates." He sighed as he stepped forward. "Follow me."


    The group then dived deeper into the forest again, passing through the thick trees. Slowly, they made their way to the gate. The anticipation mixed with fear made the trip seem far longer than it really was.


    Eventually, they found themselves in an open area in the forest. In the heart of it, a stone door stood menacingly. The runes written on it gave it a profound aura that can''t be described with mere words.


    The four stopped as they took the sight in.


    "Is that?"


    "Mhm, that''s the memory gate," Arthur replied as he continued walking toward it. "Don''t worry, there aren''t any traps around it or anything like that."


    The others took a moment to calm down before they started walking too, while looking around them.


    "What a weird opening. It looks like the forest is trying to stay as far away from that gate as possible." Imented.


    "It does. I also noticed that. It''s very weird." Arthur said as he stood in front of the gate. "It probably has something to do with the nature of the gate itself. Something about it is pushing all living organisms."


    Everyone went silent as they looked at the gate. The nervousness was clear in their eyes. Eventually, Arthur sighed as he turned around. "Ok, I''m going to activate it now. Be careful, when I do, a bright light will appear. Upon touching it, you will be transported to wherever this gate leads.


    As I said before, I don''t know whether this gate will lead us to the same exact ce or not. If it does then that''s the best option. However, if it doesn''t, then each one of you is on their own. You have one single goal in mind and that is to survive. Got it?"


    Arthur knew how gravely dangerous whatever awaiting them inside was. Even more so for these yers since they''re weaker than him. So, surviving was their very first priority no matter what.


    "We know," Danny replied.


    "Whatever it is, we will do our best to survive," Emmy added.


    "... Good. I''m opening it then." Arthur nodded and turned around before he put his hand on the gate. Almost immediately, the runes activated as they shone with a bright light. Then, the gate started moving on its own, opening slowly for them.


    The bright light eventually turned into the gate itself. Covering the entire frame of the gate, it stood there, silently shining as it awaited for them to enter.


    Arthur looked at it and took a deep breath. "Ok¡­" He said. "Here goes nothing."


    Then, he touched the light and it immediately consumed him wholly. His eyes lost vision for a second as the overwhelming light took him in.


    ''So bright¡­''


    By the time he could open his eyes again, the scenery around Arthur shiftedpletely. He was still standing but the location waspletely unknown.


    He blinked a few times as he looked around him. The first thing he noticed was that he was inside some kind of room. The walls looked wooden and old, perhaps rotten after long years of being abandoned. Apart from that, there was an old window covered with a curtain on the other side of the room and a closed wooden door.


    "Now, where the hell am I?" He muttered as he was about to walk forward. That is when he noticed a few presences appear behind him. Looking over his shoulder.


    "... Ouch! I almost fell!"


    "That was too bright," Herculia grumbled as he shook his head to get rid of the effect.


    "We didn''t get separated," I muttered.


    "This is great news!" Danny smiled.


    "Don''t get distracted," Arthur said. "I don''t know where the gate brought us. It looks like some kind of wooden chamber."


    Other than the fact that the room was made out of wood, there was nothing inside of it. It waspletely empty.


    Arthur walked forward as he inspected the room with his eyes. The others also started moving around, discovering their environment.


    The first thing Arthur approached was naturally the window as it could give him an idea as to where they were.


    "There is really nothing in this room. I wonder where this door would lead." Danny rubbed the back of his head as he put his hand on the door handle and opened it.


    At that moment, Arthur suddenly yelled. "STOP!!!!"


    Then, at the same time, he rushed toward Danny as fast as he could. The boy didn''t react immediately and tried to stop outside. But, Arthur quickly grabbed him from the neck and pulled him back at thest split second.


    "Huh?" Danny waspletely distraught as he looked behind him. "What did you¡­"


    "Look ahead of you, dumbass!!"


    "Huh?" Slowly, Danny turned to look ahead of him, and what he saw made his soul freeze. The door that he assumed led somewhere, simply opened toward nothing. All he could see was emptiness.


    However, not that far away, Danny noticed fluffy white stuff floating in the air.


    "... Clouds?"

 Chapter 82: Chapter 82- Sky Ship ‘Adula’

    "W-Why the hell are we in the air?!" Danny blurted out as he stepped back a few steps. Thest thing he expected to see when he opened that door was the endless expanse of the sky and the floating clouds.


    The others quickly rushed toward him, only to see the same thing. The door outside simply led them to nowhere.


    "It seems this room isn''t as simple as expected," Arthur muttered as he looked down from the edge. They were so high in the sky that he couldn''t see anynd beneath them. Just cloud and nothingness. The wind was present yet not too strong.


    "That would''ve been instant death if I didn''t grab you at thest moment."


    "..." Danny frowned. "Don''t expect me to be grateful."


    ''This bastard.'' Arthur held his breath so as not tosh out at the arrogant idiot, and instead focused on the door. He looked left and then to the right, that''s when he noticed something.


    "Hm?"


    Right to the side, attached to the wall was a broken wooden tform that led somewhere to the side of the room. The tform wasn''t that far away and could easily be essed with a precise jump.


    "I think I found our way out, guys." He said as he signaled for them to take a look.


    "Oh, that definitely looks like where we''re intended to go," Emmy said as she peeked over his shoulder.


    "Where does it lead though?" Herculia raised an eyebrow curiously.


    "... We have to discover it ourselves it seems," I replied.


    "Who wants to go first?" Danny muttered. He still had a strong frown on his face as if he wasn''t happy with the situation at all.


    "Haha, what? are you afraid, Danny?" Herculiaughed loudly.


    "Shut up."


    "I forgot that you are afraid of heights. Sadly, this ce doesn''t seem to be the perfect one for you."


    "He''s afraid of heights?" Arthur turned around with a smile.


    "He''s scared shitless of heights. He had been from when we were kids. He couldn''t even get on amusement park rides if they go too high. Instead, he would start crying." Herculia replied.


    "Herculia! You bastard!" Danny growled with a strong re.


    "What? I''m just telling the truth. No shame in being afraid of heights."


    Arthur''s lips wiggled as he tried to hold hisughter back. He didn''t understand why he found this funny when he usually doesn''t judge people by these kinds of uncanny fears. However, since it was Danny, he didn''t feel any guilt about it.


    ''So much for a tough front, huh, coward boy?'' Arthur mocked him with eyes. Danny saw that and could only clench his teeth in frustration. His eyes screamed ''I will kill you if you say anything''.


    "Anyway, I will go ahead first," Arthur said. "Since I''m the experienced one here."


    Arthur wasn''t really afraid of heights or anything else people are usually afraid off. Not even insects. He was numb to that kind of horror.


    "I will go after you," I replied.


    "Mm, got it."


    After that, the group stepped back so that Arthur had room to move. He looked at the wooden tform for a moment as if he was gouging the distance and what he should do. Then, he stepped back and ran forward at moderate speed.


    With a small leap, Arthur swiftlynded on the tform. His body easily bnced itself upon impact. "Well, that''s wasn''t hard."


    "Ok, you can follow me. The tform is sturdy." He said as he looked at the edge. Although there was a distance of at least one or two meters between him and imminent death, it didn''t look that terrifying. If anything, he felt quite thrilled standing there.


    He was in the middle of the sky somewhere and that feeling was simply otherworldly.


    ''I am the king of the world, hahaha!'' He mused as he started moving through the tform toward the other side.


    At the same time, I followed suit, then Emmy, then Herculia. The only one left was Danny who was clearly hesitant about doing it.


    "Come on, Danny. You can do it, brother." The big man said.


    "Give me a second, goddammit." Danny grumbled as he looked at the fall. ''Come on, I can do it. That bastard isn''t better than me!''


    The sheer feeling of humiliation he suffered at that moment couldn''t be put into words. He couldn''t bear to see that smug face on his enemy so he decided to put his fear aside. With a deep breath, he took a step back and then ran forward before jumping.


    "Woah!!!" He screamed mid-air as hended on the edge of the tform. However, he quickly lost his bnce and started falling back. "Grab me!!"


    "I got you." Herculia quickly caught him and pulled him up. "See? Wasn''t that hard, was it?"


    "Tsk, I almost died again!" Danny grumbled and stepped forward, sticking to the wall as much as he could.


    "Hahaha, wait for me."


    Meanwhile, ahead of them, Arthur and I were in a whole new ce. The moment they reached the end of the tform, they found themselves in front of a considerablyrge area.


    Wooden nks stretch underfoot, weathered and worn with years. They creaked and whistled under the constant wind.


    Moving his eyes to the sides of the massive area, Arthur saw thick ropes dangling in the air, coiled and frayed at the edges. Scattered old barrels and crates riddled the entire ce. The full scene instantly made sense.


    "It''s a ship." I walked beside him as she said. "A very old ship at that."


    "..." Arthur was still in a daze. "A flying ship¡­ I didn''t even think these existed here."


    The concept of a flying ship wasn''tpletely foreign to Arthur. He had seen them before in other forms of media. However, that still didn''t answer why they were there. As if the game heard his question, he received a notification that he had been waiting for.


    [Ding!]


    [Memory Fragment detected!]


    [Location: The sky ship ''Ad''.]


    [Time: Unknown.]


    [Memory: Pir Inds Revolution.]


    "Revolution?" Arthur frowned. Somehow, the information he was given made him even more confused. ''What revolution? The entire ship is empty, there is nobody.''


    "What the hell is going on here?" The others were as confused if not even more confused. "Is this a part of the test?"


    "... It brought us back to some time in the past when a conflict of some sorts ured. This one seems to be the ''Pir Inds Revolution''."


    "Pir inds sounds like a made-up name," Herculiamented. "So, where are the enemies? I''m itching to fight."


    "There doesn''t seem to be anyone here. It''spletely abandoned as far as I can see." Emmy replied while looking around her.


    "Andpletely destroyed," I added. "This had definitely gone through a battle. The damages are very heavy. Particrly the part where we came from. It looked like there was supposed to be a section of the deck right there but it''s gone." She said.


    Everyone quickly looked back and that''s when it clicked in their heads. The broken tform that protruded out of the side of the ship was in fact a missing part that was probably destroyed in the battle.


    "That must''ve been one hell of a battle. This ship is in pieces." Kicking a random barrel, in front of him, Arthur walked forward. "Well, there must be something we''re supposed to do. It should be an enemy that we must kill or maybe an objective we must aplish."


    Seeing that Arthur didn''t seem to understand what was happening either, I decided to change their approach.


    "Let''s spread across the deck and search."


    "For what exactly?"


    "Anything that you might think is interesting or eye-catching." She said. "We don''t have options he-"


    *RNNNNNNG*


    At that very moment, and out of nowhere, a very sharp sound assaulted their ears. The noise was akin to the creaking of old wood against each other. Thousands of these old nks just howling loudly as if they were living beasts.


    "What the hell?!" Arthur and the others quickly covered their ears as they almost fell to the ground. The sound was simply too loud.


    "What is happening?!"


    "My ears!!"


    They all struggled against the pain of the noise. Itsted for a few seconds and they were unable to move at all. However, upon regaining theirposure, the source of their noise presented itself in the most horrifying way. Something was descending toward them.


    After all, if they''re on a ship flying through the sky¡­ There is nothing that should stop another ship from falling on their heads. Sky ships are after all¡­ Sky ships.


    A grandiose shadow loomed over their small bodies from above. Everyone instinctively looked up and for a moment, all they could see was nothing but darkness.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 83: Chapter 83- The Burning Cadavers (Part 1)

    "Holy shit!!!" Arthur felt his entire heart almoste out of his mouth at that moment. Seeing the giant ship fall toward them, his survival instincts kicked in.


    His eyes looked down and his brain did a quick calction to find the optimal way to escape this. His reaction was speed was a little faster than everyone else so he was able to have a split second to make a decision. Something the others didn''t have.


    The position of the group was a little spread out with the closest person to Arthur being I. The others were still near the wooden tform where they came from. At the same time, the falling ship was falling toward Arthur and I.


    Its massive size was bound to also affect the others if they didn''t move. However, Arthur knew that he and I were in the biggest threat. All of that happened in Arthur''s head almost instantly.


    He didn''t even realize that he was able to think that fast as the threatpletely upied his mind.


    Read new chapters at m_v-l''e-NovelFire


    "Move!!!" He dashed toward I as he grabbed her by the waist and lifted her up. "Sorry! I have to do this!"


    Then, he looked around him and quickly dashed in the opposite direction. At the same time, the others quickly snapped out of their shock as they panicked and tried to move out of the way.


    They all tried to get ready for the impact that was bound to happen. At the veryst moment, they all ducked down as the falling ship smashed into the deck.


    *BOOOOOOOOOM*


    The impact was so strong and loud that the entire world seemingly shook around them. Wooden nks and debris flew everywhere at horrifying speeds. Giant cracks spread across the entire ship in every direction.


    "Oh no!" Arthur lifted his head up, only to see the ship about to be split in half. It didn''t take a genius to understand the disaster if that happened.


    "I, can you move?!" He said as he quickly stood up.


    Thetter shook her head as she stood up too.


    "We need to make a run for it! The ship is about to fall on our heads!" He said as he looked up.


    Surprisingly, the falling ship didn''t instantly tilt to either side. Instead, it stood there for a few seconds as if it were a nail pinned into Ad. However, the cracks didn''t give them that much leisure.


    They were spreading very quickly and the sound of the wood breaking filled the entire world. Arthur and I knew that and didn''t waste time as they started running toward the other side.


    The cracks chased after them, almost making them stumble and fall.


    ''Faster!'' Arthur didn''t dare to look behind him as he only focused on running to safety.


    "On my count, we will jump!" I said. "We won''t be able to run for long! The cracks are spreading far too quickly."


    "I know! On your count!"


    "1¡­ 2¡­ 3¡­ Jump!" I eximed as she leaped forward. Arthur followed suit.


    At the same moment, the ship finally snapped in half and a huge chunk of it started tilting back slowly. In a few seconds, the entire chunk separated from the main ship and started descending into the endless abyss.


    "Hah¡­ Hah¡­ Hah¡­" Arthur heaved up and down as hey on the deck. His heart was beating so fast that he could feel it against his chest. "That was close." He muttered.


    "Are you ok, I?" He asked the girl next to him.


    "Tsk, my head." The girl was holding the back of her head with a pained look before she slowly stood up. "I''m fine."


    "I!! Are you ok?!"


    "I!"


    "Are you both good?"


    The others quickly rushed toward them in a hurry. The panic in their voices was real as they had witnessed what just urred.


    "We''re fine, more or less," Arthur replied as he looked up at the unknown ship. The thing was still pinned horizontally as if it had no intention of falling yet. The threat they felt when they assumed that it was about to fall on them was weirdly wrong. "Where the hell did thate from?"


    "It appeared out of nowhere," Herculia said. "This is ridiculous! I have never expected a goddamn ship will fall on our heads from the sky."


    "It looks awfully simr to this ship," Danny replied. "Are they from the same fleet of ships?"


    "It looks like it. Both of them are in horrible conditions too." Emmy muttered with a pale expression. "I don''t feel good about this. What should we do now?"


    "..." Arthur pursed his lips as he kept staring at the ship silently. He also felt something off from this. Apart from the fact that it almost squashed him to death, the looming shadow of the ship made him feel a chill run down his spine.


    He didn''t know why he felt that or if it was simply its humungous size, but Arthur wasn''t rxed at all.


    "Is it¡­ going to remain in that position?" Danny asked.


    "... It seems so. This is a flying ship we''re talking about. It''s defying gravity." I replied. "However, whatever this memory gate wants us to do, it most definitely has something to do with this ship. We have to figure it out if we want to get out of here."


    The event that just happened wasn''t a coincidence and they knew that very well.


    "For now¡­ Let''s wait and see what will happen. This is definitely not the end." Arthur said as he turned around to walk to the other side. "We can''t move anywhere else, anyway."


    ''I need to check the other side of the ship. I''m not feeling easy at all.'' He frowned deeply as he started walking.


    "What should we do, I?"


    "... For now, let''s inspect the exterior of the ship. We can''t get into it yet when it''s standing like this. But, if things came to it, we will have to find a way inside."


    However, at that moment, the group heard a noiseing from the fallen ship. Immediately, they all turned to look at it at the same time.


    There, they saw it. At the very peak of the standing ship, a silhouette appeared out of nowhere. Since it was very far away, they couldn''t really see it clearly. However, the thing they were certain of was that it wasn''t human at all and the reason for that was simple.


    ''Is it¡­ burning?'' Arthur blinked in shock. There was no mistaking it, the creature, whatever it was, was burning with a blue me. A very bright me thatpletely engulfed its body.


    "What the hell¡­ is that?" Herculia muttered.


    At the same time, the creature slowly stepped forward, getting closer and closer to the edge. Then, it fell.


    Like a meteor, it descended to the ground quickly, smashing into the wood with a loud bang. Then, it slowly stood up, revealing its full appearance.


    The creature was of an average human''s height. It had no skin, nor flesh, just bones. They were charcoal ck in color as if they were absorbing all the light around them. Its skull was human-like with no eyes, nose, or lips for that matter.


    Just a cursed cadaver of a burning human. Nobody moved as they looked at the monster. After all, what were they supposed to do when such an unexpected thing appeared in front of them?


    However, their worst nightmare was yet toe. Before they could even take in what just happened, another silhouette fell from the top of the ship. Then, another one, and another one after that. In quick session, many silhouettes started falling to the ground one after the other. All look the same as if they were copies of one another.


    Before anyone could realize it, dozens and dozens of these creatures filled the deck. An entire army of these skeletons faced the group.


    Slowly, it sunk into their minds¡­ A battle had begun before anyone could even expect it.

 Chapter 84: Chapter 84- The Burning Cadavers (Part 2)

    The burning monsters stood there silently as if they didn''t notice the group''s presence. However, it didn''t take long for them to finally take the first step forward. Surprisingly, their me didn''t seem to be burning the wood they were walking on.


    However, that didn''t make the situation any better for Arthur and the others. Without realizing it, they all started taking steps back. The burning monsters slowly invaded the deck as they moved toward their targets.


    "You have got to be¡­ kidding me," Arthur muttered with a dark expression.


    "Oi, oi, oi, what the hell is this? I didn''t sign up for an entire army of monsters! I thought you said that there is only one boss enemy." Danny clenched his teeth. Thest thing he expected to see now was a skeleton army burning on blue fire.


    "I didn''t know about this either," Arthur replied as he slowly put his hand on his sword. ''Shit, there are too many, and they''re still descending from the ship.'' Looking up, he saw the burning mes falling to the ground like rain and it only made his heart sink deeper.


    "You bastar-"


    "This isn''t the time for petty arguments!" I said firmly. "Get your weapons! We''re going to fight!"


    Hearing her order, everyone instantly went into formation, staying close to one another. Arthur stood on his own, inspecting the enemy.


    ''They are moving very slowly. Didn''t they notice us?'' He asked himself. From what he could see, the monsters didn''t have any hostile aura yet which raised some questions. However, his unwanted answer came rather too soon.


    The first line of burning corpses suddenly twisted their necks at a horrifying speed as they looked up, straight at Arthur and the others. It was as if the moment they reached a certain distance, they noticed the enemy.


    After that, what ensued was simply¡­ a nightmare.


    The monsters suddenly screeched loudly. Their sharp, inhumane voices almost ripped Arthur''s ear drums. With that, they dashed forward at full speed, like a wave of fire heading straight toward the end of the deck.


    "Shit!!"


    The sudden burst of anger took everyone by surprise.


    "Emmy!!" I shouted as she lifted her sword up in the air. A purple halo appeared around the de as she activated one of her abilities.


    "Right on it!" Emmy waved her staff as she closed her eyes. Her mouth muttered a few incoherent words as the orb on the staff shone with bright blue. At the same time, above her head, long blue shards of ice appeared out of nowhere.


    Each one is as long as an arrow and there were at least a dozen of them. Then, Emmy opened her eyes and swung her staff forward. Instantly, the shards flew forward at full speed.


    *BOOM*


    Each hit a different target right in the chest as they fell to the ground. However, the moment those dozen monsters fell, they were reced by even more burning cadavers. That attack didn''t stop the bestial charge of the monsters.


    "Get ready for the impact!" Said as she took a fighting stance before dashing forward. Quickly, she found herself facing the first monster and swung her sword, cutting its head before it could attack her. Then, she quickly turned around and sliced another two monsters sessively.


    The creatures attacked her from different angles, like rabid animals. Their arms stretched forward, trying to grab her. The mes surprisingly didn''t feel hot up close but she didn''t want to know what could happen if she touched them. I was way faster and way smarter. Using that agility, she was able to dodge the attacks while dealing devastating damage to the monsters. Your adventure continues at m v|l-e-NovelFire


    Each swing of her sword killed a burning cadaver.


    ''They''re easy to kill. But¡­ There are so many.'' She clenched her teeth as she channeled her mana into her hand and threw a ball of gravity in the middle of the masses.


    A massive explosion erupted, sending many creatures flying everywhere. The monsters continued flooding the entire ce endlessly.


    "We''re behind you, I!"


    At the same time, Herculia and Danny dived straight into the chaos. The big man used his massive body to break through the monsters'' lines.


    "Get a taste of my ''Charging Bull'' ability, you small bastards! Hahahahaha!" Like an unstoppable tank, Herculia bashed through through anything that got in his way without stopping.


    "Don''t get too far, Herculia!" Danny said as he threw several daggers from his inventory, hitting all his targets right in the skull. His aim was shockingly good. Then, he pulled his light sword out.


    *Swish*


    Then, like a ghost, he vanished from sight, only to appear behind several monsters. A momentter, the targets were sliced through several times as they fell to the ground dead.


    ''They don''t seem to have good eyes if any. ''Sessive shes'' is working.'' He thought as he dashed forward, cutting through his enemies.


    Meanwhile, Emmy kept throwing projectiles everywhere without stopping. Her ''Maria''s Heilroom'' ne made her casting speed considerably faster which made her able to cast even more abilities in way shorter time.


    The group was working harmoniously and effectively. Knowing what each one would do, they were able to coordinate their attacks and help each other. In less than a minute, countless corpses fell dead to the ground.


    Nothing could stand in their way. But, that didn''t mean that their situation was getting any better. The group quickly noticed that the more monsters they killed, the morended on the deck and the more crammed the entire ce became. They were on the offense, but they were also pushed into retreating slowly as the ce became a parade for the Burning Cadavers.


    Nobody could stop to even take a breather.


    ''We''re being cornered.'' I''s face grew darker when she realized the truth. However, her sword didn''t stop swinging for a moment. She couldn''t afford stopping or the monsters were bound to overwhelm her. ''This isn''t good at all. At this rate, we won''t have anywhere to move.''


    She didn''t know what to do yet. Her group was trying to hold their ground, but that wasn''t going tost long. She had to find a solution or a different n before it was toote. But, what n can shee up with?


    "Don''t back down. Keep pushing! They will eventually stop spawni-" Before she could finish her sentence, her eyes looked to the side, only to see the most shocking sight of it all.


    On the other side of the deck, far away from the group, she saw horrifyinglyrge piles of monsters appearing out of nowhere. With each passing second, several would fall to the ground. Red projectiles flew everywhere, assaulting everything in their way.


    At the same time, she looked down, only to see Arthur in the middle of it all. He was moving at terrifying speeds. Both of his hands swung everywhere, faster than the normal eye could see.


    Even in the middle of all that swarm of burning cadavers, he didn''t seem to be stoppable let alone kible. The monsters couldn''t catch him, and instead the moment they got close, their heads flew off.


    Meanwhile, Arthur was simply in his own world. Before he realized it, he was engrossed in the battle. No second thoughts or unnecessary ideas came to his mind. He didn''t even realize how devastating he was at that moment.


    ''Fast¡­'' I''s eyes widened. ''How fast is he¡­ I can barely see it.''


    She could swear that with each passing second, Arthur was getting faster, more brutal, and more effective. He was akin to a killing machine. For some reason, that riled up I in a weird way. Her eyes shed with a weird glint and she quickly turned to the enemies in front of her.


    "I can''t fall behind. No, I cannot afford to fall behind."


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 85: Chapter 85- Mortal Slash

    The sight of the battle from an outsider''s point of view could be summed up in one single word¡­ Ridiculous.


    What one could see from far away was a destroyed ship floating in the air with another ship pinned into it horizontally. On it, a group of humans were fighting an army of burning corpses.


    There was simply no normal way of describing such a scene and not sounding insane. Yet, it was happening in real-time.


    Minutes had passed like hours on the group and their struggle only grew harder with each passing second. They killed and killed without stopping for a moment and yet that didn''t seem to do much. The numbers weren''t going down and the deck was only getting filled with more corpses and more enemies. They were surrounded from all angles, fighting a battle that seemed like a hopeless one.


    However, nobody backed down. They fought with every single ounce of strength they had. One after the other, they attacked every enemy in their way. They had no time to rest or think.


    They faced the imminent threat with courage unlike anything else. But, if courage was enough, they would''ve not ended up in such a situation. They were stuck, unable to do anything that could truly help them.


    That naturally meant one thing¡­ Mistakes were bound to happen.


    "AGH!!" Danny groaned loudly as he felt a sharp burning pain assault his arm. Looking down, he saw a monster grabbing him tightly. The blue fire was assaulting his skin relentlessly.


    ''It''s¡­ It''s cold!'' Danny mused in shock. The fire, against his expectations, wasn''t hot. Instead, it was so brutally cold that it left a burning mark on his arm.


    "Danny!" Herculia saw that as he quickly pushed all the monsters around him and rushed to help his friend. With a single punch, he sent the monster flying like a ragdoll. "Are you ok?"


    "Tsk¡­" Danny shook his hand to get rid of the pain and nodded. "I''m fine. Hah¡­ Hah¡­ Be careful of the fire, it''s very cold.." Explore more at m,v l''e-NovelBin


    "A cold fire?"


    "I don''t know why. But it''s extremely cold."


    "... What the hell are these creatures?" Wiping the sweat off his face, Herculia stared around him with a dark expression. "We aren''t making any progress. They''re like little insects. No matter how many you kill, they still keeping out of nowhere."


    Danny instinctively looked at the standing ship with squinted eyes as he pushed a few monsters away from him. ''How are they stilling out of that thing? That ship shouldn''t be able to fit this many monsters.''


    "Something isn''t adding up¡­" He clenched his teeth as he looked down again. ''We aren''t fighting something normal.''


    Meanwhile, I was deep into the enemy lines, cutting long paths through them. Her gravitational abilities were devastating to insane degrees not only because they were extremely powerful against clusters of enemies, but also because they effectively neutralized all the enemies upon contact.


    However, I was already reaching the end of her endurance. Her stamina and mana were depleted considerably and she was starting to feel that deep exhaustion. However, every single time she felt the pain of exhaustion, she looked up and saw Arthur still destroying the enemy lines like an assault machine.


    He didn''t seem like he was getting exhausted. That instinctively pushed her even further. If Arthur was trying that hard, why shouldn''t she try hard too?


    She couldn''t let her team down now. However, even with all of that, there was always a limit she knew that she was bound to reach if things continued this way.


    Minute after minute, her power waned and she was getting overwhelmed just like her friends. But, I was too prideful to ask for help. She didn''t want to appear weak in front of her team. After all, if I shows weakness, their morale would plummet instantly. She was their pir that must never fall.


    ''Think, think¡­ What should I do?'' She ran through countless ideas during that time and yet none seemed to be applicable.


    There was simply no viable thing to do at that moment that would truly put an end to these monsters.


    What she didn''t know was that Arthur was having the same dilemma. He didn''t know what to do either.


    ''Hah¡­ Hah¡­ They burnt me a few times¡­ My health is good, but I can''t say the same for my stamina.'' He clenched his teeth. ''There has to be a different way of getting rid of all of these bastards. In one fell swipe.''


    If Arthur''s calctions were correct, he only had enough mana left in his bar for one more attack before he had to drink a potion or rest. Both would take valuable time that he cannot afford to waste. So, he had to somehow end this battle quickly if he didn''t want the inevitable loss.


    ''Something that can end this fight quickly¡­ Something¡­'' At that moment, Arthur''s eyes widened as a sharp idea pried into his head. An idea so ridiculous, that his entire body shuddered. However, that idea also drew a wide-crazed smile on his face.


    ''Arthur¡­ You goddamn lunatic genius! This could work!!'' He thought to himself as he sliced through several enemies. Then, he quickly turned around and looked at the others. Changing his trajectory, he rushed toward them, cutting through the waves of enemies as he bore the burning pain of the blue mes assaulting his skin.


    Eventually, he reached them.


    "Arthur?" I frowned.


    "I have an idea. I need your help and everyone''s help." He said quickly.


    "What idea?"


    "I can''t exin yet, follow me." He said, as he rushed past her toward the empty side of the deck that wasn''t invaded yet by the monsters. It wasn''t a big area by any means, but he reckoned that it was enough.


    "Herculia, Danny,e back here! Change of ns!" He yelled loudly.


    "Huh?"


    "A new n?"


    The two didn''t understand what was happening, but they didn''t try to argue as there was no time to argue. Even Danny had to ignore the hatred he had toward Arthur as he knew it wouldn''t bring him any benefit.


    Quickly, the yers regrouped near Emmy. The monsters chased them quickly when they noticed that.


    "I cannot exin, but just trust me," Arthur said as he stood in front of them.


    "What are you going to do?"


    "Just watch." Arthur grinned and stared at the waves of monsters approaching them. There wasn''t a ce where he could look that wasn''t invaded by these burning cadavers. However, Arthur took a deep breath and put his hand on his sword handle.


    ''I have already used this ability before¡­ But, not to this level.'' He mused as he closed his eyes and took a weird fighting stance. He channeled every single ounce of mana he had in his body into his sword all at the same time.


    That was when they saw it. His sanguine de suddenly exploded with a ck, almost demonic aura. Its sheer strength made the air current change. The tentacles of ck aura spread everywhere around Arthur as he quickly.


    "What is that?" I muttered with a horrified look on her face.


    "..." Nobody moved as they watched Arthur''s de leave its sheath.


    The more of it appeared, the darker the aura became. Then, when it was fully out, it surprisingly vanished out of nowhere.


    Arthur slowly lifted the sword up as he looked at the waves of monsters. His eyes were deadly cold.


    "... Mortal sh."


    Then, all hell broke loose.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 86: Chapter 86- Pushing Forward

    Upon descending, the sword''s energy was sted forward at full speed. A massive ck sword sh moved like a sh, toward the enemies. Its sheer power made the air shift quickly.


    The sh instantly reached its targets and sliced through them with ease. No, far more than that, it disintegrated the burning cadavers. Their cries of horrible pain echoed in the entire ship. Their corpses turned into ashes as they were swept away. Dozens and dozens of these creatures were incinerated in almost an instant.


    But, the sh didn''t seem like it had any intention to stop. Moving through the army of corpses, it sted a massive trail through them that left nothing alive. The sight was truly horrifying.


    None of the others could truly understand what just happened. After all, Arthur had just killed at least a hundred of these monsters with a single attack. Their eyes were wide and their mouths hung open.


    Meanwhile, the one in question looked attentively at the sh and where it was going. A few secondster, it smashed into the falling ship with a loud bang and sted a good chunk of its keel and lower parts off.


    [Ding!]


    [Mortal sh has leveled up.]


    "Now!" Arthur ignored the notification and yelled. "Follow me! We need to push that ship down!"


    "Huh? Push it down?"


    "They''reing from that ship! If we can make it fall off Ad, we won''t have to deal with more of them!" He exined as he started running through the massive trail. "Emmy, guard our backs for a few seconds."


    "... I-I got it!" Emmy snapped out of it.


    "Hurry! Don''t waste time!" Arthur clenched his teeth. ''I hope we have enough time. The other monsters will recover soon. We can''t waste a single moment."


    I shook her head and rushed after Arthur. Then, Danny and Herculia followed suit. The four of them quickly moved through the massive trail that Arthur left behind, heading straight toward the pinned ship.


    The sound of the massive structure screeching and howling as if it was about to fall reached their ears. It was a terrifying sound that cannot be described with mere words. Meanwhile, swarms of Burning Cadavers descended down to their level non-stop.


    ''Shit, this is going to hurt!'' Reaching the ship, Arthur put his hands on its wooden hull and then exerted every ounce of force left in his body. "Come on! I gotta¡­ Push it forward!"


    The others didn''t trail behind that far as they also reached the target and put their arms on it.


    "Push as hard as you can!" Arthur said between his clenched teeth.


    "HAAAGH!! Come on, move!" Herculia growled as he looked up. The monsters were falling on top of their heads. However, Emmy was quickly sniping them down as fast as she could. Still, the cold fire fell on their heads. It burning frost hurt them greatly.


    At the same time, the other monsters finally noticed what the group was doing and rushed toward them to finish them off.


    "Put your back into it." I pushed every ounce of mana in her body as she injected it into the ship. One of her abilities called ''Gravity Swap'' can temporarily change the gravity around an object to reduce its weight. However, even then, her ability could never actually move such a massive structure.


    She was still far too weak to do that. However, if this meant making their chances better, then she had to do it.


    Meanwhile, Arthur activated Lonesome Warrior''s Howl for extra strength. His arms bulged visibly as his heart started beating faster, supplying even more blood into his body.


    "Please!!" Arthur closed his eyes. ''Goddamit, please¡­''


    The sound of the ship creaking and howling increased in intensity as debris started falling down. The ship slowly swayed forward.


    "We''re doing it! Just one more push!" Arthur yelled.


    Nobody answered as they put their everything into their arms and legs. The sound continued growing louder and the swaying became more visible. However, at the same time, the monsters were already a few meters away.


    *CRACK*


    At that very moment, something changed. A loud cracking sound echoed everywhere. Arthur opened his eyes widely as he looked up to the sky. All he could see was that the skyship started tilting on its own. At the same time, the area where he was standing started breaking.


    "Retreat!!!" He yelled as he turned around and pulled his sword out as he dashed back. "We need to get as far away as possible."


    The others didn''t wait a moment as they quickly rushed back. However, they were instantly faced with the army left alive. Their numbers were considerably less than before after Arthur''s devastating Mortal sh, but they were still there.


    "We will cut our way through again," I muttered as she swung her sword.


    At the same time, the skyshippletely tilted forward, leaving a giant crater behind on the deck. Its fall was slow and devastating. All the monsters that were close to the area were caught in the impact as they started falling along with the ship. Tens of clueless monsters couldn''t escape that gruesome fate. Even more were unable tond on Ad as they slid off into the endless sky beneath.


    The group cut their way through the army as they got farther and farther away from the area of the impact.


    Arthur looked over his shoulder at the magnificent sight of the giant ship falling into the abyss. Massive chunks of wood and metal were sted everywhere. In a few seconds, the ship waspletely detached from Ad and started free-falling. The cracks spread everywhere at the same time.


    ''We aren''t safe yet. This ship might not hold on!'' Arthur thought to himself. Seeing the damage, he feared that Ad might break apart and start falling too. He didn''t know how much this ship is truly able to handle. But, he decided not to even think about it and pray that it stay intact.


    "Don''t stop! We aren''t safe yet!" shing through several enemies with his bloody ws, Arthur looked at his group. I, Danny, and Herculia weren''t that far away. "We''re almost there!"


    Hearing that, they felt their exhausted bodies fill with some energy. After all, if they make it back, the battle is done. The monsters remaining won''t be a problem as they had already killed a huge chunk of them at that moment.


    Slowly, step by step, they cut their way to the other side of the deck. After an arduous journey, the path finally opened up to them and they were able to pass.


    Many of the monsters tried to chase after them but they were instead pushed off the ship from the impact of the fall.


    "Are you guys ok?" Emmy asked as she wiped the beads of sweat off her face. She was feeling very exhausted after casting that many spells in such a short period of time.


    "Don''t drop your guard yet. There might more en-" Arthur turned to look over at the other side, only to realize something. "... They''re¡­ gone?"


    The only thing he could see was piles of corpses on top of each other and remnants of the battle that just urred. There was no trace of a single living monster left.


    "..." The boy blinked in shock. "We''ve killed them all, already?" He muttered. Arthur didn''t think that they had truly obliterated the entire army this quickly. After all, there were so many left.


    He had underestimated how devastating they were to this army.


    "Arthur, you bastard, you did it!!" Herculiaughed loudly as he hit Arthur''s back roughly. "That was so cool! The sword sh destroyed those idiots!!"


    "..." Arthur looked over his shoulder. "That was nothing¡­"


    ''Though, I was also a little surprised at how effective Mortal sh was against these monsters. I already knew that it dealt a lot more damage to undead monsters. But, I didn''t know if these were undead or not at first. It seems they were indeed undead.'' He thought to himself.


    "Good job, Arthur." At that moment, Arthur heard I speak. "If it weren''t for you, we would''ve not been able to get out of this alive."


    "..." The boy blinked in surprise as he stared at I.


    "She''s right, Arthur. That idea was crazy, but we could''ve not done anything else." Emmy nodded her head.


    "Thank you, pal!"


    Seeing the smiles on their faces, Arthur didn''t know how to feel at that moment. A sensation he had never had before filled his heart. It was so weird and yet at the same time, it wasn''t bad at all. In fact, he liked it very much.


    Shaking his head, heughed. "It''s really fine. I alwayse up with ridiculous ideas, that doesn''t mean they always work."


    "Who cares, it worked well! I believe it''s over now, no?" Herculiaughed.


    "Hm?" Arthur frowned as he looked around him. "... We should be teleported out if it''s over."


    "Hm, it doesn''t seem like it is teleporting us."


    "..."


    The group went silent for a few seconds. Their expressions turned serious.


    "So¡­ What is happening guys?"


    At that very moment, something suddenly flew up in the air out of nowhere, reaching very high in the sky.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 87: Chapter 87- Lykean, The Child Of The Azure Flame

    *Swish*


    The object was considerably big, appearing almost like a zing blueet in the air. The fire reached a certain altitude and then started descending and its direction was very clear.


    Nobody understood what was happening for the first few seconds. But, when they realized what was about to happen, they snapped out of it.


    "It''sing our way," Arthur muttered. "It''sing our way! Move!!"


    Instantly, they all scattered away as fast as they could. A few secondster, the zing ball smashed into the deck and the fire exploded everywhere. The sheer shockwave sent everyone flying as they lost bnce.


    They smashed into the ground, rolling several meters away. Arthur barely stopped himself as he dug his nails into the ground. Looking up in shock, he noticed Danny still rolling down toward the edge of the ship.


    ''Shit!'' Without thinking twice, he stood up and rushed toward him. At the veryst moment, when Danny was about to fall, Arthur grabbed his arm.


    "Hnng! I got you!" He said with a difficult expression. "Grab¡­ The other hand¡­ Quick!"


    Danny looked up in shock. He didn''t expect Arthur to be the one to save him from falling. He was stunned for a moment.


    "Hurry!"


    The second yell snapped him out of it as he quickly grabbed Arthur''s hand then he pulled him up slowly.


    "Hah¡­ Hah¡­" Arthur heaved up and down and looked around him quickly. Luckily, none of the others ended up falling from the edge. Then, his eyes went to the zing blue fire not that far away from them. It was so dense that he couldn''t see clearly what was within the fire.


    However, his senses were going off, alerting him to a very dangerous presence. A presence so strong that it sent chills down his spine. So far, Arthur only felt such a sensation from creatures that are leagues above him in strength.


    "What the hell?!" Without thinking twice, Arthur scrambled to his inventory and chugged down several potions quickly to regain his stamina, mana, and health bars back to the maximum.


    He knew that he was going to need that very soon after that. Whatever descended upon them wasn''t there for peaceful reasons.


    Slowly, standing up, Arthur looked closer at the zing fire. That was when he saw a glimpse of a very tall silhouette. Its body was charcoal ck like the other Burning Cadavers. However, the difference was that this creature didn''t seem like it was burning.


    Instead, Arthur could only describe it as being wrapped in those mes as if they were cradling it. Its skulls had shining eyes that pried through the me and peered at Arthur, sending terror through his very soul.


    [Boss enemy has been detected!]


    [Lykean, The Child Of The Azure me.]


    "... The Azure me¡­ So that''s its name." Arthur muttered in a daze. He already figured that this was a boss enemy from the moment he saw itnd there. But, the name was still very interesting. Not only because it was considerably longer than any other boss enemy he came across, but also because it revealed some information about what he was fighting.


    The two stared at each other silently as if they were trying to determine what the other could do. Thatsted precisely five seconds before a move was made.


    *Swish*


    "... Huh?" Arthur''s breath halted as his vision was suddenly assaulted by the bright me. The next split second, he realized that the monster had appeared in front of him at enormous speed.


    ''Shit!!''


    Arthur ducked down at thest possible moment, dodging the flying hand that was about to st him. The cold fire still burnt his back. Still, Arthur rolled away as he unsheathed his sword again.


    At the same time, he summoned several arrows andunched them toward Lykean. However, the moment they got close to the fire, the blood arrows froze and fell to the ground.


    "What?!" Arthur''s eyes widened.


    At the same time, Lykean lifted his hand in the air and aimed it at Arthur. Instantly, balls of fire flew out like bullets, aimed toward him.


    Arthur quickly dashed to the side, leaving behind several trails of explosions. Each explosion was big enough to deal devastating damage to Arthur.


    But, what the boy didn''t realize was that even when he dodged them, the after-effect of it was still there. His body felt the biting coldness of the fire. At the same time, the monster rushed toward him.


    ''Why is it this goddamn fast?!'' Putting his sword forward, Arthur deflected the hand that was about to hit him. However, the moment the sanguine de made contact with the fire, it froze.


    Arthur quickly tried to retreat and create distance. But, the monstertched into his sword, knowing very well that he could not simply get rid of his weapon.


    His de slowly continued freezing as Arthur struggled to get it out. Discover exclusive tales on m,v l''e-NovelBin


    "You, bastard! Let go!!!"


    Activating ''Bloody w'', Arthur shed the monster''s arm brutally. The attack left a bloody mark on the arm and made the monster retract it, giving Arthur the ability to get his sword back.


    "That hurts!!" The boy groaned as he looked at his hand. His w was now frozen and rigid. The pain was naturally intense even with the 90% pain reduction that the game provides.


    But, Arthur couldn''t even have a moment to think as the monster attacked him again with more aggression. Its speed far exceeded that of Arthur so he found himself instantly in the defence, trying to dodge and deflect the attacks. However, every few seconds, he would get hit, feeling the Azure mes eating his skin.


    *BANG*


    "Agh!!"


    The boy flew back several meters, bouncing on the ground andnding on his stomach. The monster quickly chased after him to finish him off.


    ''Oh no!'' Arthur felt the imminent danger and tried to stand up, but he was toote to dodge. ''I''m gonna get hit!''


    However, at that moment, right before impact, a silhouette appeared out of nowhere.


    *BANG*


    With a swift kick, I threw the monster to the side with ease. The monster''s body looked like a weightless flying away before it quicklynded on the ground.


    "Are you ok, Arthur?" She rushed toward herpanion and gave him a helping hand.


    "I''m ok¡­ Hah¡­ That fucker got me good." Arthur grumbled as he looked at his melting hands. The ice was weirdly hard to break even though it looked like a thin sheet.


    "This boss isn''t going to be easy. That kick¡­ barely did any damage to its health." I frowned as she looked at the monster''s health bar. Even after getting hit twice, there was barely any change in it.


    "... I am pretty sure this is our ticket out of the memory gate. If we want to conquer it, we need to kill this bastard." Arthur replied as he punched his sword''s de, making the ice burst into small shards.


    "Easier said than done." She replied.


    "Hahaha, who said it''s going to be easy? Our friend here looks like he''s eager to fight and we''re going to give him exactly what he wants." Arthur grinned wildly as he took a fighting stance.


    I exhaled a small breath as she unsheathed her sword. "You''re odd." She muttered as a small smile appeared on her face.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 88: Chapter 88- Taste Of The Same Medicine.

    "AGH!!" Arthur as he was sted a dozen meters back,nding on the ground. The impact was very strong, but he didn''t wait a moment to regain hisposure as he immediately rolled mid-air andnded on his feet before he dashed to the side, barely avoiding the fire st that almost hit him.


    Meanwhile, I tried to close the distance between her and Lykean from behind. shing horizontally at his blind spot, she aimed for a lethal attack, only for the monster to suddenly lift his hand and grab her sword, freezing it in a moment.


    I clenched her teeth as she sent a flying kick to the monster''s side. At the same time, Emmyunched several projectiles toward the monster.


    The monster didn''t even bother to look as he lifted his hand and sted several fireballs, easily hitting every projectile before it could reach him.


    "You bastard! AAGH!!" Herculia charged toward Lykean with a loud roar. His body was fortified with ayer of defense he cast upon himself.


    *BANG*


    Smashing into his target, he surprisingly was able to pick it up as he moved with it toward the edge.


    "You''re going for a trip to hell!!" He grinned wildly as he ran even faster. However, what he didn''t realize upon grabbing the monster was that it suddenly lifted its hand up and then punched him in the stomach hard.


    Herculia''s eyes widened as all the breath was knocked out of his lungs. A massive chunk of ice covered his entire body in a moment before he sted back.


    "Herculia!!" Danny saw that and his face grew darker as he continued rushing toward the enemy before suddenly vanishing, appearing behind the monster. Activating his skill, he shed the target over 20 times in a split second. However, the moment he appeared again, he was on the ground.


    His sword was frozen and so was his right arm.


    ''This is bad¡­ Really bad¡­'' Arthur clenched his teeth in frustration. The battle had been going on for over 5 minutes now and he could only describe it with one single word¡­ ''Devastating''.


    The monster had singlehandedly beaten all of them with ease. It didn''t even seem like it was trying at that point. Using its fire, it was able to either freeze them or st them back, dealing heavy damage.


    Even Arthur struggled to fight it for long. His body was thrown again and again. Looking all around him, Arthur saw sheets of ice riddling the entire battlefield. Massive chunks of the deck were blown out.


    Arthur didn''t even know how Ad hadn''t fallen yet from all the severe damage dealt to it. However, he didn''t want to question it anymore.


    ''This can''t go for long¡­ We have somehow cut 30% of its health. But, that is nowhere near enough.'' Wiping his face, he stared at the monster fighting the others with his sharp eyes. ''By far, the biggest threat is that blue fire. It''s the reason we can''t get close from the monster and it''s also dealing a lot of damage. If I want to deal a heavy blow to it, I need to somehow get rid of that fire.


    But¡­ How?''


    No matter how he looked at it, the fire waspletely wrapped around the monster. There were no loopholes he could use and there was definitely no way of somehow nullifying that fire¡­ Or was there?


    Arthur frown grew deeper as he looked around him for a moment. "Goddamit, do I have to really try this? This is going to hurt like hell."


    Running his hand through his head, he cursed under his breath and then started moving again. He knew that he didn''t have time to actually think or weigh the options. After all, the battle was still ongoing.


    ***


    I, Danny, Herculia, and Emmy relentlessly attacked the horrifying creature from all angles. They used all their weapons, abilities, and techniques that they had learned.


    The sts of fire devastated them, almost killing them on several asions. I was the least affected as she was noticeably stronger than everyone else. But, at the same time, since she was the strongest, she had to carry all the weight of the monster''s aggro most of the time.


    Not only because she was the most aggressive, but also because Lykean seemed to identify her as the strongest out of the four so she must eliminated.


    *BOOOM*


    A massive fire flew toward the girl at horrifying speed she barely dodged it in the nick of time. Rolling on the ground, she threw a gravity ball at Lykean, only for it to end up freezing and exploding before reaching him.


    Then, the monster rushed toward her and sent a flying kick toward her face. The girl deflected it with her sword swiftly, making the kick slide off before she tried to hit the monster with another gravity ball right to the face.


    Lykean grabbed her arm at thest moment. The biting cold of the fire made the girl leak a small groan before she retracted her frozen arm and jumped back.


    "Hah¡­ Hah¡­" Heaving up and down, I''s body was shuddering visibly. After getting hit several times, her body temperature dropped sharply and that was naturally heavily affecting her. Her eyes were starting to turn hazy and she lost feeling in her limbs.


    Her skin was now an unhealthy blue color. However, she ignored all of that as she cracked the ice with a simple flick of her wrist and then lifted her sword up, ready for the next assault of the monster.


    Not even for a second did she think about running away or trying to take a moment to rest. She didn''t know where Arthur was or if he even was still alive. She only focused on her task of killing the monster¡­ If that task was even possible.


    ''I have to find a way to kill it¡­'' Breathing out small clouds of steam, she deflected and attacked her enemy continuously. The battle was fast-paced requiring her to take numerous micro-decisions in a split second.


    However, because of the ice, her body was growing slower and she couldn''t have the same reflexes as before.


    She was losing the battle and all she could see in the background was her team,pletely powerless against this terrifying monster.


    ''Was really impossible after all?'' I asked herself. ''This monster is too strong¡­ It''s way higher than our current levels¡­ We aren''t supposed to defeat it.''


    Logically speaking, this was indeed a battle they weren''t supposed to win. I could easily see that Lykean was at least 15-20 levels ahead of all of them. If they all died then that was the most logical oue.


    ''When logic is against you¡­ There is nothing saving you. We were never meant to win.'' She thought to herself. The world waspletely silent around her except for the sound of the battle she was in.


    ''Why even bother now? Losing will definitely cost me. But, it''s better to follow logic then to hope for nonsense.'' She thought to herself.


    I was a realistic person who never followed anything by logic. That was how she was able to pave her way up. If she saw that something was impossible, she wasn''t foolish enough to try and do it in hopes of it working. She simply took the other route that was realistic.


    She never understood those people who believed in miracles. For her, miracles were but a fool''s dream of getting something they knew deep down they would never get.


    This battle was such a case. She had no reason to continue a losing battle. As she was contemting what to do at that moment, slowly losing the will to swing the sword from all the exhaustion, she suddenly heard a loud yell.


    "I!! Duck down, now!!"


    The voice snapped her out of all her thoughts. Her eyes widened and for a split second, she didn''t understand what was happening. However, her body reacted instantly to the yell. Quickly, she moved down.


    At that moment, a silhouette appeared above her head. Looking up, she saw Arthur leaping in the air.


    Even Lykean was taken by surprise for a moment. He didn''t notice when Arthur snuck close to them as he was about to finish the girl in front of him. However, that didn''t mean that he couldn''t react. Lifting his arm up, he was about to summon another fireball and st Arthur at point-nk range.


    However, thetter grinned as he suddenly lifted his sword up.


    "Have some of your own medicine, bastard." He said as he stabbed forward.


    *BOOOOM*


    The sword stabbed into the monster''s hand ruthlessly, ignoring the cold aura of the fire. Then, for the first time since the battle started, Lykean screeched loudly.


    Arthur''s grin widened as he looked at his sword. A red fire covered the sanguine de as smoke rose in the air as the Azure me and the red me raged a way against each other.


    "I''m sorry for the inconvenience, sir. I''m not dying today~"

 Chapter 89: Chapter 89- The True Bastard Hero (Part 1)

    *One Minute Before*


    Emmy was moving her staff as fast as she could, casting every single offensive spell she had. She tried to attack the monster in its blind spots to deal damage. That worked a few times and she did chip some of his health bar. But, it was far from being effective as for each attack thatnded, there were another ten that were either dodged or destroyed before they could reach their target.


    That naturally meant that she was using a huge amount of mana but barely dealt any damage to the monster. That naturally made her even more frustrated. Her friends were struggling to fight and there she was, unable to do anything.


    ''Dammit, dammit, dammit! Just hit!'' She wiped her sweat as she chugged another bottle of mana to rejuvenate some of her mana as she got ready to start casting again. Knowing fully well that she wasn''t doing much, she simply kept pushing herself till she had no mana left in her body.


    Whether that was helpful to her team or not, she really couldn''t tell. But, deep down, the despair was eating away at her heart.


    At that moment, she noticed a silhouette approaching her. At first, she flinched thinking that it was another monster that didn''t die yet. But, when she saw that it was Arthur, she exhaled a small breath of relief.


    "Are you ok, Arthur? Can you still fight?" She asked.


    "I''m fine, more or less. Listen, Emmy, I have a request." He said as he looked at the battle ensuing as they were talking. "Do you have any fire buff spells?"


    "Fire buff?" She raised an eyebrow. "... No, I don''t have that."


    "Tsk." Arthur clicked his tongue, clearly displeased before he sighed. "Ok, do you have any fire spells?"


    "Yes, I have two spells. Fire balls and Fire Spray." She replied.


    "Fire Spray?" Arthur raised an eyebrow. "How effective is it?"


    "... Not that much. It''s very slow and doesn''t have a good range. I honestly bought it because it looked very cheap and didn''t consume that much mana."


    Arthur thought for a moment before looking down at his sword. ''This could work. Hopefully, it doesn''t destroy my sword, though. Ugh, fuck it, I can''t really think about that now.''


    "Arthur? What''s wrong?" She asked again when she noticed the serious look on his face.


    Then, he extended the sanguine de in front of Emmy. "Spray it on the sword."


    "Huh?"


    "Spray the fire on the sword. I have an idea." He said.


    "... What- You know what¡­ I''m not even going to ask." Emmy shook her head when she noticed the cold look on Arthur''s face. She didn''t know why, but that look made her feel a little fearful of the boy yet also a little hopeful. So far, Arthur had shown that he was reliable and strong so if he had an idea to somehow flip this horrendous situation, she was going to do whatever he said.


    Putting her staff on the sword, she activated ''Fire Spray''. Immediately, a spray of mes manifested from the staff, blowing straight into the sanguine de. The fire instantly caught into the de, slowly wrapping around it. Emmy moved her staff back and forth till the entire sword was covered in fire before she retracted her staff.


    "... Good enough," Arthur muttered. "Thank you, Emmy. This was helpful."


    "Hey, wait¡­ Before you go!" She called for him.


    "Hm?" Arthur looked over his shoulder.


    "Please¡­ Help I." She asked hesitantly.


    Arthur blinked, a little taken aback. He didn''t expect to see that kind of look on Emmy''s face at that moment. So far, the girl seemed like an expressionless person who doesn''t like to show emotions. However, the fact that she put that facade down out of worry for her friend showed him how she was truly deep down.


    Smiling slightly, Arthur nodded his head. "Don''t worry, she will be fine. Nobody will die. I guarantee it."


    ***


    *Present*


    The monster jumped back several dozen meters away from Arthur. Thetter looked down at his sword. After that hit, there was a residue of blood and fire remaining on his sword. ''I can only deal one other hit to this monster before the fire ispletely extinguished.''


    He already knew that the Azure me was far stronger than this normal fire coating his sword. A few hits were the most he could deal before the fire vanished.


    "Did that hurt?" He asked as he looked up at Lykean. "Some hot fire isn''t as pleasant, is it?"


    The monster red at Arthur coldly as its aura grew more hostile. Arthur could safely say that he didn''t enjoy that hit. His health bar had also taken a massive hit for the very first time since the battle started.


    "Arthur?" I was equally shocked at what just happened.


    "Sorry for taking that long. Had to do some things as you can see." Arthur said as he pointed at his sword. "You know¡­ To make the fight a little more fair."


    "..." The girl blinked silently. No words came out of her mouth at that moment. She was trying to understand what Arthur did and that didn''t take too long as a glint of understanding shed across her eyes a secondter. "Did you¡­?"


    Her eyes moved toward Emmy who nodded her head. Everything instantly clicked as I stood up again.


    "I don''t think I can fight this monster on my own. Mind helping me?" He asked. "Or are you too exhausted?"


    "... I can still fight. Don''t underestimate me." She replied coldly.


    "That''s what I wanted to hear. Hahaha. Well then, what are you waiting for?"


    For a moment there, I''s eyes shed with a fiery determination. All her negative thoughts vanished rather quickly. She didn''t know why, but even her logic was now put aside. This battle¡­ It wasn''t over yet.


    Arthur had somehow revived their chances with this idea. What she deemed to be near impossible is somehow now possible. All because of this boy. That hit I hard, but she didn''t notice that. After all, the fight was still ongoing.


    Arthur brandished his sword as he cracked his neck. "Ok, let''s do this."


    *Swish*


    Dashing forward at full speed, Arthur approached Lykean. The monster seemed taken aback at first as it looked at its blood arm. After the damage he sustained, a fear welled up in his heart. The fight waspletely under his control and he was getting close to killing the yers but somehow, they were getting back on their feet again.


    Looking to the side, he noticed I approaching Emmy to get her de ignited on fire. At the same time, Danny and Herculia were also following after her. They were all going to use the same technique Arthur used.


    "Never put your guard down when in a fight, idiot." Suddenly, he heard a voice from up close. Looking ahead again, all he saw was a wild grin as the sword descended upon him.


    The monster quickly tried to form a fireball that could stop it. However, the heat emitting from the sword sliced through the Azure me as it continued its descent.


    Blood splurted out of the Monster''s torso as the sword cut deep into Lykean''s flesh. The monster groaned as he quickly kicked Arthur in the side.


    "AGH!!" The boy clenched his teeth as he was sted back a few dozen meters, ending on the ground. "Damn, that hurts. But you''re in far more pain, aren''t you?"


    The monster''s eyes red up visibly. He shook off the pain he was feeling at that moment and focused on Arthur. However, at that moment, he suddenly felt two silhouettes approaching him from the sides.


    Danny and Herculia closed the distance toward Lykean. One swung his hammer down, intending to squash the monster while the other stabbed into its blind spot. Enjoy exclusive content from m v -NovelBin


    *BANG*


    The monster quickly tried to move away as fast as he could. But, the damage he already sustained made him considerably slower. Slow enough for the attacks not to miss him entirely. The hit sent Lykean flying to the ground.


    Quickly, he stood up, only to realize that someone was behind him. The moment he turned around, all he saw was two cold eyes before a sword stabbed into his body, piercing it cleanly.


    "Die." She said as she watched the monster''s health bar dwindle down quickly. The battle was over¡­ Very quickly.


    The monster tried to frantically move, but its Azure me grew weaker and weaker. The monster''s struggles slowly waned.


    But, at that moment, something weird happened. The health bar suddenly stopped decreasing. A very cold sensation filled I''s heart, something unlike anything that happened before.


    [Ding!]


    [Phase 2 has been triggered!]


    "I! Move!!" Thest thing she heard before everything went nk was Arthur''s yell.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 90: Chapter 90- The Bastard Hero (Part 2)

    I couldn''t feel anything. Her eyes wentpletely nk and her body lost all feeling. She didn''t understand what happened and her mind didn''t even try to. Her eyes opened slightly, feeling really tired for some reason.


    ''It''s¡­ cold.'' She thought to herself as she tried to move her hand. However, she couldn''t for some reason. Her ears were ringing loudly which was very ufortable but it didn''t concern her yet.


    ''Did I¡­ Die?'' She asked again, knowing she didn''t have the answer to that. After all, she herself didn''t know what caused her to end up like this. ''What did that monster do?''


    Her mind felt like it was frozen and incapable of thinking. As the ringing continued, I started hearing muffled sounds far away from her. The sounds were indistinguishable and hard to focus on.


    But, they still brought I a deep concern. For a second there, she forgot about her team.


    ''Are they¡­ ok?''


    ***


    "I!!" Danny yelled as he rushed toward the girl. But, at that moment, Lykean stood up slowly. The fire around him was now double in size. The temperature of the entire ce plummeted sharply as ice spread beneath the monster''s feet.


    His aura was now so massive and crushing that the yers froze in their ces. They didn''t know what to do at that moment at all. They felt fear unlike anything else before in their lives.


    Lykean stared at everyone for a moment, the rage in his eyes could be seen from a mile away. It was safe to say that he didn''t like what happened. For these weak yers to actually bring him close to his death. That was a hard hit to his pride.


    They had pushed him to his limit and now they will have to bear the consequences of their actions. It didn''t take him long to decide who was the first to perish. Slowly, Lykean turned around to the person lying down behind him.


    Wrapped in an ice sheet, Iy there, motionless. Her eyes were wide open but she couldn''t see or react. However, her body was still shuddering, indicating that she didn''t die yet. But, Lykean didn''t seem like he was going to let that stay the same as he slowly lifted his leg in the air.


    "No!" The other yers'' hearts sunk in when they realized what was about to happen.


    *Swish*


    Heartlessly, Lykean stomped down, intending to crush her to pieces with one hit. However, at thatst moment, a silhouette suddenly appeared out of nowhere, swiping I and quickly moving away before the monster could stomp it.


    "Sorry, my friend. I won''t let you do that." Arthur said as he gently put I down. "She ain''t a bug you can crush." He added in a hostile tone.


    Lykean looked up to the side, his eyes ring up visibly.


    "Hey, Emmy. Can you help her? Melt the ice. She''s still alive." Arthur said as he looked at I''s health bar. Even though it was going down rapidly, she still had time before it ispletely depleted.


    Enjoy new stories from m-v l''e|-NovelBin


    "Y-Yes!" Emmy snapped out of her daze as she rushed toward her friend. But, when the monster noticed that, he suddenly lifted his hand as he sted a massive fireball toward Emmy, who had her guardpletely down.


    "No, no, no." Arthur moved quickly, forming a bloody w on his left hand. shing down, he burst the fireball before it could reach its target. Naturally, that covered his hand in ice, but with a simple move, he broke the ice.


    "Shit, did your fire be even colder?" He asked as he looked at his hand. "Damn, you''re one persistent bastard."


    "T-Thank you," Emmy said as she continued moving toward I.


    "Herculia, Danny. Would you do me a favor?" Arthur took a fighting stance with his sanguine de in his hand. "Would you guard Emmy while she''s helping I?"


    "Huh? Are you intending to fight that thing on your own?" Herculia asked with a frown.


    "What do you think?"


    "That''s insanity! He''s even stronger than before, somehow!"


    "Well, do you have any other option? We''re all doomed if we don''t kill him. But, it seems I''m his target now and he won''t stop till he kills me." Licking his lips, Arthur continued. "I''m just giving him a chance to try."


    "..."


    The two couldn''t find anything to say at that moment. Seeing that Arthur was dead set on doing this, they couldn''t really do anything else. They were beyond exhausted and their health was at an all-time low. They could barely move anymore and so this was secretly something they wished for¡­ Some well-deserved rest.


    Seeing that they went silent, Arthur shook his head. "Let''s get this over with, you blue bastard."


    Lykean red at Arthur as it took a step forward. The boy did the same. Then, the monster started moving faster and faster, quickly running toward his target. Arthur did the same.


    In a moment, the two closed the distance from one another. However, at the veryst moment, Lykean did something unexpected. Out of nowhere, his body vanished, turningpletely into a massive ball of me.


    Before Arthur could react, the ball smashed into him violently. Groaning, Arthur quicklytched into the me. Weirdly enough, he found a grip as the fire flew up in the air.


    "Arthur!!"


    "AGH!! Don''t worry about me!" He said as he shed with his hand at the blue me. Immediately, he heard a muffled crying from inside the fire.


    ''So he''s still inside there. This is his phase 2 form.'' He thought to himself as he continued shing and punching the monster. Meanwhile, Lykean flew in the air like aet, going everywhere at enormous speed.


    The relentless attacks Arthur was dealing made him lose control of his direction. The two battled in the air as the monster went up and down, until it smashed into the ground, dragging Arthur against the broken wood.


    The boy felt immense pain at that moment. But, he clenched his teeth and continued hitting the monster. At this point, the icy cold fire had started eating at his body and arms. His skin felt horribly numb and his health was going down sharply.


    "Don''t¡­ Test¡­ Your¡­ Luck!!" He yelled as he used the sword and stabbed into the fire, making the monster shriek even harder. Lykean flew with them way higher in the air, going far away from the floating ship.


    "I had enough of your antics! Just fucking die!!" Arthur yelled as he channeled his mana into his sword, ready to activate Mortal sh. However, at that moment, Lykean suddenly manifested again in his previous form, staring directly at Arthur''s eyes from up close.


    The boy was stunned for a split second as the monster suddenly grabbed him by the throat as they started falling to the endless sky beneath.


    ''He''s¡­ choking me!'' Arthur struggled against the immense pressure being put on his neck. He could feel his bones shake from its sheer strength.


    But, that didn''t stop him from shoving his sword into the monster''s body, spilling blood everywhere around them.


    Meanwhile, the monster tries to finish off Arthur before he can finish him.


    Down on the ship, everyone watched the fight with horrifying silence. Nobody could truly describe what was happening at that moment. Even Danny waspletely stunned by what Arthur was doing in his ce.


    *BANG*


    Arthur punched the monster right in the face, turning his entire arm into ice. His left arm was the only functional one left. The monster panickedly tried to grab him again, only to suddenly hear a whisper in his ear.


    "It''s over¡­ Lykean¡­ It''s all over." Arthur said. That was when Lykean realized something.


    The sanguine de had started eating away from his body. Like a burnt ash, the de slowly destroyed him.


    An iprehensible howl escaped the monster''s throat as he tried to stop the de. But, by that time, it was all over.


    In a few seconds, Lykeanpletely disappeared, leaving behind nothing but ck ashes and a falling boy, going down into the sky beneath.


    Arthur''s eyes closed as he watched his health reach zero.


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed Lykean, The Child Of The Azure me.]


    [Memory Gate has been conquered.]


    Thest thing he saw was three notifications. He didn''t know what happened after wards.


    "Arthur!" Emmy yelled as she was about to stop melting the ice off I. But, Danny stopped her.


    "We can''t help him... He''s dead." He said as he shook his head lightly.


    Seeing him fall down, they couldn''t really do much to save him. None of them had the ability to fly and even if they did, seeing from how the fight ended, there was not a chance he was still alive.


    "Dammit!" Herculia cursed. "He actually did it! The bastard did it! He''s a maniac." He yelled loudly. "Even if he died. We can''t really leave Arthur behind.


    Wherever he ended, we muste back to him. Ya hear me?"


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 91: Chapter 91- Sacrifice Worth Taking

    "Hnng¡­" Arthur grumbled as he slowly opened his eyes slowly. His head was throbbing a little but he didn''t feel any sort of pain other than that. Even his body didn''t feel sluggish or slow as he expected it to be.


    "What the hell happened?" Slowly standing up, Arthur rubbed his eyes as he looked around him. "... I''m back in the forest." He muttered.


    He curiously looked around him only to realize something. Right next to him, a massive stone structure stood menacingly above everything else. His eyes slowly widened as he immediately recognized the pir.


    "... The Lesser Pir?" He muttered, a little shocked. Then, his eyes quickly moved toward the corner where he noticed many notifications he hadn''t checked yet. Opening them quickly, the very first thing he saw made him realize what happened.


    [You have died.]


    [You have lost 1% of your experience points.]


    [You have lost your 2 items: Ethereal ck Breastte, and Blood Hero''s Ring.]


    "..." Arthur stood therepletely silent for a moment. His expression was nk and his eyes were a little wide. Then, he slowly moved his hand up to his hair. "I died, huh?" He asked himself as if he didn''t believe it.


    It took him several seconds before sighed. "Oh well, I guess that was to be expected. Coming out of that battle alive was damn near impossible. In the end, we both killed each other, didn''t we?" Scoffing inwardly, Arthur looked up at the pir again. "The good thing is, it seems this pir is far more than just a map. It seems to be a spawn point whenever someone dies.


    At least¡­ I wasn''t sent back to the vige."


    Although Arthur was displeased with this death, he still didn''t feel too bad about it. After all, he had killed a monster that was a dozen levels or more stronger than him. It was an amazing achievement that he had never done before.


    ''Well, without their help, I would''ve never had a chance.'' At that moment, Arthur''s expression darkened.


    "I''m at least one day far away from them on horse''s back. Even more, now that I don''t have my horse. Tsk, this is bad."


    This wasn''t only a massive loss of time for him, it was also a massive loss of time for the others. That is of course, if they waited for him.


    "Like hell, they would. They had already done what they wanted to do. The most optimal thing to do is to just leave. They don''t even know that I''m considerably closer than expected. Oh man¡­" Rubbing his temple, Arthur sat down. "What should I do now?


    I mean¡­ There are really two options here. I can either go back to the vige and find another group to travel with, or I can continue on my own."


    Both options made Arthur frown. The first one was obviously not good because it wasted his time and could also potentially make him miss his appointment with Nina and Miro. It will also hinder his progress in the game.


    On the other hand, the second option was also bad because not only was it very risky and dangerous to travel this forest alone, but he also had no idea what lies beyond it or if he could even face such danger alone.


    It was a difficult choice. But, surprisingly, it didn''t take Arthur long to decide what to do.


    "I should just continue. I cannot waste more time. If I''m destined to move alone, so be it." He clicked his tongue and stood up again. He knew that he could very much regret this choice very soon, but he didn''t want to just leave it up to assumptions whether he could make it or not.


    But, before he could do any of that, he opened his notifications again to check what he gained from killing Lykean. "This better be worth it, ga-"


    Before he could even finish the sentence, Arthur''s face frozepletely.


    [Ding!]


    [You have defeated Lykean, The Child Of The Azure me.]


    [You have gained +700% experience points.]


    [You have gained +10 strength, +10 agility, +10 Mind, +10 Presence, +10 Health, +10 Stamina.]


    [You have leveled up 7 times.]


    [You have gained +14 Extra Points.]


    [You have acquired a new ability: Frost me.]


    "Holy!!" The boy blurted out. "Seven levels?! And +10 in all my stats?! This is ridiculous!"


    The cheer and excitement he felt at that moment was huge. Not only because this was by far the biggest evolution he had gone through, but also because it instantly pushed him leagues above in terms of power.


    "... No wonder I''m not feeling sluggish now. I''m charged with power! Hahaha! I feel invincible!" Flexing his arms, Arthur grinned. "Maybe, I can pull this off."


    Feeling over the moon at that moment, his low morale suddenly skyrocketed again. Things were fine after all, and there was no need to be terrified of what could happen.


    "What is this new ability I got though? Frost me?"


    [Frost me (Level 1): A weaker form of Azure me. Inflicts frost on target depending on their resistance. Requires mana to activate.]


    "Oh, a weaker version of that blue me? Interesting. That sounds very useful." Arthur rubbed his chin as he read the description. "I can definitely make use of this in many situations."


    Arthur was already aware of how much status effects like poison, frost, and several others can affect a battle. Frost for example can slow down the enemy and also make them open for more damage and attacks.


    Having such a me to use could be extremely powerful depending on the situation.


    "Ok, this was definitely worth the death. Screw the armor, I have gained a lot of good stuff."


    Although the armor was very useful, Arthur knew he could get way better items when he reached the capital. He only had to bear with it for a while.


    After that, Arthur finally put that away and opened the map. "So I can definitely get back on the road and move on the same path. Perhaps if I hurry, I might reach them quickly. But, I shouldn''t really bet on that too much. They must''ve already started moving."


    With that, Arthur finally moved out of the forest back to the road.


    "Let''s see what +10 in stamina and agility does." Stretching his arms and legs, he took a stance before dashing forward at full speed. "Woah!!"


    Almost instantly, he was taken aback by the sudden burst of speed he gained at that moment. It was so quick that he almost stumbled and fell on his face. But, he quickly regained his bnce.


    ''I''m moving way faster than I expected, hahaha!'' Smiling as he left the wind smack his face, Arthur dashed through the path almost as fast as a car. The scenery around him shifted so quickly. Each step he took crossed several meters with ease.


    As he ran, Arthur''s expression slowly returned back to normal. For some reason, as the excitement waned down with every passing minute, he started feeling a small bitter feeling in his heart.


    He couldn''t describe what that feeling was exactly, but it certainly was there. One thought came to his mind.


    ''I would''ve wanted to continue traveling with them, man. That was¡­ a lot of fun.'' He mused.


    He couldn''t lie and deny that traveling with I and her friends had been such a st so far. They had only been together for a few days and yet he had a lot of fun during them. Getting to know them and having those light conversations while fighting back-to-back made him experience somethingpletely new.


    ''I wonder what it is¡­''


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 92: Chapter 92- Friend Or Companion

    For the next several hours, Arthur only did one thing. He ran and ran without stopping. Using every single point of agility and every single point of stamina he had, he was hell-bent on crossing as much distance as possible before the end of the day.


    Stopping every now and then, he took a break to replenish his depleted stamina bar before resuming his trip. In a matter of half a day, Arthur noticed that he got close to the Memory gate again.


    His speed and continuous and relentless movement made it possible for him to cross a good distance in such a short period of time. Something that would have been impossible if he had done it before killing Lykean.


    "Wow¡­ 41 agility is no joke. I''m now so fast it''s actually insane." Sitting near a tree branch drinking a potion, Arthur looked at the map with a satisfied expression. His current position was still considerably far away from the ce where he died, but he was now way closer than before.


    "I will have to slow down my progress soon. I won''t be able to keep running at full speed for several days. I only have so many potions."


    Looking at his inventory, Arthur knew that if he kept using these potions recklessly, he would end uppletely exhausted before reaching his destination. That naturally would make traveling even more horrendous and slow.


    "For now, I just want to reach the memory gate as soon as possible. I don''t know if I can pick up my items again or not after dying." He muttered.


    So far, Arthur''s knowledge about dying in Divinity Online was very minimal, mainly because he didn''t research it properly. But, it was clear to him that dying in the game had a punishment and it was considerably hard.


    ''Losing experience points and items isn''t easy, especially on weaker yers.'' He thought to himself. ''I cannot afford to keep dying more and more.''


    As he was traveling, Arthur checked the leaderboard and as he expected, he made another leap of points, reaching well into the 11k points. I was behind him with 7000 points. Both of them had benefitted a lot from killing Lykean as the boss was very strong.


    ''I''m pretty sure the inte is in an uproar now. We both gained more than 3000 points each. This is ridiculous.'' He smiled to himself. ''Now that I think about it¡­ I''m d I didn''t die like I did. It would''ve really put her in a seriously bad situation.''


    Weirdly enough, Arthur was a little delighted that I remained alive. He knew that without her, the group would''ve been in a very tough position. Her importance in keeping them together was irreceable.


    "They can definitely continue forward without my help now. They''re all far stronger than before, I assume. They can definitely pull it off." Discover exclusive tales on m,v l''e-NovelBin


    Tapping on the ground next to him lightly, Arthur lost his trail of thoughts for a while. The sun had already set and the sky was dark so it was very quiet and serene around him. He was sitting near the road, keeping an eye on his surroundings as he rested.


    "I wonder if I will meet them again in the capital. I mean, they''re already on the Middle Ind with me so I can just ask I." He muttered. Still, the bitter feeling he tried to ignore was still there, even stronger than before.


    ''Dammit, why am I feeling bitter? They''re just a bunch of yers I coborated with for a goal and then we''re going our separate ways. What the hell am I even expecting?''


    Clenching his fists, Arthur plucked some grass and threw it away. "I''m such an idiot sometimes. Just focus on your own business and leave these thoughts to the side, you bastard."


    After that, he pulled out some stuff to eat to spend the rest of his break in peace. But, at that moment, he suddenly heard a distant noise. Almost instantly, he grabbed his sword that was lying on the tree next to him and stood up, looking directly at the source of the noise.


    ''Is it a monster?''


    Listening quietly to the noise, it continued growing closer and closer. He couldn''t figure out what it was at first, but as it became clearer, he started to have suspicions.


    ''Isn''t this the sound of¡­?'' As if he had an epiphany, he slowly walked out of his hiding spot into the road.


    He stood in the middle staring coldly at the empty path ahead. Soon enough, some silhouettes started appearing.


    ''I didn''t expect to meet some yers on this road of all ces. Why the hell are they traveling during the night? Do they wish for a quick death?'' Gripping his sword tightly, Arthur waited for them to get closer, expecting to see some strangers.


    However, upon having a look at their faces, he waspletely stunned.


    The yers stopped their horses a little far away as they noticed his presence. They were clearly wary of whoever he was.


    "Show yourself! Who are you?" A growly voice spoke to him in a not-so-friendly tone.


    That snapped Arthur out of his daze as he slowly stepped forward. His lips were pursed, quivering ever so slightly. "It''s me." He said.


    "Wait, Arthur?!" Emmy quickly lit up a fire on her staff as she made it float ahead of them, revealing Arthur''s face. "How are you here?"


    "... That''s my question." He replied. "Why are you guys here? Why didn''t you continue ahead?"


    Arthur wasn''t just shocked, he waspletely taken aback. Thest people he expected to see now were I and the others. He had already predicted that they would continue the trip on their own. Yet for some reason, they headed back on their path.


    "How can we move on without you?" I asked as she jumped back from her horse. "We decided toe back to get you." She said.


    "..." Arthur was againpletely speechless. "T-That makes no sense. Why waste all this time toe back? You could''ve continued on the trip without me."


    "..." I squinted her eyes. "What are you talking about, Arthur?" She asked as if she didn''t understand what he meant.


    "Why would we move on without you, brother? You''re now a part of our group! We don''t leave our friends behind, do we?" Herculia shrugged casually. "Isn''t that right, Danny?"


    "Tsk, we would''ve been fine without him¡­" The boy rolled his eyes as he looked away.


    "In any case, we cannot continue without you. You''re an irreceable part of the trip." I said as she opened her inventory and gave Arthur two items. "Here, we found these outside the gate when we came out of it. I assume they''re yours."


    Arthur, still bbergasted, looked at the items before he nodded faintly.


    "Good, let''s move on then. The time iste, but we can at least find a good spot to camp." She then turned around and walked back to her horse.


    "I think I saw a good spot not that far away from here," Emmy suggested.


    "Didn''t we spend the night around herest time?" Herculia asked.


    "We can''t keep using the same spots or we will catch monsters'' attention," Danny replied.


    As everyone was discussing their next step, Arthur watched them with wide eyes. The feeling he had at that moment was something he had never imagined before. Their words resonated in his head again and again like an echo.


    Eventually, a small smile drew on his face. A smile, unlike any smile he ever had.


    "Guys." He said.


    "Hm?"


    "... Thank you¡­ Foring back for me. I really¡­ I really appreciate that." He said awkwardly.


    ''A friend, huh? I guess that''s why¡­'' For some reason, Arthur wanted tough at how stupid he was. He had underestimated these people again even though they had shown him a good part of their nature already.


    They saw Arthur not as a mere coborator, but as apanion and as a friend. He had never imagined he would be gaining friends in such a manner, but he felt very happy with it.


    His very first friends in this life were in Divinity Online. It could''ve not been any more ironic than it already was.


    "Hey, don''t sweat it, man. Without you, we would''ve been screwed over." Herculiaughed.


    "We should be the ones grateful. The way you defeated that monster was amazing." Emmy added with a smile.


    "I couldn''t see what happened. But, from what they told me, you had put your life at risk to deal a deadly blow. I am grateful for that, Arthur. You have given us a lot." I turned around and looked at him straight in the eyes. He could see the genuine gratitude emitting from her eyes at that moment.


    A//N: Sorry for taking a while to update thest tier :) I hope you enjoy and support the book, friends.

 Chapter 93: Chapter 93- New World

    *One Day Later*


    *ROAR*


    Under the bright light of the sun, a giant fanged wolf growled loudly in pain as it felt a sharp sword stab through its chest, exiting it from its back. In a moment, the monster fell to the ground, unable to move or breathe, dying rather quickly.


    Arthur retracted his de as he looked up with a sigh. "Fuuh, is that thest one?" He asked as he turned to look at the others. I sliced one wolf''s head as she nodded. "Yes, there are no more."


    "AGH, my back. These things never end." Herculia cracked his back.


    "We havee across a huge number of monsters the past day. They''re getting more frequent and stronger." Emmy replied.


    After starting their trip again, the group immediately noticed that the forest had started spitting out even more enemies in their path. The monsters were more aggressive, stronger, and seemingly smarter than the ones before.


    That naturally led them to believe that they were reaching the deeper parts of the forest and the difficulty was picking up again.


    However, the group was far stronger than before and so it didn''t pose much of a challenge for them except for some wasted time that they couldn''t avoid. Every enemy that came across them ended up dead very quickly.


    In fact, their pace was considerably faster than before as if they were only getting better and better at it rather than getting exhausted and wrung out with the passage of time.


    After finishing off the round of enemies, they all returned to their horses except for Arthur who stood there, staring at his sword.


    "Arthur? Aren''t youing?" Herculia asked him.


    "..." But, the boy didn''t answer.


    "Arthur?" Emmy called for him again, very confused.


    But still, he didn''t respond as if he didn''t hear them talking to him. That naturally raised suspicion between them.


    "Are you ok, Arthur?" I jumped back and approached him curiously. There, she noticed that he was deeply in thought, examining his sword. Squinting her eyes, she looked at the spot he was examining. There, she noticed something interesting.


    The sword had a very small crack at the edge of it. The crack was very minimal and most likely not even going to make the sword perform worse, but it was still there.


    Still, that didn''t make Arthur any less displeased. ''It has been through a lot in such a short period of time, wasn''t it?'' He mused.


    The Sanguine de had been with Arthur for a while now and was one of the very first things handed to him with his starting ss. The sword was very strong and had an amazing ability that truly helped him a lot.


    With each enemy he killed, there was a chance he could heal a portion of his health. Although the chances weren''t high and the health regenerated wasn''t a lot, it still saved him from a lot of trouble in tough battles. He didn''t even need to think or notice it when it happened as the sword worked on its own. Discover exclusive tales on m,v l''e-NovelBin


    It was far more than just a sword, it was hispanion that he grew familiar with in a matter of days. Yet, hispanion was now showing damage due to the tough battles Arthur had gone through.


    He didn''t know how to feel at that moment, but it was most definitely not a good feeling. I noticed that and could only purse her lips subtly.


    "I will buy you another one when we reach the capital if you want." She said.


    "Hm? Oh, haha, no it''s fine. I was already aware that the sword wasn''t going to hold on for long. It''s a beginner item." Arthur tried tough it off.


    However, I shook her head seriously. "You can also find someone who can fix it and make it better. That sword still has a lot to do¡­ And it seems it doesn''t want to leave your side with how resilient it is."


    "..." The boy blinked silently before he looked at his sword again. ''Doesn''t want to leave my side, huh? Is that true, Sanguine?''


    Although he asked the sword that question, he knew he wasn''t going to get an answer. So, he simply smiled and put it in its sheath again. ''I will try to keep you with me for as long as I can. Our journey is still very long in this world and our adventures will be something worth seeing yourself.''


    With that, he turned around and walked to his horse and the group started moving again. Arthur was feeling a lot more at ease then.


    ***


    Several more hours passed and the trip continued as nned. The stretch of forest around them became the only scenery they had. It was still stunningly beautiful, but with how much they had to see, it became hypnotizing to look at it as if the green color was the only color their eyes could perceive.


    However, around the end of the day, the group started noticing something weird. The path they were taking took a small tilt down. At first, it was very subtle and unnoticeable so nobody talked about it.


    Eventually, they picked up on it. This was the first time to path changed altitude which made them naturally curious if they were reaching a new area or not. After all, what other indications do they have to notice that?


    Everyone got more wary as they anticipated a change any time soon. However, what they ended up seeing wasn''t something they expected.


    "Wait¡­ Is that a cliff end or am I hallucinating?" Arthur asked as he pointed ahead of them. Immediately, the horses stopped their fast movement. Ahead of them, the path that they had taken for days now, seemingly reached an inexplicable end.


    They couldn''t see what was beyond or where the pit led them from this distance.


    I looked ahead with a cold expression. "It does seem so." She replied.


    "... Well, this is new," Herculiamented. "Finally, some well-deserved change. I got bored of all this forest."


    "Don''t get too excited yet." Emmy hit his shoulder gently.


    "I''m going to check," Arthur said as he jumped down from his horse and walked ahead of them. Reaching the edge, he peeked at the bottom.


    "...!" Arthur''s breath stopped for a moment. He wentpletely silent.


    "What are you seeing?" I asked.


    "... Arthur?"


    "Guys, I think you might want to see this." He said in a weird tone. "No, you definitely would want to see this."


    The others looked at each other confusedly before they jumped down and approached him.


    "What are you seeing ma-" Herculia who reached him first didn''t even finish his sentence. "... Dear god¡­"


    The rest followed after and their reactions were a varying degree of the same thing¡­ Shock.


    After all, the pit that they assumed was perhaps the end of the path only gave them a view of a massive area that stretched for as far as the eye could see. Stretches ofnd that looked like a in, covered by a thickyer of white mist that covered most of its scenery.


    Trees peeked out of the mist everywhere, looking menacingly big and oppressive. It was like staring into giant clouds wrapped in nature. The temperature dropped sharply and they could feel it even on that high cliff.


    "... A swamp¡­" Herculia muttered.


    "No." I shook her head with a frown. "This is a cloud forest."


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 94: Chapter 94- Cloud Forest And The Lost Souls (Part 1)

    "So, uh guys? What are we supposed to do now?" Herculia asked as he rubbed the back of his head.


    Arthur crouched down and took a look at the cliff from up close. Quickly, he noticed a protrusion right beneath them that looked like a broken path, leading down to the very bottom. It didn''t look very safe, but also didn''t seempletely unusable.


    "Well, we can only go down and continue moving. We have expected the region to change in nature sooner orter. This shouldn''t stop us." I turned around and walked back to the horses. "We will continue as nned until further notice."


    "Got it." Herculia nodded.


    The group then started walking back to their own mounts while Arthur still stood there, examining the area with his eyes. His expression seemed a little dark for some reason but he didn''t know why. This particr area of the forest gave him the creeps in a different way than what they had been through before.


    ''I hate when something gives me the chills, it''s almost always a call for trouble.'' Shaking his head, he turned around and got on his horse too. Whatever was going to happen, he had to be ready for it.


    With that, the group moved with their horses toward the edge of the cliff, then, they slowly descended through the small broken path. They had to be very careful with each step not to slip and fall. The horses were agile and flexible enough to make the task easier than they expected, but it was still slow.


    Jumping from one rock to another, they made their way into the thick mist. The scenery around them quickly shifted into pure whiteness. Their vision was cut short and they could barely perceive anything beyond a few meters away.


    "We''repletely blind," Danny said. "This isn''t good."


    "Stay very close to one another," I ordered as she jumped thest stepnding on the thick, humid grass. Now, they were fully submerged in the mist from all angles. The massive trees peeked at them like horrifying monsters here and there.


    There were no sounds except for the asional gush of wind passing through the forest. The eeriness wasn''t something they could ignore.


    "I already hate this ce.," Emmy murmured with a pale expression. "I never liked forests to begin with. But this¡­ This takes the cake."


    The group stood there near the cliff as if they were waiting for something to show up. But, as expected, nothing moved nor appeared around them yet. That made them even more uneasy. Walking blindly into such a thick forest was simply terrifying.


    However, in the end, they couldn''t simply stay there and had to start moving. Slowly, they walked through the mist, going deeper and deeper into the cloud forest.


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    They didn''t try to go fast as they could barely see the path ahead. Their only indication of the direction they had to go through was thepass integrated into the map function. The rest of the map was basically covered in the same fog so they couldn''t use it as a guide for them.


    Arthur''s night vision activated to help him a little. But, it didn''t really make the situation that much better.


    ''If something attacks us, we won''t see it in time.'' He thought to himself as he felt his stress level rise slowly. Being this open and blind was very nerve-wracking and that showed very quickly. Nobody dared to talk much as they were very focused on their surroundings.


    *CRACK*


    "What the hell?!" Danny''s horse stepped on something and it made a cracking sound, making him screech instinctively. Looking down, he noticed that it was a tree branch. Exhaling a small breath of relief, he continued moving along with the group.


    As they went deeper and deeper, the fog was somehow getting thicker and thicker, making the task of seeing even more impossible. At this point, nobody knew where they were or if they were even moving through the forest or were stationary.


    Seeing the person next to you became a hard task too and the horses slowly became a foggy silhouette.


    "Guys?" Arthur called for them. "Don''t get too far." He said.


    He started feeling his unease grow as his vision became more and more obstructed.


    "I can''t see shit." Herculia waved his hands in front of him. "Are you guys next to me or not?"


    "I''m here."


    "What about you, Emmy?"


    "I''m also here. Is that you Arthur next to me?"


    Nobody could recognize who was moving next to them. They could see that someone was there, but they couldn''t figure out who it was.


    "This is abnormal, I," Arthur said.


    "... I''m already aware. It''s not a natural fog. Something is off." She frowned deeply. ''It''s like we''re beingpletely blinded deliberately. But, by whom?


    Is it some kind of monster?''


    She couldn''t tell what was causing the fog, but it wasn''t a natural phenomenon. Fogs could be very thick, but not this thick. It was like a smoke screen.


    Arthur continued moving ahead slowly, trying to get everyone to stay close. He saw I''s silhouette getting slightly farther and farther ahead. So, he tried to get close to her to get her back with the group. He moved forward a little faster only to end up¡­ nowhere.


    At that moment, he suddenly noticed a giant tree looming in front of his path.


    "Huh?" He gasped as he looked around him. I was nowhere to be seen. The silhouette he followed had suddenly vanished. "I? I! Where are you?"


    He called for her and didn''t receive an answer. That made Arthur frown deeply as he turned around to alert the others, and that''s when he noticed the second problem. The others were nowhere to be seen.


    The mist covered his visionpletely, and even the silhouettes of his group vanished.


    "Emmy?! Danny?! Herculia!! Anybody here?" He called for them, and yet only the howling wind responded to him. "What the hell is going on?... Where is everybody?"


    Arthur slowly put his hand on his sword. ''Fuck, how did I lose them? I barely turned away for a split second. Did they lose their path? No, that couldn''t be. Unless something deliberately separated us.''


    They had been moving north the entire time and didn''t take any detours or sharp turns the entire time. It should''ve been impossible for them to get separated especially when they were following thepass. After all, how many paths could''ve they taken apart from the straight line they had been on the entire time?


    *Swish*


    At that moment, Arthur felt a chill run down his spine as something moved behind him. Quickly, he turned around and aimed his sword. But, there was nothing there.


    ''Bastard, something just moved behind me.''


    *Swish*


    Then, he felt the presence behind him again, making him quickly turn. Yet, he couldn''t catch a glimpse of it. His horse started panicking and moving frantically.


    "Hey, easy boy, easy. It''s fine. Nothing happened." He patted the animal gently to make it calm down as he kept his eyes around him. ''This is really bad. What am I supposed to do?''


    Arthur couldn''t feel it, but his guts were telling him that he waspletely surrounded by something. Whatever it was, it was trying to toy with him in a bad way.


    Standing there, he kept his hand on his horse and the other hand on the sword as he waited patiently for the thing to show itself.


    ''Come at me, whatever you are.'' He clenched his teeth. ''I will split you in half.''

 Chapter 95: Chapter 95- Cloud Forest And The Lost Souls (Part 2)

    The moving creatures kept jumping from one ce to another. He couldn''t see them nor locate them as the fog made the task impossible.


    What made it even weirder was that the monsters weren''t attacking him or trying to get close to him. Instead, they simply kept moving around as if they were ying some kind of game with him.


    They weren''t making any sounds or even showing any hostile intentions and that made Arthur question his own senses. ''What the hell is this?''


    Several minutes passed that way before Arthur finally lost his wits. "Stop running around like idiots and do something I can react to! This is stupid!!" He yelled loudly with an angry look on his face.


    Arthur weirdly found this behavior even more stressful than dealing with hostile enemies simply because a hostile enemy''s intentions are simple to understand while these things are still aplete mystery to him.


    ''I''m going to lose it if these idiots continue jumping around like mischievous kids!'' He thought to himself.


    However, what Arthur didn''t realize was that his simple yell had actually changed something. The creatures suddenly stopped running around as they quieted down. Arthur could feel their presence behind the fog, but couldn''t really see them still.


    ''Did I piss them off?'' He mused as he gripped his sword tighter. At that moment, he suddenly heard a whisper.


    "Should we?"


    "I don''t know."


    "He seems angry."


    "Maybe he wants some food."


    "Does he look angry to you?"


    "Very."


    A soft conversation ensued between the two things beyond the fog. They were talking in whispers but due to the quiet nature of the ce, Arthur heard them very clearly and could even recognize which one of them was talking every time.


    ''Huh? They can speak?!'' He almost blurted out loudly. ''What kind of monsters are these? They have human voices and even a soft tone!''


    Thest thing Arthur expected to face was talking monsters. Especially ones that didn''t sound like they were speaking a demonguage. Instead, they were speaking words that he could very much understand.


    "Hey, show yourself." He snapped out of his shock as he called for the two creatures.


    "Psst, he is calling for us."


    "Should wee out?"


    "Maybe." Continue your journey at m_v--NovelBin


    "What if he doesn''t like us?"


    "We must run away then."


    The more Arthur heard these two things speak, the more confused he got about what they truly were. ''Are these even monsters? They sound more like humans than monsters at this point.''


    But, naturally, how could humans exist in such a ce? Nobody can truly live in a forest like this, can they?


    ''I''m thinking about this using my normalmon sense. This world works differently. Could there actually be people living in this forest?''


    "Hey, I''m not going to harm you if you show yourself. I just want to talk." Arthur said as he lowered his voice.


    "He says he won''t harm us."


    "I guess he isn''t dangerous then."


    "Yes, he seems nice."


    After hearing those whispers, Arthur suddenly noticed two silhouettes appear in the distant fog, shrouded in its veil. He instinctively got ready in case he was mistaken about his judgment. Whether they were really humans or monsters, he had to be careful.


    But, when he saw them, his eyes widened slightly. The two silhouettes that appeared weren''t that of humans, nor were they of monsters. These creatures were extremely short with small in stature. They had big eyes and thick red hair that covered a good part of their heads. They looked very youthful, like human kids.


    ''Dwarves?'' Was the first thought that came to Arthur when he saw these two. Their appearance was extremely simr to the fantasy dwarves Arthur was very familiar with.


    "Mmm¡­" The two dwarven kids looked at Arthur curiously from afar.


    "Uh, hello there," Arthur said awkwardly, not knowing what he was supposed to say in such a situation. "It''s a very nice weather, isn''t it?" He asked.


    ''Like hell, it''s good weather, you idiot! It''s literally humid and foggy!'' Cursing hisck ofmunication skills, he waited for the dwarves to respond.


    The two looked at him for a moment before they said. "Uncle, what are you?"


    "What am I?" Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Uh, I''m a human¡­"


    "A human?" The two seemed very confused as they looked at each other. "Wait, is he talking about those¡­ humans?"


    "It seems so."


    "What? So he must be lying to us. Humans are not good."


    "Mm, what are you both talking about?"


    "Uncle¡­ You''re very dangerous. Don''t get close to us." They said.


    "Huh? I said I''m not going to harm you neither of you. I''m just a traveler passing by this forest, heading north. I lost my friends in the fog. Do you know where they are by any chance?" He asked.


    "... Friends? Other humans?"


    "Yes."


    "There are many humans¡­ We haven''t received a human in this forest¡­ Ever since we got here." One of the kids said in a low tone.


    "Huh? What do you mean?"


    "We can find your friends. But, you must promise us that you won''t harm us."


    "Of course, I won''t harm you." Arthur nodded quickly. These two kids didn''t seem hostile so he had no reason to actually harm them unless they attacked him of course.


    "Pinky promise. You must give us a pinky promise that you won''t harm us."


    "..." Arthur froze in his ce,pletely stunned. ''Is this kid¡­ serious? Does he think a pinky promise going to make it impossible for me to break it? Oh well, I guess they''re very much kids in that regard.''


    Trying not tough, Arthur nodded. "Fine, we can pinky promise."


    The two kids then stepped forward toward Arthur until they stood in front of him and looked up. Because they were very short, Arthur towered over them with ease. ''Wow, I finally met a person shorter than me. This is a historical day.''


    With a small proud smile, the boy crouched down to their level as he raised his hand and showed his pinky. One of the kids then extended his hand and held his pinky.


    "I promise I won''t harm any of you." He said. "You shouldn''t harm me either."


    "We promise."


    Moving their hands down as if they were sealing the contract, Arthur finally retracted his hand and stood up. "What can I call both of you?"


    "I''m Serko!" The one with slightly longer red hair said.


    "I''m Fiy!" The other ones added with a smile.


    "... Serko, Fiy¡­ Nice to meet you, I''m Arthur." He said. "So, can you lead me to my friends? I''m really worried about them."


    "They shouldn''t be that far away from her. It''s easy to get lost in the fog if you don''t know where you''re going." The two turned around and started walking. So, Arthur grabbed his horse and followed them on his feet.


    "How do both of you not get lost in such a foggy area?"


    "We have been living here for a while so we know how to navigate it. Isn''t that right, Fiy?"


    "We do. It''s very easy to find the path."


    ''... So they were living in this forest after all. But, for how long did they live here to memorize such a massive ce?''


    Arthur immediately felt off about that part. But, seeing how the two were seemingly enjoying their time, he decided not to pry too much into their business. They were after all still strangers.


    "Do you live with your parents here? Where are they?" He asked casually, trying to change the subject. But, the response he received made him halt in his steps.


    "Hm? Parents?... What''s that?" Fiy asked as he looked at Arthur.


    "Huh? Your mom and dad. Where are they?" He asked again, thinking that they didn''t understand him quite clearly.


    "Mom? Dad? Do you know what he''s talking about, Serko?"


    "No, Fiy. These are new words to me too. Is he perhaps speaking anothernguage?"


    "..."


    ''You must be joking right? They don''t have any parents? How did they survive in this ce without adults? They look barely old enough to walk and speak.'' He thought to himself with a deep frown. The situation quickly turned very eerie again.


    "Do you have any other friends or family with you?"


    "... No, we''re alone here." Sekro shook his head. "We have been alone ever since we came here."


    "How did you two survive in this forest alone?" Arthur looked around him again. The forest looked like it came straight out of a nightmare no matter how he tried to see it. There was simply no way two kids could actually live alone in such a ce.


    "You''re really weird¡­ Arthur."


    ''I''m not the weird one here!'' The boy struggled to keep his nerves together. ''Ok, I need to calm down and take one step at a time. Let''s not jump to conclusions about these two.''


    "Can you find my friends first? We can talkter about all of this." He said. ''I need to find them first. Then, we will deal with whatever this situation is.''


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 96: Chapter 96- Cloud Forest And The Lost Souls (Part 3)

    Following the two kids, Arthur walked into the unknown, not knowing where they were bringing him at that moment. He couldn''t even tell if they changed direction or not with how everything looked.


    "So, for how long have both of you lived here?" He asked curiously.


    "... We don''t know."


    "... Has it been that long?" He raised an eyebrow. Purely from spection, Arthur could guess that they should''ve not been here for a long time but the fact that they knew the forest very well and the fact that they can''t even remember their own parents said otherwise.


    "We only remember that we woke up here. We can''t remember anything."


    ''These two kids seem so lost. Do they have some kind of memory loss?'' He thought to himself.


    "How did you survive on your own then?" He asked. "You seem so young."


    "... Hmm, we just built a shelter and tools to use," Fiy said after thinking for a moment. "We used tools to get food and there is ake nearby."


    ''Built? Wait, are these the type of dwarves that are good at building stuff?'' Arthur squinted his eyes as he looked at them. He already knew of themon idea that dwarves are good builders, but it was still surprising these two kids could be so good at it that they could survive on their own.


    "Arthur, be careful, there is a fallen tree in front of you."


    "Woah! Shit!" Stumbling forward, Arthur quickly held himself before he could fall to the ground. "Thanks for alerting me." He said as he looked at the fallen tree beneath him with a frown. ''My senses arepletely warped in this ce. I can''t even sense a tree from up close. This isn''t good at all.''


    Arthur had already realized that if he was ambushed by something in such a fog, he wouldn''t be able to actually sense it before it got very close. That made himpletely open to attacks when he least expected them.


    "Hmm, I sense your friends from this direction," Serko said, snapping Arthur out of his daze.


    "Really?"


    "Yes. They seem to be together." He added.


    "How are you even seeing that? I can''t see anything."


    "We can just see through the fog. It''s not that hard. Can''t you do the same, Arthur?"


    "No, I can barely see my hands," Arthur replied.


    "Humans are surprisingly weak, Fiy," Serko whispered to his friend.


    "Yeah, they''re very weak, Serko."


    ''I can hear both of you.'' Arthur sighed inwardly as he focused on the path ahead. As they walked, Arthur finally saw a glimpse of several silhouettes standing far away from him.


    "Guys!" He immediately recognized them as he called for them.


    "Arthur?"


    Hearing his voice, I turned around first only to see Arthur arriving toward them in a hurry. "How is everyone?"


    "We are fine. What about you?" I asked.


    "I''m good. Thanks to these two, I was able to find you."


    "Huh?" I looked over his shoulder curiously. "Who are they?"


    "These are Fiy and Serko. They seem to be living here on their own."


    "..."


    The group looked at the two dwarves curiously and a little hesitant. After all, they didn''t know whether these were even monsters or not.


    "Don''t worry, guys. They don''t seem to be hostile¡­ So far." He said. "They''re just here to help."


    "... I wouldn''t take that for granted," Herculia replied with a frown. "This ce looks far too scary to trust anything that lives in it."


    "As rare as it is for me to say this, but Herculia is right." Emmy nodded. "What are they really?"


    Arthur couldn''t find the words to refute their suspicions as they were rightfully possible. He didn''t know what these two are exactly and they could be dangerous as far as he''s concerned. However, for some reason, the two kids didn''t give him any bad feelings when he saw them and talked to them.


    Usually, when something is off, he would instantly sense it in his very guts. But, not with these two and he was more inclined to trust that feeling. He knew that it wasn''t wise to do that, but Arthur trusted his judgment a lot and it still didn''t betray him yet.


    "Fiy, what are they talking about?" Seeing the group of humans talk, the two dwarves were worried.


    "I don''t know, Serko. They don''t look happy."


    "We''re leaving right now." I dered as she stepped forward. "We still have thepass. All we have to do is to continue heading north. We can''t stay here."


    "I agree."


    Arthur pursed his lips as he looked over his shoulder at the two kids. "What about them?"


    He would be lying if he said that he didn''t feel curious about these two dwarves and their stories. Their meeting wasn''t just a coincidence and he was certain of that. At the same time, he knew that he might regret itter if he tried to poke his nose in too much. His curiosity has its downsides after all.


    "Are you serious?" Danny red at him. "We don''t even know what they are. They could just be trying to keep us here to kill us. Stop concerning yourself with them."


    "Danny is right, Arthur," I said as she approached him and said in a whisper. "We cannot remain here or we might end up in trouble. This forest¡­ It''s giving me a really bad feeling."


    "..." Arthur pursed his lips as he stared deep into her eyes. He could see the subtle unease within and he could only sigh. "Ok fine, let''s leave."


    "Mm, excuse us but¡­ By any means, are you intending to leave?"


    "Hm? Yes." Arthur replied.


    "... That won''t happen." Fiy shook his head.


    "Excuse me?" Arthur asked with a frown. "What do you mean?"


    "You cannot leave this forest."


    "..."


    Nobody talked for a good few seconds as they didn''t understand what the two kids meant. The way they said that so nonchntly as if it was the most obvious thing ever disturbed them greatly.


    "What the hell are you talking about, brats?" Danny asked as he walked forward. "Are you trying to stop us?" His words instantly put everyone on edge as they looked at the two kids. They didn''t let their seamless appearance trick them into lowering their guards, especially in such a situation.


    However, the kids shook their heads. "No, this forest¡­ The moment you step in it, you can never leave. This fog will never let you leave."


    "... Why?" Arthur asked as he sucked in a deep breath. ''Here it is, the fucking twist. Of course, there has to be a twist, how can we have a smooth journey?''


    "We¡­ Don''t know why. But, we have tried to leave¡­ countless times. We could never find the exit." Serko replied. "Every time we try to leave, the forest pulls us in again. It never lets us go."


    "So you''re saying that there can''t be a way out?" I asked.


    "Yes. At least, we haven''t discovered it yet if there is one."


    "..."


    Arthur ran his hand through his hair as he looked around. "Fucking great." He muttered. ''This can''t be it. There is definitely a way out of this ce or the game wouldn''t just let us get stuck in such a forest. We have to find it.''


    Looking around him, Arthur slowly started feeling the ustrophobic atmosphere grow even tighter. The fog that was before but a smoke screen slowly turned into a jail¡­ A cell that was trying to keep them in there.


    All he could see was white.

 Chapter 97: Chapter 97- Cloud Forest And The Lost Souls (Part 4)

    "What should we do, I?" Emmy asked her friend nervously as she looked around them. She felt even more nervous than before as the truth weighed on her shoulders. They had ended up in a trap that was seemingly impossible to escape from.


    I was already aware of that and had to close her eyes to think for a moment. Her mind raced through all the possibilities they had at that moment. Then, she looked up at the two kids with a cold expression.


    "Do you have any idea what could be the cause of this mist?" She asked. ''This is clearly not something normal so if we can know the cause of it, we might be able to find a way to leave the forest.''


    "Mm, we don''t know, Aunty," Fiy replied. "We have searched the entire forest. We didn''t find anything suspicious."


    ''Aunty¡­'' I raised an eyebrow.


    "But, how did you end up here in the first ce? If there is no way out, surely nobody could just walk in here." Herculia added.


    "We¡­ We can''t remember much. All that we remember is that we woke up here and we had one single task." Serko replied.


    "A task?" Arthur asked.


    "... Our task is to build a machine that will fly us out of here. That is our task." Fiy replied.


    "A flying machine?" Danny squinted his eyes. "How are you going to do that? That''s impossible to do here."


    Danny''s family owned several ne manufacturers across the globe and Danny had very deep knowledge about how nes worked and the way to build them. If there was someone who could judge whether that was possible or not, it was Danny.


    "... Mm, we already built several prototypes, sir. We have tried them and they functioned. But, because we don''t have enough fuel for them, they don''t fly for long and end up falling into the ground again." Serko replied.


    "What?! What kind of material did you use to make these aircraft?" He asked.


    "... Wood, and monster cores for fuel," Fiy replied.


    "..." The boy waspletely stunned as he looked at the two kids. "That can''t be true. An aircraft out of wood?"


    ''No, forget about the materials. How did these two kids even build something asplicated as a ne on their own?'' He frowned. ''This simply makes zero sense.''


    "Danny?" Herculia called his friend''s name worriedly. He could see that Danny wasn''t believing them at all and rightfully so. Nobody in their right mind would believe such things.


    "Can you show us your progress, guys?" Arthur suggested. "We might be able to help you make a working aircraft if that''s the case."


    "Really?" Serko asked, clearly hesitant.


    "Yes, we also want to leave this ce. So if you can, let us help you. How about that?" He asked gently.


    The two kids looked at each other before they nodded their heads. "Ok, follow us."


    Then, they started walking away without thinking twice. Arthur looked at them with a calm expression. "Listen, guys. I know I might sound ridiculous. But, those kids don''t seem like they''re lying and that is why they really picked my curiosity. Something about them tells me that their story is far more than just this."


    "..." I looked at Arthur silently. "Do you think they''re hiding something?"


    "No. I doubt they knew much either. But, there is definitely something behind all of this." He responded as he started walking. "We might discover something worthwhile. Right?"


    The others looked at him confusedly. Arthur''s eyes were saying far more than just words.


    ***


    With that, Fiy and Serko led the group through the forest inplete silence. Nobody asked anything from them as they kept looking around them. The scenery wasn''t changing much even though they were clearly walking. All the giant trees and the fog kept appearing and disappearing behind them.


    That continued for several minutes before something weird finally appeared in the distance. A massive shadow slowly manifested in the fog, growing bigger and bigger as they got closer. Eventually, they saw it.


    "Wee to our house."


    Standing in front of them, the two kids weed the yers to their ce. The wooden house was surprisingly big,posed of two floors. Its design was beautiful, contrasting the spooky atmosphere of the forest.


    "Did you build this ce on your own?" Emmy asked.


    "Yes. We did." Fiy replied.


    "... How long did that take?" Herculia rubbed his chin.


    "Mmm, was it a week? Or 2 weeks?"


    "I think it was 2 weeks."


    "2 weeks?!" The big man blurted out in shock.


    "Psst." Arthur nudged him. "It seems they''re dwarves and dwarves are known to be very good builders. This expected."


    "... I-I see. This is pretty impressive." Herculia replied as he coughed awkwardly.


    "Please,e in. We will show you our work." The two kids said as they opened the door for the group to walk in.


    The interior of the house was also very neat. Built mostly out of wood, even the furniture and things like that were all made out of wood. Itcked some color, but that didn''t make it look any less impressive.


    After all, it was all built by two kids over a span of two weeks.


    The group looked around with awe-struck eyes. They admired the fine work and details put into this ce.


    "Mmm, that''s the kitchen, that''s the living room. Oh, that''s the bathroom, and those are our bedrooms." Meanwhile, the two kids said as they guided them through the mansion.


    Each section was very clean and in order, meaning that these two kids took care of their own house very well.


    Then, eventually, the group ended up at the back side of the house where there was one single door hidden in a random corner of the house that made it look seamless. However, the moment the kids opened the door, a whole new world was opened for them.


    The group found themselves inside a massive chamber that was almost the same size as the rest of the house if not bigger. It had high ceilings andrge walls that stretched for hundreds of meters.


    Inside this ce, they saw massive wooden structures of all kind spread across the ce. The structures varied in sizes and shapes.


    "This is our working area and these are the prototypes we worked on. As you can see, most of them are broken to pieces because of the damage and we have to fix them every time to try again." The two kids exined as they walked through the ce.


    Nobody spoke as they inspected the aircrafts with their eyes. They could see some simrities with the aircrafts they knew of, but there were several main changes that made them stand out instantly.


    For example, the wings of the aircrafts had several joins across their length that made them look like the wings of birds that can move up and down. The sleek design of the main body was also shaped in a different way, giving it a sharper look rather than the normal ne design.


    The one to be the most shocked was Danny as he knew more about these things than everyone else and he could only feel that he had been presented with somethingpletely otherworldly.


    ''These designs¡­ They''re¡­ How can this be?'' He asked himself, unable to find the words to describe them. Then, with a confused expression, he shifted his gaze to the two kids. ''Who are they¡­?''


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 98: Chapter 98- Cloud Forest And The Lost Souls (Part 5)

    Continuing to walk through the entire ce, Fiy and Serko showed Arthur and the others all their works from the very first prototypes to thetest versions they created. Each iteration and each version would be better than the previous one and more polished.


    They improved the main wings, the main body, the design, and even the energy consumption. However, they still faced one massive problem. No matter how much they improved the design, they simply didn''t have enough monster cores to make it run properly.


    "How many monster cores does it take for these aircrafts to actually fly out of the forest?" Arthur asked the two as he ran his hand across the wood with a thoughtful look.


    "... We don''t really know. Our calctions say that¡­ It requires a lot. Potentially hundreds or even thousands of weaker monster cores to fully fuel this craft for long enough to leave the forest." Fiy replied.


    "Thousands?" Arthur frowned. "Where can you even find that many monster cores? This forest ispletely empty."


    In his entire journey so far in Divinity Online, Arthur had seen more or less a thousand monsters. This includes the ones that he didn''t kill as if he only counted the ones he yed, that number is even less than before.


    Killing even more monsters than that just to fuel an aircraft was simply impossible especially when he had to reach the capital by a certain time.


    ''Shit, this is really bad. We can''t waste time just harvesting monster cores. It will take forever to do that.'' He frowned.


    "There are monsters that live in the forest. They have adapted to the environment and can navigate through the forest just like us." Serko replied.


    "Are there any alternatives to this?" I approached them from afar. The others had stopped to examine the aircraft curiously so Arthur was talking to the kids on his own.


    "There aren''t that many sources of energy that are stable enough to fuel an aircraft. Our best idea is monster cores and they do work to a certain extent. But, they aren''t strong enough to be viable."


    "What about the mana in our bodies? Wouldn''t that be stable enough?" I asked curiously. She already figured that monster cores were a good source of energy as they also had mana in them but they didn''t have enough of that due to their nature. However, the same couldn''t be said about the mana in their bodies, simply because it regenerates and they can replenish it with mana potions.


    Still, the two kids shook their heads.


    "No, that won''t work. We only know how to build the engine around a core as it requires to be wired into differentponents of the aircraft."


    "But, but, if you let us open your body and link your core straight into the aircraft, that would work possibly!" Fiy looked up with lit eyes as if he had found a good idea.


    "..." Arthur and I looked at them with an expressionless face.


    "No, Fiy, it will be hard to keep the wires intact with all the blood inside her body eating it."


    ''I don''t think that''s the main problem with that idea!'' Arthur almost facepalmed. These two dwarves were clearly geniuses in their craft, but they also were very odd in interesting ways.


    "Ok, that idea is scratched then. What other options do we have?" Arthur sighed.


    "Not that many. We can only brute force our way through the forest." I suggested. "There has to be a way out. Or¡­"


    "Or?"


    "Or we can find what is the cause of this fog and deal with it." She said.


    "..." Arthur pursed his lips. "Easier said than done. We don''t even know how to walk around this ce without getting lost."


    Arthur wasn''tpletely against the idea. Except that he knew it wouldn''t work with how blind they were in this ce. Their senses didn''t even work properly because of the weird effect the fog had on them.


    "Then, we can only try the first option."


    "Even that doesn''t sound like a n¡­" Arthur murmured.


    The duo fell into deep thought. They struggled toe up with other viable options.


    "Mm, excuse us but¡­ It''s not that hard to learn how to see in this environment. You can learn that quickly."


    "Hm?"


    "We can teach you how if you want."


    "What? Didn''t you learn how to navigate this ce with time?"


    "Yes, but we didn''t start from scratch," Fiy replied. "Wait here, I will go get something for you."


    Then, before the two could even speak, one of the dwarves ran away quickly at a surprising speed.


    ''I almost forgot that these two have inhumane agility. I wonder if that''s why they were able to build this ce that quickly.'' Arthur thought to himself.


    "Where did he go?" I asked Serko.


    "You will know in a second."


    A minuteter, Fiy returned carrying in his hands what seemed to be a featureless ck box. Approaching them, he opened the box in front of them, revealing what was inside.


    "Nes?" Arthur raised an eyebrow as he inspected the items.


    "Yes, we found several of these nes with us when we woke up here. They give us the ability to absorb more light from the world around us which improves visibility by a considerable amount." Serko exined as he showed that he was wearing the ne under his shirt.


    "Interesting," Arthur muttered. ''So, someone had given them these nes but assuming the fact that they didn''t mention it, they probably don''t know who it is.''


    "We have exactly 5 which seems to fit your numbers. If you want, please use these."


    "..." Arthur slowly picked up one of the nes and looked at it from up close. The chain was made out of some unknown metal with a small blue pendant down that looked like some kind of ore expensive ore he would see in the real world.


    [Pendant Of The Endless Mist


    Rank: C


    Description: In the world of the fog, one''s eye could never see. Those cursed by the white fog shall never see the light. Trapped may they be, for all eternity.


    Type: Jewelry


    Special Ability: Improves visibility by 30% in fog environments. Improves indifferently as long as the user is in that same environment.]


    "Oh, this is very intriguing." He muttered. ''So this is the reason they can see better. But, that description¡­ It''s giving me the creeps. This is the first time an item description was that explicit about something.''


    Usually, the items Arthur finds are very vague and sometimes even iprehensible when ites to their description. However, this particr one almost sounded like some kind of threat rather than a description. It didn''t even talk about the pendant itself.


    ''What do they mean by ''trapped may they be, for all eternity''? Does that mean we can''t leave this ce no matter what? That shouldn''t be the case.''


    As he was contemting the meaning of that, the others received the pendants too.


    "Wear them and you should be able to see better in the fog."


    "Thank you very much," I said. "This is very helpful."


    "Hehe, don''t worry about it, Aunty."


    "Aunty¡­ You can call me I." She frowned slightly as she said.


    "I¡­" The two looked a little confused. "Aunty sounds better. Doesn''t it, Serko?"


    "It does, Fiy."


    ''These two¡­'' The girl didn''t know what to say at all.


    "Finally, I can goddamn see. This was getting out of hand." Herculia yelled. "Now we can do something."


    "And what is that something exactly?" Emily asked.


    "... Uh, we can¡­ Fight our way out?"


    "Against what? We don''t even know what is the reason for this fog." Danny replied.


    "Shit, this didn''t solve anything! How are we supposed to get out of here, man? Are we really stuck?!"


    "It seems so," Emmy replied. "This fog is only getting thicker the deeper we go. We would only get blinded more if we try to travel now."


    "... Wait, Emmy." At that moment, Arthur lifted his eyes as they lit up. "Can you repeat what you just said right now?"


    "This fog is only getting thicker the deeper we go?" She repeated in a confused tone, not understanding what he was trying to get to.


    "That''s it!" Arthur smiled. "We need to go deeper into the forest to where the fog is at its thickest state!"


    "... And why would want to do that, Arthur? We can barely see here." Herculia asked.


    I looked at Arthur as it dawned on her. "He''s right¡­ If we go deeper into the fog to where it''s at its most concentrated form."


    "... We might find the source of this fog." He replied.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 99: Chapter 99- Cloud Forest And The Lost Souls (Part 6)

    "Deeper into the fog, you say?" Herculia asked with a contemting look on his face. "That sounds like a good idea to me."


    "But, how would we even know where the thickest fog is? It all looks the same now." Emmy said. Although they did notice the fog growing thicker as they walked deeper into the forest, at some point, it became so thick that they couldn''t really tell the difference anymore.


    Arthur thought for a moment before he looked at the two kids. "Did you ever try to go deeper into the forest where the fog is at its thickest form?"


    If there is anyone who knows more about this forest than anyone else, it is the two dwarves as they had lived in this ce and had seen far more than Arthur and the others did.


    The two kids surprisingly shook their heads. "No, we never dared to go that deep. The farthest we reached is one kilometer from here to a nearby cave." They said.


    "Why is that?" Experience more content on m v|l e''-NovelBin


    "It''s¡­" The two boys frowned. "The deeper parts of the forest are¡­ scary."


    The group went silent for a moment, looking at the pale expressions of the two dwarves. They didn''t even need a second to notice the change.


    "Why is it scary?"


    "We don''t know¡­ But, whenever we try to go deeper¡­ We couldn''t. It''s like something is pushing us away whenever we try to pass a certain distance. We don''t know why that happens."


    "..."


    ''Yes, that sounds about exactly what I expected. There is something deep into the forest stopping us from reaching it because¡­ Perhaps if we can, all the fog will dissipate.'' Arthur thought to himself.


    But, that naturally didn''t sound very easy. If even Fiy and Serko couldn''t go deeper into the forest, then something was seriously wrong there. Something that could very much turn their journey upside down very quickly.


    I and others were also very much aware of that. But, none of them tried to oppose the idea Arthur gave as they knew that it was the most viable option they had at that moment. It was very risky, had a lot of inconsistencies in it, and could very much be the reason for their failure. But, it had one thing going for it that made it the best idea possible.


    ''We know what we''re supposed to do. It''s just how we''re going to do it is the problem.'' Arthur mused. Their goal was very straightforward in that sense, but the difficulty of such a task can only be determined once they see with their own eyes what kind of monstrosity they''re dealing with.


    In the end, Arthur and the others looked at I. She was the leader of the group and what she says is the thing that goes. Arthur could easily go on his own, but he required their help and if I refused, naturally the others wouldn''t follow him after that.


    The girl closed her eyes for a moment as she took a deep breath. "We will go with Arthur''s idea. If we can make it to where the source of this fog is, we could potentially get rid of it and find our way out."


    "... Understood." The trio nodded their heads in understanding.


    "Mmm, it is very dangerous." Fiy and Serko looked at them with deep frowns. "You might die."


    "It is better than staying stuck here. We have to leave." I replied. "And we will do everything it takes to do that."


    "..."


    Seeing the determination in I''s eyes, the two kids were taken aback. They didn''t know why, but they were captured by I''s voice and presence. She looked almost radiating.


    "So cool." They muttered at the same moment.


    "Hey, Fiy¡­ I think it might be time for us to seriously try, wouldn''t it?"


    "... You''re right, Serko. We have been stuck here for a long time. That letter wanted us to try and leave. Maybe this is what it meant by that."


    Fiy and Serko can only remember their time in this forest. Anything beyond that is a blur that they cannot remember. This ce was their entire world as far as they were concerned. They knew that they had to get out, but they couldn''t do it alone.


    Now, they saw an opportunity to finally achieve that goal they had been seeking for a long time. This opportunity came in the form of five people. Something told them that these humans were different and that was more than enough to make them rethink their fears.


    "Mmm, can we ask something of you?"


    "Hm? What is it?" Arthur responded.


    "Let us help you!" The two kids eximed. "We want to leave this ce too! We want to be useful to you!"


    "..."


    The five yers looked confusedly at the dwarves. Their sudden burst of energy wasn''t expected considering the fact that they were very terrified of the fog.


    "Are you sure about that?"


    "Yes, we have been working every single day to find a way out of this forest. We failed a lot and we didn''t know what to do. Please, let us try again with you."


    ''These kids¡­'' Arthur thought to himself. ''Where did they even get all this determination from? I can''t even imagine what it feels like to wake up in an unknown ce and be tasked with doing something by a stranger and they still found the spirit and will to try again and again countless times.''


    Such a strength would only exist in very rare types of people and ites with years and experience. These were but children in the end even if they were dwarves. It only made Arthur even more impressed.


    "Let them go with us, I. I think they would be very useful." He whispered to the girl next to him.


    "..." I squinted her eyes as she stared at the two dwarves silently for a few seconds. Nobody knew what was going through her head at that moment. But, eventually, she spoke.


    "If you can lead us to the direction where the fog gets thicker, you can tag along."


    "Woah! Thank you very much!"


    "We will do our best!"


    Jumping in the air excitedly, the two kids screamed. The happiness on their faces made them look even more innocent. A veryical contrast from the ce where they were standing now, surrounded byplex structures and smart machinery.


    ''Dwarves are really interesting people.'' Arthur thought to himself as he sighed. "Oh well, I guess we shouldn''t waste any more time. If everybody is ready, let''s leave."


    "Hold on a second," I said. "Arthur, can I have a moment with you?"


    "Hm?" Arthur was confused. "Uh, sure."


    "Wait here a second, guys." Saying that, I walked with Arthur away from the group to talk.


    "What does she need to tell him?" Herculia muttered.


    "Who knows?" Emmy shrugged.


    "..." The only one that remained silent was Danny who stared at the duo with cold eyes. Nobody could tell what he was thinking of at that moment. But, it was certainly not very pleasant.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 100: Chapter 100- Shuddering Forest

    I and Arthur talked for a minute or so while the others waited for them. They couldn''t hear what they were saying to each other but they could see the looks on their faces and it only made them even more confused.


    Arthur looked a little taken aback the entire time as he listened to I. It was as if he heard something that he didn''t expect and yet couldn''t fully grasp. Then, they saw him reply to I. The two went back and forth for a few moments before Arthur nodded his head.


    The two then walked back to the group as if nothing happened.


    "Are you done?" Emmy asked.


    "Yes, we are done." Arthur nodded and turned to look at Fiy and Serko. "So, I assume both of you know how to fight?" He asked.


    "Mmm, we can fight. We also have our own weapons."


    "Hmm, like what?"


    "We have all kinds of weapons. They aren''t very strong but they do the job." Fiy replied.


    "Ok, get the ones you can use the best," Arthur said. "Also, wear some armor if you have any."


    "Understood!"


    The two then ran away somewhere, vanishing very quickly. That was when Arthur finally turned to the others. "Listen, guys. I will have to be frank with all of you. The situation can get very very bad when we leave this ce." He said.


    "..."


    "The fog outside is a problem¡­ A very bad problem. There is a very huge chance we might get separated because of theck of vision and the weird nature of this ce. When that happens, each one of us will be on their own. So, the only thing we can do is continue in the direction where the fog grows thicker.


    Fiy and Serko said that the deeper they went, the more the fog started pushing them back, not allowing them to move beyond a certain point. However, that also means it is trying to protect something."


    Everybody was already aware of what Arthur was saying. But, he wanted to make sure that they were all ready mentally for what could happen.


    "No matter what you see, and no matter what happens, try to keep moving forward unless you are very certain that it could mean your death. Are we on the same page?"


    "Yeah, I have no problem with that."


    "I also have no problem."


    Danny didn''t reply as he simply looked away. Arthur didn''t bother to ask him as he knew that he wouldn''t really answer. Instead, he looked at I. His eyes shed with a weird glint before he looked away.


    "Let''s go then." He walked away as he said.


    ***


    Several minutester, the group stood in front of the house''s door looking at the two kids with stupified looks.


    "When I said an armor¡­ I certainly didn''t expect this." Arthur muttered as examined their appearances.


    The two dwarves were now d in heavy, almost medieval-looking armor made out of iron and wood. Their heads were hidden under thick helmets which made them appear almost intimidating. They carried a sword, a dagger, and a mace all made out of polished iron and wood.


    Arthur didn''t even know how they were able to move with such heavy armor and weaponry on their bodies.


    "We are making sure to be very ready," Serko replied as he lifted the visor, revealing his eyes.


    "... Well, if that''s how it is. Lead the way." Arthur smiled as he extended his hand.


    With that, the two dwarves moved down the stairs and into the forest, followed by Arthur and the others. The nes they were wearing made an instant and profound change in how they perceived the environment around them. Not only were they able to see clearer now with the 30% effect, but also their senses had undergone a deep change.


    The world was now far clearer and the feeling of suffocating ustrophobia dissipated a little. However, now that they could see better, they could perceive how the forest looked around them and it was not very pleasant.


    "How did this ce turn somehow even scarier now that I can see better?" Emmy asked. "I''m getting even more chills now."


    "Don''t let it get to your head. It''s just some trees and fog." Herculia replied.


    "Stay focused guys. We aren''t safe here." Dannymented as he walked near I.


    The tension in the air was palpable, making even the smallest sounds the forest made even more nerve-wracking. So, to make themselves feel calmer, they talked amongst each other.


    "Did you map this forest, Fiy?" I asked one of the dwarves.


    "... No, we didn''t. We memorized most of the areas we visited. Making a map would''ve been a waste of time."


    "A map would always be useful. But, it seems you have no problem with navigating this ce so it might be useless after all." She muttered. ''To memorize such a ce to an extent where you can move through it freely¡­ These two are still hiding a lot of things.''


    The more I looked at the two kids, the more intrigued she was about their true identity. She had only known them for an hour or so, and their real identity is still shrouded in mystery as far as she is concerned.


    The trip was slow but still very peaceful. The fog grew slowly thicker around them and theck of visibility increased slowly. However, nothing attacked them or moved around them. The entire forest was devoid of all noises.


    However, for some reason, nobody could feel rxed. In fact, as the fog grew thicker, the unease increased too. The air felt colder and the trees around them started appearing in more unnerving shapes. Their branches loomed above their heads like devilish arms, trying to reach down and grab them.


    Their massive trunks looked like shrouded giant monsters. It felt like they were about to move and attack them.


    About 45 minutester, the two dwarves stopped out of nowhere, making everyone immediately halt.


    "This is¡­ This is where things started getting¡­ weird. Please, be careful."


    "So, beyond this point, the forest will start acting up?" Arthur asked.


    "Mm, also, we don''t know much about anything past this point. So, please take everything we say with a pinch of salt because we aren''tpletely sure about what we will see."


    "..."


    Everyone tensed up visibly as they nodded their heads. Slowly, they pulled their weapons out and prepared themselves for what was about to happen.


    With that, the two dwarves turned around and started walking again, a lot slower than before. The others followed suit and the group continued their journey.


    However, almost the moment they took the tenth step, they all felt something. A wave of energy hit them in the head out of nowhere, pushing them all back. The wave wasn''t particrly strong or harmful, but it was strong enough to make everyone jump back.


    "What was that?"


    "Did you feel it too?"


    "Yeah¡­ Something pushed my head back." Herculia rubbed his forehead, unable to understand what he felt.


    "... That''s the forest¡­ Pushing us back." I replied and looked around her.


    "Don''t stop, we need to get to where it doesn''t want us to go." Arthur dered as he started walking again, fighting the wave of energy that hit him again.


    The others saw Arthur''sck of hesitance and welled up the courage to move after him. The waves pushed against them constantly. They could luckily resist against them and keep their speed, but it was a very disturbing feeling.


    As they walked, the waves slightly increased in intensity merely a minute or soter. Then, it increased again another minute after that. The fog increased in thickness, looking almost like floating cotton.


    "Is everyone still here?" I asked as she looked around her, counting their numbers.


    "We''re all here."


    "Keep your pace!"


    Putting his hand against his face, Arthur fought the raging waves of energy with pure strength. ''This forest really doesn''t like us. I can feel it in the air.''


    The repulsion wasn''t simply mere waves, even the fog and the trees around them seemed to shake. The entire forest was reacting to their trespassing and that only made Arthur even more nervous.


    However, never did he expect to see what he was about to see. Something that was not only going to shock him¡­ But it was also going to make him question Divinity Online as a game.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 101: Chapter 101- Eyes That Can’t See

    ''It''s getting¡­ A little tough to move.'' Arthur clenched his teeth a little as he focused on his steps. He knew that this was merely the start and the resistance was bound to start getting stronger very soon to a level where he might very much end up unable to move another step.


    But, he didn''t dare to think about that. All he had to do was to focus on the next step and that''s it.


    "Is everyone still here?!" He asked as he looked behind him. Surprisingly, even though the fog was very thick, nobody was lost yet. However, they were all dealing with their own struggles.


    Even the two dwarves could barely keep their speed. Their small bodies were being pushed back as if they were struggling against a violent storm even though the ce was essentially very calm.


    From afar, the group would look like they were fighting an invisible force that didn''t exist.


    The struggle continued for a while after that as the forest grew more and more restless with each passing second. The trees screeched and cried around them like agonized souls being tortured. The grass beneath them shook and waved as if it were being burnt alive. Explore stories at m,v l''e-NovelBin


    ''What the hell is happening? This is ridiculous!'' Arthur cursed inwardly as he kept looking all around him. He felt the dreadful atmosphere grow even more terrifying. No environment in the game had given him such chills ever before.


    He was under the mercy of this ce and he could only resist as much as he could. However, at some point, things suddenly shifted again. Arthur was trying to keep his eyes on the path while also looking behind him to check on his group.


    He made sure not to keep his eyes away from them for more than a few seconds at most as he knew if he didn''t keep looking, they would all get lost eventually. Yet, even that didn''t seem to be a foolproof n as when he randomly looked behind him, he realized that he was suddenlypletely alone.


    "Guys?!! Are you still there?" Without stopping, he called for them with a frown.


    Yet, he received no response. ''Goddamit! The fog is getting too thick! I already lost them!''


    Even though he already expected this oue, Arthur could only feel even more restless as he fought to continue moving forward, toward the waves of energy. ''I need to keep¡­ moving!''


    Alone, he traveled through the fog, trying to find something he didn''t even know anything about. Whatever was behind this fog, whether it was a monster or not.


    But, nothing prepared Arthur for what he was about to witness. Several minutes into this situation, Arthur''s eyes suddenly saw a glimpse of something not that far away ahead of him. The shrouded silhouette didn''t look like a tree or a nt so it instantly roused his suspicion.


    "Hey, is anybody there?!" He called for them. "I?! Herculia?! Anybody?" He yelled again and yet the silhouette didn''t respond. ''They couldn''t hear me?''


    Feeling even more alerted, Arthur hurried his steps toward the silhouette. If he finds another person he can move with, it would be considerably easier and less stressful. However, the closer he got to this silhouette, the more he noticed that something was very off.


    To begin with, the silhouette didn''t look like any of his friends or the two dwarves. It stood very short, even shorter than Emmy. Its body was small and skinny too.


    ''What the hell?'' Arthur didn''t know what to think of this. He was very confused and that urged him to get even closer. He knew that it was risky to simply approach such a strange thing. But, what other choice did he have?


    Step by step, he closed the distance between them till he finally could see a considerably clear look of the silhouette. As he expected, it belonged to a human, a female to be precise. Her long grey hair was tied into a messy bun and her body was tilted forward, perhaps due to old age.


    ''An olddy¡­ What is-''


    Then thedy slowly turned around, stunning Arthur beyond words. Slowly, his eyes widened in shock. After all, he knew that person very well.


    "... G-Grandma?"


    ***


    ''This fog has already separated us. What the hell is happening?'' I inspected the location she was in with a deep scowl. Her eyes were coldly trying to figure out what just happened.


    ''They should be fine for now. I need to continue forward and find the source of the fog.'' She thought to herself as she continued her arduous trip.


    She was very calm and collected the entire time, but she was also feeling a very sense of coldness within her heart that she couldn''t describe. This forest had been but a nightmare so far, a nightmare without anything truly terrifying going on. It surprised her how much a bunch of fog and a slightly eerie atmosphere could do to one''s consciousness.


    I wasn''t the type to be scared of such ces, but here she was, struggling against the unknown.


    However, she saw something appear in the distance. A mysterious silhouette stopped right in her way, looking the other way. I stopped for a moment, trying to identify the person, but they didn''t appear like anyone she was with.


    "Who are you?" She asked coldly as she rooted her legs into the ground, fighting the waves and waves of energy.


    Then, that person turned around and looked at her, sending I''s mind into a frenzy. Her breath halted in her throat.


    "... Vic¡­?" Her mouth muttered in an almost inaudible tone.


    ***


    Meanwhile, everyone else faced a stranger. Emmy, Herculia, and Danny found themselves staring at people who should''ve not been there. People that only existed in the real world and people that they knew very well.


    Never in their lives did they expect to see them in the game, in a forest, surrounded by fog. Yet, they were there, alive and well¡­ When all of them were supposed to be dead.


    It didn''t feel real and it didn''t feel right. So far, Divinity Online has only been a game in their eyes. A very serious game that they had to put their everything into in order to seed, but nevertheless, still a game. It was never the real world and what happens in it is different from the real world.


    But, that fact suddenly warped and twisted, changing the very base of their understanding of Divinity Online.


    Ironically, this game had been advertised from the very start that it was going to be the second earth where all humans could live. They were told that they were going to live in that world, and not simply y in it. Yet, that fact was taken as a mere facade or an exaggeration for the sake of excitement. However, the truth was far from that.


    They should''ve realized that when a game takes every single piece of information about them, things they didn''t even notice¡­ Then what was stopping it from taking a very precise piece of information they all had¡­ Memories.


    Their eyes were looking, but they couldn''t see.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 102: Chapter 102- Foggy Past

    Divinity Online has shown Arthur a lot ever since he started it. In fact, he had been through so much, it didn''t even feel like everything happened in merely a week or so. The game felt like a lifetime journey worth of events shoved into 7 days of ying.


    Yet, nothing came close to the shock he felt at that moment, staring at someone from his life who was essentially deceased. He hadn''t seen his grandma in years and yet that face was all-too-familiar.


    "How the hell did you get inside the game, Grandma?" Finally snapping out of his shock, he asked her. ''No, this makes no sense. Why does the game know how my grandmother looks? I have never disclosed such information. Did they read my mind and find out? Is that even allowed?''


    Read thetest on m_v-l''e|-NovelBin


    Thedy looked at Arthur with a nk expression, not replying to his call. That look gave him the chills for some reason. It wasn''t the look he was familiar with. His grandmother had always had a warm smile on her face whenever she saw him.


    She treated him very well and did her best to give him the childhood his parents couldn''t give him. She was the most important person in his life and her death was a huge blow to Arthur. He never thought that sweet human being would vanish from his life so suddenly and so¡­ cruelly.


    It took him almost a year to take it all in and finally move on. At that point, he really gave up on life and didn''t want anything to do with it anymore. But, he also never really thought about ending his life simply because he didn''t feel like it. He was suicidal and he knew that very well.


    ''I won''t give life the pleasure of victory. Even if it beats me up to a pulp, I will never give it that sweet victory. I''m still here, sucker.'' He thought to himself firmly.


    All of that was mainly because his grandma raised him to be very strong even when things were tough. She didn''t want him to bow or break because ''His parents were very strong'' she said.


    "Tsk, using my grandmother in the game is not something I appreciate very much, DO." He clenched his teeth.


    "Is that how you greet your grandmother, brat?!"


    Suddenly, he heard the clone speak in the same voice he was familiar with. Looking up, he saw that the expression on the clone''s face shifted to a more normal one. The words she said were something he heard countless times.


    ''Shit¡­'' He frowned. ''Why did she suddenly change attitude?''


    "How do you greet me, Arthur?"


    "Shit! Uh, I''m sorry¡­ grandma." Instinctively, he straightened up and looked at her with a nervous look. Even after all these years, her voice would still make him react like a soldier.


    "Good! Did you eat your dinner?" She asked. "You better not be missing out on your vegetables?!"


    "... I''m eating ok. Look, I even gained weight." Arthur pointed at his arms with a pouty look.


    ''Wait, why am I even arguing with her?! This isn''t my grandmother for god''s sake!'' Shaking his head quickly, Arthur looked up. "Listen here, bastard. Don''t you dare replicate my grandmother and think I will hesitate to do something? My grandmother is dead." Pulling his sword out, he pointed at the clone before he started walking forward.


    "What are you doing, child? How dare you point a sword at me?!" The woman yelled angrily.


    "You aren''t my grandma to order me around. Shut up!"


    "When did you get that sharp tongue huh?" She asked as she put her hands on her hips.


    Arthur ignored her words and continued advancing forward till he was right in front of her.


    "What are you really?" He asked. "An illusion? A monster? Are you trying to stop me from reaching the very heart of this forest?"


    "..." The olddy looked Arthur straight in the eyes. He could see theck of human feelings within, confirming that this creature was indeed not his grandmother. His real grandmother would never look at him in such an apathetic way.


    That was when it finally stopped the small y it was doing.


    "Take one step beyond this point and you shall regret this." A very deep, almost demonic voice spoke to Arthur through the clone. It was so horrifying that it took him by surprise for a second. "You shall never leave this forest. You have been trapped for all eternity."


    "..." Pursing his lips, Arthur didn''t speak for a moment before he finally sighed. "Man, you suck at pretending that you have everything under control. Let''s see how long you can keep this before I reach you. Then, I want you to say these exact words to my face again."


    *Swish*


    After that, Arthur swung his sword, cutting the clone in half without mercy. Although he didn''t wish to cut his own grandmother in such a manner, he was far more angry that this creature had used her to try and beat him. He would never want to see his grandmother''s pure image get tarnished in such a manner.


    As his sword cut through its body, Arthur quickly realized that¡­ The sword touched nothing. Slicing through, the woman''s body instantly turned into fog and dissipated around him very quickly.


    ''Tsk, so it wasn''t even a real body¡­ Coward.'' Arthur clicked his tongue. ''I''m so pissed off now till I get this bastard.''


    Putting his sword away, Arthur turned around to resume moving toward his target. However, before he could even take a single step, his senses suddenly went off as something approached him from behind at rming speed.


    Quickly, Arthur tried to move out of the way before it could hit him. But, he waste.


    *BANG*


    "Shit!!" sted forward, he rolled on the ground andnded on his feet. His eyes quickly looked up, only to see a cloud of fog had protruded out of nowhere, manifesting in physical form.


    ''What?!'' Arthur gasped when he saw the cloud fly toward him. ''I didn''t know it can do this!!''


    *Swish*


    Jumping to the side, Arthur barely dodged the attack before it hit him. The moment hended on his feet, Arthur was instantly attacked from the side by another cloud of fog. He felt his entire buddy shudder from the sheer impact of the hit.


    Falling on his back, Arthur looked up with wide eyes, only to see another cloud descending on him like an execution axe. Quickly, he rolled to the side and then jumped several steps back, dodging another cloud.


    "Hah¡­ Hah¡­ This is unfair! I wasn''t prepared." Wiping his face, and spitting the dirt out, he pulled his sword as he manifested his bloody ws.


    The clouds of smoke quickly condensed into one big cloud as if they were taking his challenge up. Then, it flew toward him like a bullet.


    Arthur didn''t hesitate as he charged forward too. Not that long after, the two shed violently.


    *BANG*


    The hit was very strong, sending a strong shockwave around them.


    ''It''s¡­ quite strong!'' Arthur instantly felt the blunt strength of the physical cloud. Even while using both of his arms, he could barely stop himself from being thrown back. At the same time, the waves of energy picked up, fighting him from all angles.


    ''Oh boy, this is a sticky situation.''


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 103: Chapter 103- The Monster Within

    *CLING*


    Arthur deflected one of the clouds at thest moment as he jumped to the side, dodging another one that snuck behind him. But, he didn''t even have the time to stop as he bounced back, tilting his body to the side as two other clouds passed through the empty gaps a split secondter.


    Every single move he made was purely instinct as his mind didn''t have enough time to think properly or judge the situation. He was being relentlessly attacked from all angles at the same time. The fog was seemingly one single entity that can divide into different limbs and parts, each with its own consciousness.


    But, what made the battle so horrendously hard for Arthur was the coordination in the attacks. None of these foggy clouds was moving on its own and instead, they were deliberately attacking him in a manner where he would be trapped dodging one cloud and end up getting by another.


    The result was that in the span of a minute or so, Arthur received a lot of damage. He was thrown around like a ragdoll and almost killed in more than one instance. At the same time, Arthur wasn''t able to do much to the fog.


    Surely, when it attacked him, the fog was manifested in its physical, solid form which allowed him to hit back. But, that didn''t work well for him because of theck of opportunities to actually deal damage.


    *Swish*


    ''Behind me!'' Arthur leaped in the air, dodging one cloud. But, at the same time, another one smashed into his chest, sending him flying back as hended on the ground.


    "This is so annoying!" Arthur clenched his teeth as he rose up and looked around him. Even as he was regaining hisposure, the clouds were already nning a new attack to stop him.


    ''Two from the front, two from the back, one from above, and three are hidden somewhere around me waiting for me to screw up so that they can use that opportunity and attack. This is great! I''m having a lot of fun here!'' Arthur quickly looked around with his eyes, calcting everything in a split second.


    Then, his body went into action, moving quickly as he deflected and dodged the attacksing at him. ''I need to find a way out of this! I won''tst long like this!''


    Looking around him, Arthur wrecked his brain for ideas while he was trying to survive for as long as possible. There was only so much he could really do at that moment aside from fighting.


    Escaping was an obvious one. But, Arthur quickly realized that it would be impossible for him to actually escape as the fog was basically all around him, and wherever the fog was, the clouds would attack him.


    *BANG*


    Feeling the impact of a hit on his leg, Arthur stumbled forward as he got quickly crowded by the clouds. Quickly, he activated ''Soul Fear'' and ''Lonesome Warrior''s Howl'' consecutively, pushing them back with a huge shockwave.


    "ENOUGH!!" He yelled in an outraged state. His eyes shed with a cold glint. Then, with a loud roar, he dashed forward and swung his sword with all his strength, sting one of the clouds back. Then, he turned around and grabbed the second one, only for the others to attack him again from all angles.


    *BOOM* Experience more tales on m v|l e''-NovelBin


    Arthur shed with the bloody w, sending the clouds back temporarily as they merged together again.


    ''This isn''t working! They keep recovering no matter how much damage I deal to them! It''s all because of the fog around us!'' He clenched his teeth as he ripped the cloud apart with his bare hands and then threw it away. ''I need to find a way to separate these clouds from the fog!''


    But, he didn''t know how. So, Arthur quickly opened his profile to check what he had in store. At this point, he had a lot of skills he could use, and looking at them might give him some ideas.


    However, never did he expect that an idea would instantly strike his mind the moment his eyes fell on the profile and one particr detail.


    ''This is it!'' His eyes lit up as he quickly looked up. The clouds didn''t notice the change in his expression and continued their relentless attacks while Arthur ran around, trying to dodge them to the best of his abilities.


    ''I think I know what to do!''


    At some point, Arthur suddenly stopped and faced the clouds with a cold expression. "Come on, face me one at a time, cowards! Attacking me like this is just pointless."


    But, they ignored his clearly provocative words and continued their assault as if nothing happened. Arthur clenched his teeth and started running again. ''How can I make them turn into one sphere?''


    Looking ahead of him, Arthur exhaled. ''It has to be like that, doesn''t it? Ugh, I hate this!'' Clenching his teeth, Arthur shifted direction and ran around the area. Some clouds followed after him while others vanished and waited for him toe toward them.


    Circling around, he rushed into the middle of the battlefield, followed by the fog. At some point, the other clouds emerged, attacking him all at the same time.


    ''Not yet.'' He thought to himself as he ran toward them. Knowing fully well this could kill him, he still kept hisposure. ''Not yet¡­''


    The distance between them became a few inches. ''Now!'' Then, he ducked down. At the same time, the clouds of fog smashed into one another, missing Arthur. That expectedly didn''t deal any damage to them as they merged into one massive cloud above his head.


    Arthur saw that and a wild grin appeared on his face. "Got you~"


    Then, Arthur lifted his left hand up. Covered in his bloody w, something manifested on the palm. A small blue sphere that quickly expanded in size to be twice the size of his hand.


    The cloud, still merging, didn''t notice that. By the time, it tried to attack him, it noticed the change.


    "Goodbye, bastard!"


    *BOOOOM*


    A giant blue me smashed into the cloud from the bottom. The bright mes quickly caught into the fog, eating the cloud in a moment. Then, Arthur heard the sound of key ice forming around the cloud.


    In a split second, it ate the entire thing, covering it in a thickyer of frost.


    *BANG*


    Falling to the ground, the cloud stopped movingpletely. The entire ce was submerged in silence again as Arthur stared at the ice ball with wide eyes.


    ''Shit¡­ That was close. But it worked¡­'' Looking at his hand, Arthur smiled. ''I was right for using Frost me. The fact that this fog is essentially moisture in the air, then this me would turn it to ice instantly.''


    Arthur smiled to himself as he stood up again. His idea was very smart, but he knew that this wasn''t the end of it. Hell, before he could even finish that thought, he saw the fog around him twitch and move as they formed other clouds.


    So, Arthur exhaled as he snapped his fingers and manifested another frost me. ''This definitely looks a lot cooler. Now I look like a proper RPG yer.'' He grinned.


    "Oh, I''m about to have so much fun turning you idiots into balls of ice."


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 104: Chapter 104- Defeat Of The Mind

    *BOOOM*


    A massive ball of me sted the fog cloud away, turning instantly into ice. Another two tried to rush forward, only to meet the same fate as the first one. Nothing could approach him or even get close to him.


    After discovering his new n, Arthur simply sted them all as he advanced through the fog. He didn''t struggle anymore and that only pushed him to move faster.


    ''Hahaha! You can''t get close to me now, bastard! Can you?'' He grinned.


    The frost me proved to be extremely powerful against the fog. It also surprisingly didn''t use a lot of mana so he was able to freely manifest it whenever he wanted without the need to worry about the consumption rate.


    Several minutes passed in such a manner as the relentless attacks from the fog grew even more intense in number and aggression. It was as if the fog realized that Arthur was getting dangerously close to his target and it had gone into a panicked state trying to stop him.


    He could feel the forest shudder with each step he took. The ripples of energy assaulting his body also grew far stronger than before, hitting his body like a raging tide. It forced Arthur back with its pure strength.


    So, to fight it, Arthur had to make some decisions. The first one was to naturally focus on advancing forward rather than fighting the fog around him. Since he now had the situation under control more or less, he put his effort into moving deeper into the forest.


    The second decision he took was to increase his agility and strength. Putting 5 extra points into strength and 5 into agility, he was able to make the task considerably easier on his body. His muscles grew way stronger and his speed increased.


    ''I''m a beast!!'' Arthur felt a thrill like nothing else at that moment. The power rushing through his veins filled him with euphoria. He was doing it. He was raging a war against an entire environment that wanted him dead and was winning.


    The ripples of energy, and the clouds of fog relentlessly assaulting him from all angles as if that was the only thing they could do. Yet, he had everything under his control. He felt invincible.


    Advancing like an unbeatable monster, he cut his path relentlessly through the forest. ''I''ming for you bastard. Hahahaha! It''s my win.''


    "Hm?" At that very moment, Arthur coincidentally looked down to trace his path forward and avoid anything that could make him stumble or fall. After all, any mistake could make the fog around him instantly consume him.


    However, what he saw down there, a foot away from him was something he didn''t expect at all. ''Hm? Is that a footstep?'' He asked himself.


    Arthur didn''t understand at first what a footstep was doing there but then it clicked in his head. ''Did one of the group pass from here?''


    Since they were all separated, he assumed that one of them might''ve just found their way to his path and were moving ahead of him. Looking up, Arthur squinted his eyes. ''I should try to trace their path.''


    So, Arthur started walking again. Taking one step ahead, his leg fell on the footstep. That was when Arthur halted again as his eyes slowly widened. His pupils moved down to look at his feet. There, he saw it¡­ His foot fit the trace perfectly.


    ***


    "Hah¡­ Hah¡­" I shed with the fog as she wasunched back, sliding on her feet across the area. When she stopped, she looked up with a deep frown on her face. A huge bloody energy sliced through the side of her face.


    Looking up, amidst the fog, the sample silhouette she had seen before was still standing there and hadn''t vanished yet. It was also staring back at her with a weirdly soft smile that I was very familiar with.


    "Little sis. You really don''t have to do this. I am here for you." It said.


    However, I didn''t reply as she clenched even tighter. Her heart ached greatly hearing that voice and that familiar tone. She could barely focus on the battle while that person was standing there staring at her and telling her such words.


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    "Why are you trying to fight for this? There is nothing beyond this point." The clone said with a smile. "My little sister isn''t someone who does things without a purpose, is she? This has no purpose for you."


    However, I didn''t even bother to answer. She knew that this was all a facade created by the forest. But, she couldn''t bring herself to try and put a stop to it. Her hands shook at the simple thought of doing it. I, the same person that people deemed to be invincible, was shaking at the mere thought of even facing this person''s clone.


    Instead, she simply tried to fight the fog, and as ironic as it is, that was far easier than simply talking to that clone.


    However, that also meant that I was quickly losing the battle. She had been fighting for several minutes now without a stop. She used all her abilities, destroying many of the clouds, but still not making any progress.


    She could''ve moved forward if that clone wasn''t standing in her way, talking to her like her own devil. She couldn''t for the life of her take a step past him as if he was some kind of insurmountable wall that she couldn''t climb.


    "I, what is it that you want? Why aren''t you talking to me? Haven''t you missed me?" The clone asked. "Have my little sister forget about me?"


    "Shut up!!" Hearing that, something inside I snapped as she yelled at him. "Shut the hell up!"


    "Why are you angry? Hm, are you perhaps feeling regret now, I?" The clone asked back, unbothered by her fit of rage. "What makes you feel regretful, I? Is it that you left me to die? Or is it perhaps that you couldn''t do anything when the time came to it?"


    Ripping a cloud apart, I red at the clone before she averted her eyes quickly. She couldn''t answer the questions he kept posing one after the other simply because she didn''t have the answers.


    If she did have those answers, then she would''ve been able to easily cut through him and move on. But, this was impossible at that moment. She hated it deeply, but she was feeling weak as all hell at that moment.


    ''Why do I have to see this now? Why¡­?'' She cursed and yelled in her head a thousand times by that point. The battle was the least of her worries at that moment. ''Why did you appear here, now? I can''t face you¡­ I can''t¡­''


    "Come on, answer me, little sis. What did you do when I died? What did you achieve? What did you change in yourself?"


    "Everything¡­" I muttered.


    "Hm?"


    "I changed everything." She replied coldly. "... I''m not the same person anymore."


    The clone went silent for a second before it suddenly exploded into a fit ofughter. Theughter was soft and pleasant to the ear as painful as it was. "Changed yourself? Hahaha, do you even hear yourself right now? Do you even believe anything you said?"


    "..." I pursed her lips tightly.


    "You have never changed, I. Look at you, fighting a losing battle. You haven''t really moved on nor did you change. Put all the coldness and ruthlessness you want on the surface¡­ Down beneath, there is nothing but fear. Fear from the inevitable."


    At that moment, I''s eyes widened slightly as the light in pupils rippled. At the same time, a cloud of fog smashed into her stomach, sending her flying as she hit a tree. All the air was knocked out of her lungs and she was lost for breath for a moment.


    However, her mind was inplete shambles at that moment. The words she just heard resonated in her head at that moment and she couldn''t really get them out. Her senses went numb and the world around her grew darker.


    ''... I¡­'' She tried to logically refute those words the clone said but could she really? No, even her clever mind couldn''te up with a proper response to those ims. Perhaps because deep down, she knew that they were right.


    She hadn''t changed at all, did she? All these years, she had simply hidden that side of her behind the cold and calcting I. The person that can never be defeated. The person who was ready to take immense power into their hands and control it.


    It was all her destiny. But, that didn''t seem to change anything about thoseyers beneath. Now, faced with something akin to a test, she was failing miserably.


    Slowly, she lifted her hand up and touched her face. Even as the clouds of fog flew toward her, ready to kill her, she didn''t move. She didn''t care about the fight or the game anymore. Her mind was defeated.


    I had lost.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 105: Chapter 105- Give Yourself a Break

    ''I can''t¡­ Why?'' I dug her fingers into her face, almost trying to tear it apart. Her heart and soul were shaking as if they were being assaulted by something invisible. She could barely breathe or move.


    This was by far the worst state she had been in in years. She was someone who could keep theirposure in the worst situations but this was far more than just a bad situation. This was a deep scar that she hadn''t healed from and it had been opened again in an unexpected turn of events.


    The clouds of fog closed the distance on her and I was aware of it. But¡­ Was there really a point in even trying anymore? She admits that she lost and yet the battle wasn''t even over. Her eyes stared up, devoid of emotions.


    The clone of the man she knew was staring back at her. His grin was now distorted into a devilish smirk that sent chills down her spine. That was never the smile she was familiar with. That warm and loving smile she grew up seeing. It had beenpletely ruined.


    Seeing that broken look on her face, the grin widened as he said. "You''re a fucking disappointment, I. I hope you know that."


    *CRACK*


    That was it. The words that made it crack. I''s ears rang loudly as they heard those words. Then, they wentpletely static, stopping all sounds from reaching her head.


    ''No¡­ No, no, no¡­'' She shook her head as she bit her lower lip so strongly that blood seeped out. ''I didn''t¡­ I¡­''


    The words echoed around, making her hold her head tightly. Her heart raced and her breathing turned erratic and panicked. ''No! No! No! Get me out of here!


    Get me out! I don''t want this!''


    She was so panicked that she even forgot that she could leave the game on her own and spare herself from this hell. But, it was far toote. The terror had robbed her of all her abilities.


    "Get her." The clone said as he pointed at I. "She is no more."


    *Swish*


    Without hesitation, the clouds closed thest few meters, aiming for her heart. However, at that very moment, something suddenly moved out of nowhere.


    Like a ghost, it quickly cut through the air at an insane speed. Passing through the swarm of clouds, they instantly turned into balls of ice. Nobody reacted to that in time including I.


    "What the hell is going on here?"


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    ''Huh?'' I''s eyes opened as she looked up quickly only to see a familiar person standing in front of her, blocking the haze of the blinding fog around her.


    "I didn''t expect to see you defeated, I," Arthur said as he crouched down to her level and looked at her. "Are you ok? Can you hear me?"


    Arthur, although didn''t understand what was happening, still could see the truly abnormal state the girl was in. This was the first time he had ever seen I in such a terrified, weak condition. The look of true horror in her eyes and her shaking body. Arthur could recognize those symptoms anywhere.


    ''She''s going through a panic attack.'' His face darkened considerably when he noticed that.


    "... I¡­" The girl, still in a daze, looked at Arthur as she gasped for air. "I¡­ I''m fine."


    "You don''t look fine to me. Here, let me help you stand up." Extending his hand to her, he pulled her up and made her rest against the tree. "Now, take a deep breath then exhale it a few times. Focus on your breathing."


    "Who are you, bastard? How dare you save that disappointment of a human being? Hm, do you wish to die too?" The clone said with a deep scowl.


    "Now, look at me, keep your eyes on me." He said as he stared at her. I surprisingly listened to his words and did exactly what he asked. "You''re fine. Nothing bad happened."


    She blinked silently as she slowly nodded her head.


    "Bastard! I''m talking to you!"


    "This is just a fog. It''s not the real world." Arthur continued, ignoring the clone.


    "I sai-"


    "Can you shut up for a second, geez?! You have been bbering for the past several minutes like an idiot." Arthurshed back at him with a cold look.


    "..." The clone clenched its teeth in frustration. Hearing that disrespectful tone this stranger had, it ticked it off greatly.


    "Don''t tell me what to d-"


    *Swish*


    Before it could even finish the sentence, several red arrows had already cut through the air, reaching it in less than a second. It couldn''t even react in time as it pierced through it¡­ Instantly turning it back to mist.


    "Tsk, annoying bastard. Don''t try me next time." Arthur murmured as he quickly turned to I. The girl had finally calmed down a little as she was staring deeply at him in silence. Her expression was now moreposed and her body stopped shaking visibly.


    "How did you¡­ find me?" She asked.


    "Uh¡­ That''s a long story¡­" Arthur muttered.


    ***


    *Several Minutes before that*


    "The same footstep?! Are you telling me that I have been going around in circles this entire time?!" Arthur rubbed his hair aggressively. "This has to be a joke!"


    Looking at the footstep, he cursed loudly. The reality had turned on him and he found himself in the same spot he had been in before.


    "Great, so this fog has disorientation properties too. Good job, you have truly tricked me." Arthur grumbled as he looked around him. ''Now, which direction should I even go in?''


    Closing his eyes, he thought about it for a moment before he opened them again. "As they say, ''If you don''t know where to go, just go try your luck.'' or something like that. I don''t know."


    Since his n of going opposite of the energy waves turned out to be a failure, he could only go in the most random direction possible. That way, not even the fog could know where he wanted to go.


    ''If I don''t know what I''m doing, then it certainly doesn''t know what I''m doing.''


    ***


    "With that, I just closed my eyes, turned around several times, and then ended up going in the direction I faced. This led me to you." Arthur exined.


    "..." I blinked silently.


    "Hey, don''t even ask me. I don''t know how this fog works either. It''s confusing." He shrugged. "Though, now that we''re here, that was actually a really good decision I took. We can work as a team which is way better."


    "..." Hearing that, I looked down for a moment.


    "Now, what should we do? The fog seems to have calmed down for a moment but it will probably attack us again as soon as we start moving. We need to find our way to the heart of the forest or to the others if we can. I hope they aren''t in trouble."


    "Arthur¡­ I¡­" At that moment, I cut him off as she tried to say something. However, the boy looked away.


    "You don''t need to say anything." He said. "We all have scars thatst a lifetime. I don''t know what you have been through but¡­ give yourself a break."


    I''s eyes slowly widened. Her pupils flickered for a moment.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 106: Chapter 106- The Heart Of The Fog (Part 1)

    ''Look¡­ It''s I Goldsmith¡­ How beautiful.''


    ''... I heard that she is already a multi-millionaire at the mere age of 14.''


    ''What? How is that even possible? She''s still a kid.''


    ''She''s a very cruel and cunning businessman. She had founded several sessful businesses and grew them on her own. Talk about an insanely talented person.''


    ''She''s destined for greatness, isn''t she? I doubt anyone can beat her.''


    Suchments were something that I heard basically every single day. Whether it was when she went to school in her luxurious limousine or when she was attending one of the countless gatherings of the upper echelons of society.


    People would always look at her. Not only because she was an insanely beautiful girl with an appearance that would take anyone''s breath away and a presence that would put her at the center of attention wherever she went but also because she was simply a cold genius.


    She was good at everything and could do anything she wished to do. She created her own projects that made her very rich at a very young age without much help from her family. She proved to be the perfect heir to this massive conglomerate that was the Goldsmith family.


    People knew that she was the only person capable of handling such a massive wealth. Even those who were trying to make her fall could only admit that she was truly a horrifying enemy to have.


    However, none of them ever questioned how I reached that point. Not even a single soul looked at her and considered the hell she had been through and what she had been hiding her entire life from the masses.


    After all, beneath all thoseyers of cold ruthless, and unforgiving logic was someone who had lost a lot and had been through a lot.


    Yet, now, the most unexpected person had told her something she had never heard before.


    ''Give yourself a break.''


    Three words and yet their effect was very profound on her. I stared at Arthur''s back silently, trying to contain that idea.


    ''Give myself a break? No, I can''t do that¡­ I can''t do that.'' She thought to herself. ''If I do. I will fall. I can''t let them know or see.''


    I feared that if she even rxed for a moment, those who wished for her downfall would find the opportunity to topple her down. She couldn''t afford to rx.


    "I can''t¡­" Without realizing it, I muttered those words under her breath. Arthur heard it and turned around to look at her.


    "You can''t?" He raised an eyebrow.


    That snapped her out of her daze and she looked up with a frown. "No, it''s¡­"


    "You do realize that if you keep killing yourself over something, it will eat you away before others can do anything?" He asked.


    "..." I blinked.


    "I can see that you hate showing a weak side and in all honesty, I don''t disagree with that. But, if you keep trying to put on a front, sooner orter it will crack in the worst way possible. So, just take a moment and have a breather. Leave some room for when tough things happen so that you can be ready for them."


    The girl pursed her lips slightly and she closed her eyes. For some reason, she couldn''t find a way to refute Arthur''s words. Perhaps because deep down she realized those words made her feel different.


    This boy had looked at her in a different manner than everyone else and that made her inexplicably delighted. Someone had understood her and what she was feeling. I wished to have a moment where she could truly rx and breathe.


    She wanted to stop thinking about what she had to do the next day and what step she had to take in her n next. Even someone as smart as she was would quickly start losing their mind as they constantly stay on the edge, ready for any possibility.


    Without realizing it, I''s tense body rxed a little and her clenched fists opened. The only thing she could think of at that moment was the words Arthur had told her.


    "Anyway, I think we should start moving now. We don''t have the time to idle around." Crouching down, Arthur traced the grass beneath him. "I think we should try and move in that direction." He then pointed up. "If we can somehow outpace the fog, we could find our way out."


    "..."


    "I?"


    "Hm? Oh, yes. Ehem, we can do that." I shook her head quickly and focused on the situation again. ''I can''t think about such stuff now. I will leave it forter.''


    As much as she was now filled with many thoughts, she knew that they didn''t have time to waste.


    "Good. Can you run?"


    The girl nodded her head and drank a few potions to regain her lost health and stamina. "I can."


    With that, the duo dashed away, disappearing into the fog. Using all their agility points, they cut through the thick forest.


    Around them, the fog started manifesting into clouds as theyunched at them from all angles. Without saying anything to each other, Arthur and I immediately went into work.


    Using Frost me, Arthur slid down, destroying several clouds in one swipe then jumped on his legs, dodging thest one before sting it down.


    Meanwhile, I used gravity, smashing the clouds into the ground, and turning them into puddles of water. With each swing of her arm, the clouds would stop moving and fall down.


    Using their immense power, the two cut their way through the clouds with ease. Their cooperation was top-notch after working together for days. They understood what the other was doing and acted ordingly.


    They swapped positions, using their unpredictability to take down all the enemies around them. Their swift movement almost looked like a dance. A very graceful and beautiful dance. Not even the fog nor the ripples of energy could stop them.


    "Keep going, the fog is getting thicker," Arthur said as he looked at his partner. "I feel something changing."


    Sliding to the side, I sted another cloud as she replied. "We need to move faster."


    The two knew that they were quickly cracking the fog''s illusion using their speed. Since the fog can''t keep up with them, it could only try to take them down. However, it realized quickly that it was dealing with two monsters that could not be stopped.


    ''Faster. We''re breaking through.'' Feeling the air on his face, and the entire forest starting to shake again, far more violently than ever before, Arthur quickened his steps.


    Everything turned into a blur. It felt like the two of them were swimming from the deepest parts of the ocean toward the surface and that surface was now but a small distance away from them.


    Arthur''s hand stretched forward, seeking to find the way out. ''Close¡­ So close¡­'' He mused as he grasped the air around him.


    The fog became a white cloud that wrapped around his body, almost like aforting bed rather than a lethal enemy.


    All for one single moment.


    *Swish*


    The moment when he breaks that surface.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 107: Chapter 107- The Heart Of The Fog (Part 2)

    Before Arthur could even realize it, everything suddenly turned white. His vision was blinded and so were all his other senses. He didn''t understand what had just happened, as he found himself in apletely different ce.


    Blinking slowly, he looked around him. Everywhere he looked, it was all fog. From the ground, he was standing in the sky above him. He could see nothing else, no trees and no grass.


    It was as if he was inside a cloud world¡­ A surprisingly beautiful one that took his breath away.


    "What is this ce?" He muttered in awe as he stood up. Looking behind him, he could only see a wall of thick fog covering the entire ce. "I came here from the forest, didn''t I?" He muttered.


    Although Arthur was aware that he had somehow broken through the fog and reached a whole new ce, he didn''t know exactly where he was or if he was even still in the forest or not.


    "Hnng¡­"


    At that moment, he heard a small groaning from a little farther away. Looking in that direction, he saw I slowly standing up as she rubbed her forehead.


    "I!" He eximed, happy to see that she was there too.


    "Where are we?" She asked while looking around.


    "I don''t know. But, it seems we have reached a different ce. Maybe this is the ce where the forest didn''t want us to go." Arthur replied.


    "Do you mean¡­"


    "It could be the heart of the forest, for sure." He replied. ''A lot of fog and nothing else. Yeah, this fits exactly what we''re looking for.''


    "How did we break through, though?" He asked I.


    "Perhaps, we have moved fast enough that the illusion and the fog couldn''t contain or divert our direction. That was the only way it could''ve worked, apparently." She replied. "Unless this is also another form of illusion."


    "... It certainly could be," Arthur replied with a thoughtful look. "I can feel something different from this ce, though. It isn''t as creepy as the forest."


    Crouching down, Arthur tried to touch the fog beneath him. But, it was surprisingly very hard as if it was solid ground. "Interesting. The fog here is manifested in a physical form. No wonder we can stand on it."


    As he was talking, I looked up only to notice something appearing in the distance. She squinted her eyes a little before she tapped Arthur''s shoulder gently.


    "Look at that." She said calmly.


    "Hm?" Arthur stood up and looked in the direction she was pointing at. There, far away from them, a small ember of light could be seen shining through the thick fog.


    "..."


    The two stared at it silently for a few seconds before they finally looked at each other. They didn''t even need to say anything to understand one another. Their intentions were very obvious.


    With careful steps, they then started moving forward while keeping their eyes on the light. Their hands slowly moved to their weapons as they got ready for an ambush or an enemy.


    However, as they walked, nothing of the sort popped up. That, however, didn''t put them at ease at all. As they got closer to the source of light, it grew even brighter. Theyers of fog moved out of their way gently as if they wished for them to see the object.


    Oneyer at a time, the light became very bright. It was warm and pleasant, giving the duo a rxing feeling. At the same time, they started feeling immense amounts of energy in the atmosphere around them.


    The energy wasn''t as hostile or harmful as they expected and instead simply spread everywhere, giving them an insight into what they were approaching. It was simply indescribable.


    The energy was so vast and deep that they couldn''t even feel a fraction of it. A level of power far above what they had seen so far.


    "Can you feel it, I?" Arthur asked hispanion with a careful tone.


    "I do. This energy¡­ It''s very rich." I replied. ''Incredibly so. What could be emitting such a vast amount of it?''


    Not that long after her question, the answer finally manifested in front of them. A dozen meters away from them was a shiny crystal shard, floating in the air quietly. Its bright white light spread everywhere around it.


    Coils of fog and mist wrapped around it gracefully as if they were a pedestal holding the shard with respect. The sight was breathtaking, to say the least.


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    Both of them didn''t even take a second to understand what this thing was. They felt it deep in their bones without the need for any exnation. That shard was the source of the fog.


    "..." I and Arthur didn''t realize that they had stopped in their tracks, staring at the shard inplete silence. Their bodies revered the shard and almost gave it an instinctive respect.


    Eventually, they snapped out of it as they breathed again.


    "A Crystal Shard? That''s the cause of all of this fog?" I asked with a confused look. She couldn''t understand how something that small could be the reason for the fog that covered the entire forest. No, she didn''t understand how something so small could emit such an insane amount of energy as if it were nothing. Nothing about this made sense to her.


    "A crystal shard¡­ Wait, a crystal shard?" At that moment, Arthur''s eyes widened. "A crystal shard!"


    "... Yes, that''s what I said," I replied with a deadpan expression.


    "No! You don''t understand! A crystal shard! What did we learn the very first moment we stepped into the divine realm?"


    I didn''t understand what he was trying to say for a second as she squinted her eyes. But, it quickly came back to her.


    "The divine shards." She muttered in a daze.


    "Exactly! This could be one of the divine shards!!" Arthur eximed. Even as he was saying it, Arthur couldn''t believe his own words.


    So far, Arthur knew nothing about the divine shards. The information he received from the angel was minimal and scarce. However, it was enough to give him an idea about the importance of these shards and their immense strength. After all, these were shards left by gods and as far as he was concerned, a god is an invincible entity.


    But, to suddenly find one in such an unexpected manner was very¡­ anti-climactic. He was ready to get into epic wars and arduous adventures just to find one of these. Finding a shard randomly in a forest was a twist.


    "Why are you so sure?"


    "Hm? Well, it could be something else, of course. But, putting into perspective how powerful this thing is, it can very likely be a shard."


    ''I mean for god''s sake it has its own consciousness, can read our minds, can cover an entire region in fog, and still emit insane amounts of energy as if it was another Tuesday. If this isn''t one of the shards, then I don''t know what could be this strong and look simr to them.'' He mused.


    "I understand that. But, what are we supposed to do now?" I asked.


    "Hmm¡­ Can''t you feel it?"


    "Feel what?"


    "The urge to grab that thing." Arthur grinned yfully.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 108: Chapter 108- Broken Piece

    "... Are you sure about this, Arthur?" Watching Arthur step forward carefully, she asked with a frown. Seeing the yful look on Arthur''s face, she could only sigh inwardly. Arthur was clearly very curious about the shard and his curiosity had beaten every other rational thought he might have.


    However, that was something I learned about Arthur over the past few days. The boy was a thrill seeker like no other. Even in their journey, he was always the first to step forward to explore the unknown.


    She could see the deep sense of adventure engrained into his very bones. He loved everything that came with it even if it was something dangerous that could harm him.


    That particr side of Arthur confused I greatly. How could someone be so reckless and happy to do things without prior nning or careful consideration? Her logical mind couldn''tprehend the joy one might find in facing the unknown.


    For her, knowing everything beforehand was essential. She had to be aware of all aspects of a situation before she put herself in that situation. This was something she learned with time trying to survive the political battlefield that is the Goldsmith family.


    Arthur''s mindset and herspletely contradicted each other. Yet, for some reason, I didn''t find herself hating Arthur or finding him stupid. In fact, this nature of his fit him very well. His was like a breath of fresh air after beingpletely suffocated the entire time.


    "I?"


    "Hm?" Dazed, and deep in thought, I hummed.


    "Snap out of it. I''m going to grab it. If something happens, be ready to move." He said.


    "I understand. Go ahead, I''m ready." Grabbing her sword up, she got ready."


    "Ok¡­ Here goes nothing." Gulping down, Arthur slowly looked at the shard that was barely a few feet away from him. From this up close, he could feel its powerful presence even better, making him shudder.


    ''What an insane object.'' He mused as he slowly stretched his hand forward. He didn''t find any resistance from the shard at all the entire time. Then, Arthur closed his eyes and grabbed it.


    *Swish*


    For a moment, Arthur didn''t feel anything except for the smooth surface of the crystal. It felt very pleasant to the touch and the warm light only made it feel even better. Other than that, nothing happened for a few seconds.


    "Hm?" Arthur opened his eyes and looked at the shard with a frown. "Uh, that''s it?"


    "Are you ok, Arthur?" I asked worriedly when she noticed that nothing happened.


    "Yeah¡­ I''m fine. I''m a little confused though." He turned around and looked at her. "Nothing happ-"


    Before Arthur could even finish the sentence, the shard suddenly unleashed a bright light, taking the duo by surprise. The light spread everywhere in an instant, reaching every corner of the foggy world.


    Then, in a magical sight, the fog all around them started moving slowly, heading toward the ore. From every single angle, it crawled toward the source as if they were ants returning to their colony.


    Reaching the shard, they were instantly absorbed inside. Huge amounts of fog moved into the shard, vanishingpletely without leaving anything behind. Arthur and I watched with shock on their faces. In a matter of seconds, the foggy world they were in started crumbling. The walls were melting and so was the sky above.


    ''The world¡­ It''s crumbling.'' I thought to herself. ''The shard is absorbing all of it.''


    The shrouded world around them started revealing more details. The grassy ground beneath them, the trees around them, and the normal sky they were familiar with.


    Less than a minute into this process, the two were already back inside the forest. However, the shard didn''t stop absorbing the fog yet. From every single ce in the forest, the fog approached the shard, attracted by its divine light like a moth to the me.


    "It''s working, I!" Arthur eximed as his eyes lit up. "The forest is losing all its fog!"


    "..." I blinked before nodding. As the fog moved past her, she waspletely speechless. The sight of Arthur holding that shard while the fog slowly moved toward him was¡­ captivating.


    Seeing the smile on his face while the power in his hand did that magic struck I. For a moment, her eyes shed with a glint that vanished as fast as it appeared. The girl shook her head.


    ''What am I even thinking about?'' She sighed.


    A minuteter, the absorption process finally came to an end. The result it left behind was simply ridiculous. The entire forest had lost all the mist that covered it and returned to its normal form. The eerie atmosphere vanished along with the fog, leaving behind nothing but normal stretches ofnd.


    "..." Arthur and I stared around them at the result in awe. Then, Arthur received a notification.


    [Ding!]


    [You have acquired a ''Broken Shard Piece''.]


    [Ding!]


    [Your main ss has evolved.]


    [You have acquired a new secondary ss.]


    "..." Arthur blinked. "What¡­?"


    Seeing the look of confusion on Arthur''s face, I approached Arthur. "What happened?"


    The boy didn''t reply immediately as he continued reading the notifications. Then, he looked up at I.


    "Is that a divine shard as you said?" She asked.


    "Yes¡­ And no." He replied.


    "What do you mean?"


    "This isn''t a Divine Shard. It''s a broken part of a Divine Shard." He replied as he lifted the shard up.


    "A broken part¡­ Wait, does that mean?"


    "Yes¡­ This isn''t the full thing. Perhaps the rest of the shard is somewhere else."


    ''But, why is the shard broken? And what is a part of it doing here? No, scratch that, how is a small part of the shard capable of all this power?!'' Arthur''s brain filled up with questions. He was very confused and yet also very excited at the same time.


    His prediction was right in a sense. But, he had one single mistake. He had underestimated the divine shards greatly. Thinking that this small piece was the full thing because of the shocking sights it had given them wasn''t right.


    The Divine Shard was, in simple terms, way stronger than that. That fact alone sent chills down Arthur''s back.


    ''So this is why people are ready to die to get their hands on these things. Such a power¡­ how is it even fair? If someone gets their hand on one of these, they are invincible. They cannot be defeated anymore.'' Arthur thought to himself.


    All the wars and bloodshed for these things had suddenly started making sense to Arthur. Before, it was a mere thought he had that had no real proof behind it. But, now, while holding a small piece of the divine object, he realized that he was indeed mocking these things.


    The power of a full shard wasn''t something his brain couldprehend let alone predict.


    "But, now that we found one of these¡­ What are we supposed to do with it?" He muttered.


    I looked at Arthur and then at the shard. "It''s yours now." She replied coldly.


    "Huh? What are you talking about? We found it together." Arthur raised his eyebrows as he started walking after I.


    "No, you grabbed it first so it''s yours now. I''m not taking it."


    "I cannot ept that."


    Although Arthur would be lying if he said he wasn''t very curious about what this shard could do, that didn''t mean that he was simply going to lose all integrity because of that. I was the one who alerted him to the shard and they both saw it at the same time, it was only right they find a way to share their findings.


    "No. The first to grab it keeps it." She replied without looking back.


    "I won''t take that. I wasn''t the only one to find it."


    "It''s an order."


    "I don''t work under you."


    "It doesn''t matter."


    ''Why is she so stubborn? Wait, I''m also really stubborn.'' Arthur frowned. ''Why doesn''t she want to share it with me? It''s the rarest item we have found so far.''


    Arthur couldn''t understand what was going through I''s head at that moment. As far as he was concerned, this item could benefit her ns greatly for the future. It would be the most logical step to take it or at least share it with him. As the two went back and forth, trying to convince one another of their opinion, they suddenly heard a yell.


    "I!! Arthur!! Oiii!!!"


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 109: Chapter 109- Finishing The Build

    Looking up, the two saw Herculia waving at them from afar. On his shoulder, he was carrying Emmy. The two approached him quickly.


    "What happened to Emmy?" I asked worriedly as she inspected her friend.


    "Hm? She''s fine. She had used all of her mana and she''s recovering now." Herculia shrugged. "Hey, talk to them."


    "Ugh¡­ I''m fine, guys." Emmy replied with a groan. They could hear her almost vomiting in the middle of her sentence.


    "Hey! Don''t vomit on me now!"


    "I''m¡­ Close!"


    "Hold on! I will put you down!"


    Quickly, Herculia lifted her up before she could do it. Then, the girl started coughing loudly as she threw up everything inside her stomach.


    "Why is she throwing up?" Arthur asked with a frown.


    "It''s a side effect of using too much mana in a short period of time without recovering with potions," I exined. "It rarely happens but I guess Emmy had been through a tough battle."


    "We''ve all been through it," Herculia replied. "I was still fighting those nasty fog clouds until they suddenly vanished out of nowhere. What did you two do?"


    "We found the source of the fog," Arthur replied as he showed Herculia the shard. "The nightmare is over, brother."


    "... What?! You''ve already found it?! That''s amazing!" Herculia eximed with a shocked expression.


    "Yes, we were very lucky but we still did it. We can now leave this stupid forest." Exhaling a long breath, Arthur sat down. "Oh man, that was such a long fight for no reason."


    ''It should''ve not been this hard. Yet, it somehow was very hard.'' Arthur thought to himself as he looked at the sky. He could see that Herculia and Emmy were also pushed to the limit in their own regard too. Their tattered bodies and the injuries they sustained were still there, slowly vanishing as their bodies healed back to a peak state.


    For some reason, looking at his group, Arthur thought of a question. ''I wonder if this forest is deliberately to test all of us?''


    His reason for thinking about that was simple. This forest was basically positioned in the way of their journey toward the Last Empire. It tested the yers with things that are rted to their real lives along with their fighting abilities so far. Both of these aspects looked very much like a true test.


    ''Is the game trying to stop anyone who isn''t strong enough from moving past this ce?'' He mused. ''That is a little terrifying. If the game truly trying to test us now, then what is it trying to prepare us for?''


    This was a clear message to Arthur and perhaps to the others¡­ The game was sending them a warning message.


    ''Whatever beyond this forest is something that you cannot truly fathom.''


    Slowly, Arthur''s expression grew darker as his fists clenched tightly. He felt chills run down his spine imagining what the game had in store for them when they left this forest.


    As they were like that, the group heard someone approaching. Looking up, they saw the two dwarves appearing out of the thick forest, followed by an exhausted-looking Danny.


    "Guys!" Seeing the group, his eyes lit up.


    "See? We told you they''re fine, sir Danny." Serko and Fiy said with a smile.


    "Are you ok, brother?" Herculia approached his friend.


    "I''m fine¡­ Ugh, had some problems but I''m fine." He replied as he pulled out a potion and drank it to restore his health.


    "Wow, I thought you were dead," Arthurmented as he stood up.


    "What did you say, bastard?!" Danny cursed.


    "Hey, I''m just being honest." Arthur shrugged his shoulders and turned to the two dwarves. "I''m d you two are fine too."


    "... Hehe, we won''t fall that easily." The two dwarves said. "Hm?"


    At that moment, the two dwarves suddenly wentpletely silent as they stared at Arthur. The boy was a little confused by the shift in their attitude. Their jovial smiles turned into a serious expression.


    "Uh, guys?" He snapped his fingers in front of their faces a few times, trying to catch their attention. However, their eyes were locked on one single thing. Arthur followed their line of sight.


    "What is that thing, Arthur?" Fiy finally asked.


    "Hm? This? This is a broken part of a divine shard." He replied.


    "What?!"


    Everyone was instantly shocked by the revtion, except for I.


    "That''s a divine shard?!" Herculia blurted out.


    "A broken part of it, but yes."


    "..."


    "Where did you find it?" Danny frowned visibly as he pointed at the shard.


    "The heart of the forest. This is the source of all the fog and the illusions." I replied casually.


    "Can I have a look at it?" Serko asked.


    "Sure." Arthur handed him the broken shard as the boy carefully took it with both hands and started examining it.


    "Wow¡­" The fascination in his eyes was clear as day. He lookedpletely infatuated with the shard in his hand. "It has so much energy¡­ It''s like staring at a deep ocean. Serko!"


    "Yes, I already felt it, Fiy." His friend said.


    "Do you think this could work?"


    "It could definitely work."


    As the two whispered to each other in secret, the others watched silently, waiting for them to speak. They didn''t understand why they were acting like that but it was clearly a very important thing.


    "So, what are you two talking about? Mind sharing it with us?" Emmy asked.


    "Ehem, this shard¡­ Can we use it to finish our aircraft?" The two asked.


    "... Finish the aircraft? Would that work?"


    "Yes! It has enough energy to run the aircraft! No, it can run dozens of these aircrafts with ease at the same time and never get empty." Fiy replied. "It could fly us wherever we want to go!"


    "... Wait, are you serious?" Arthur blinked.


    "Yes! This is perfect for our n!"


    Arthur didn''t understand how they already figured out that this shard could work perfectly as a fuel for the aircraft. But, he didn''t want to question that either. If they''re right, then this is a huge problem solved.


    "Wait, how faster is an aircraftpared to the horses we were riding?"


    "Our aircraft is way faster, of course! We can cutrge distances in no time!" Serko replied.


    ''If that''s the case, then our journey won''t be taking weeks, is it?'' Arthur smiled.


    Approximately, the group hadpleted 40-50% of the journey so far. They still had at least another week of traveling before they could reach their destination. That is of course if he didn''t count that the academy starts in two days. He won''t have as much time to y the game so the trip would take way more than a week to finish.


    ''If we can cut the distance shorter, that would be such a huge help.'' He mused.


    "You can use it to finish the aircraft. How long would it take you to do that?"


    "... Mm, not that long. An hour at most. We will just have to connect it to all the aircraftponents."


    "I think everyone is fine with the idea, right?" Arthur asked as he looked around him.


    "This would actually be a huge help. I''m tired of riding the horse for days."


    "Me neither. I''m fine with it."


    "Better than wasting time traveling onnd."


    Seeing that nobody was against it, Arthur nodded. "So, go ahead and do whatever you need to do."


    "Thank you! We will start working on it immediately!"


    With that, the group headed back to the house. Since the fog vanished, they didn''t worry about getting lost. Everything was as clear as day.


    The moment they reached their destination, the two dwarves immediately went to work. Taking thest prototype they made, they started fixing and strapping the shard to it. Meanwhile, the rest of the group watched from the side in silence.


    Their speed as they worked on the vehicle was simply unimaginable. What was even more impressive was that they didn''t even stop to think. They were working with their instincts rather than minds.


    An hour or soter, the two dwarves finally stopped and looked at their finished work. A massive aircraft with arge cockpit and wide wings that spanned dozens of meters. Two wing propellers were strapped to the sides and one massive de was on the front of the ne.


    "This should be perfect!"


    "You guys are amazing!" Emmy eximed.


    "This ne looks insane!" Herculia pped with a wide smile on his face.


    "Hehe, thank you, thank you. We tried our best."


    "I don''t know how you guys have such an insane talent. It''s such a waste that you were stuck here this entire time. Whoever sent you here is an idiot." Arthur said.


    Hisment, as simple as it was, made the two dwarves gopletely silent. Their faces darkened slightly.


    "Hm?" Arthur didn''t understand the weird reaction at first.


    "Mm¡­ We weren''t thrown in this forest." Fiy replied as he rubbed his fingers awkwardly.


    "I''m sorry. I didn''t mean to make such ament." Arthur quickly apologized, thinking he offended them.


    ''Why did I make such a dumbment? It''s clearly not something they like to hear.''


    For someone who can''t remember anything about their lives, it was naturally impactful when someone mentions the person who made them lose their memories and get stuck in such a terrifying forest.


    However, their next words took everyone by surprise.


    "No, it''s not that. We were not thrown in this forest¡­ We were left behind."


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 110: Chapter 110- The World Shook

    "What? Why would you think so?" Arthur asked confusedly. So far, he was going with the premise that these two kids were thrown into this forest with their memories cut off. Arthur was unaware of the reason for such a horrible thing or why they would be left in this particr forest.


    "That''s what the letter told us," Fiy replied. "All it said to us was that we were meant to remain here and that they couldn''t bring us with them. It also says that we must survive ande back when the time is right."


    "..." The entire group frowned in confusion. Those words sounded way too specific for someone who did a very horrible act like this one.


    ''You would expect them not to have any sympathy towards these two kids. But this letter doesn''t sound empathetic at all¡­ Could it be?'' Arthur rubbed his chin thoughtfully.


    Looking over his shoulder, he noticed that the others had reached the same conclusion as he did without uttering a word. It seemed clear as day what the intentions of the person who left this letter were.


    "Were you left here because there was no other choice?" I asked.


    "... We don''t know. But, we never hated the person that left us here. We have learned and grown a lot on our own. We are confused, but we think it was done for a reason, and until we meet the person who left us here with that message and these nes, we won''t judge them."


    "You two¡­" Emmy muttered in a daze.


    Seeing the peaceful smiles on their faces, they were all speechless. How could these two not hate the person that did this to them? After everything that happened to them and the things they went through on their own. They could not imagine the fear and the deep sense of loss they felt when they woke up here. Not to mention the struggle to settle down and adapt to this hostile environment.


    Yet, they didn''t seem to me nor hate the person that left them there. Such a level of emotional maturity was extremely hard to find in adults, let alone small kids. It was simply something worthy of deep admiration.


    "Hehe, in any case, now that we''re leaving this ce. We can finally look for this person to know what happened." Serkoughed awkwardly.


    "Do you know where to look exactly? I mean, this world is pretty big." Herculia asked curiously.


    "Mm, they did mention the ce where we should head. Mm, what was its name again?"


    "I think it''s the ''High Wall Of The Gods''."


    "The high wall of the gods? Do you know where that is?" I raised an eyebrow.


    ''This name sounds really ominous for some reason.'' Arthur thought to himself.


    "No, we don''t know where that is but we at least know of the location. We will try to ask about it." Fiy replied.


    "I will try to help you if I can too." Arthur smiled.


    "Really?" The two kids'' eyes lit up. "You don''t have to, Arthur! You already did us a huge favor!"


    "No, I want to help as much as I can." He shook his head. "You two are very good people with really kind hearts and you deserve to find your purpose. Don''t let this world take that right from you, got it?"


    Seeing the pure smiles on their faces, Arthur could rte to them. That pure smile was something he used to have when he was a kid, unaware of the cruelty of the world. He still tries to keep that smile, but it was certainly way harder to do that with all the things he went through.


    He didn''t want to see Fiy and Serko lose that smile. The Divine Realm is far more cruel than the real world so in a sense, this forest had preserved these two kids better than what the outside world could''ve done.


    "Thank you¡­ *Hick* thank you, Arthur."


    Hearing the two start gasping for air, he looked up only to see their tears falling down their faces.


    "Hey, hey, why are you crying now?" He panicked.


    "You''re so kind¡­" Serko replied as he wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. "We can''t really thank you enough for how much you helped us."


    "Haha, look what you did, Arthur." Herculiaughed warmly.


    "I didn''t mean to, ok?" Arthur rubbed the back of his head. ''Oh man, I don''t know how to calm crying kids. What should I do?''


    "Fufu¡­" As the others were giggling while Arthur was trying to make the two kids stop crying, they didn''t notice I''s expression change a little as she turned away from them.


    Her eyes squinted as she started quietly walking away from the group. The first to notice her weird behavior was Danny.


    "I?" He called for her.


    "Shhh¡­" She shushed him quickly as she looked up at the ceiling,pletely focused on it. Her body waspletely still. Then, she felt it.


    "What is happening?" Slowly, everyone started looking at I.


    "The ceiling¡­ It''s shaking." She replied coldly.


    "Huh?"


    "Focus on it."


    Immediately, the entire group went silent as they waited for the shaking to happen. It didn''t take a few seconds before the entire house creaked again as if it was hit by an earthquake.


    "I felt it!" Herculia eximed.


    "It''s stronger than the previous one," I exined. "Something is happening outside the house."


    *Boom*


    The third one came a little stronger than before, alerting everyone. So, they quickly moved out of the house. There, they felt it way clearer along with a deep, echoing sound that they couldn''t identify. It almost sounded like someone hitting arge drum and the noise echoed far and wide.


    The trees around them and the ground beneath them were moving visibly. It was getting more and more prominent with each passing second.


    "What the hell¡­ is going on?" Danny muttered as a cold feeling started washing over his body.


    As they were all trying to figure out the situation, Arthur looked up above him as he suddenly got an idea.


    "Hey, Fiy, is there a way to ess the roof above the house?" He asked.


    "... Yes. Why do you ask?"


    "Can you show me the way? I want to check something." Arthur replied as he turned around and walked inside the house.


    "Where are you going, Arthur?" I asked.


    "I''m climbing to a higher area to see what is happening." He replied.


    Hearing that, the entire group quickly followed him as the earthquake grew more and more violent very quickly.


    Climbing the stairs, the dwarves led them to a door on the second floor that opened on the balcony. With its altitude, it gave a clearer look into the forest, beyond the high branches of the trees.


    "Hmm, I can''t see anything from here either," Herculia muttered.


    "Hey, put me on your shoulders, I will take a look," Emmy said.


    "No, there is no need." Arthur shook his head as he moved to the side and looked at the ceiling above the house. Then, he stood on the handrails and jumped in the air, reaching the edge of the wall before he climbed on top of the house.


    "Fuuh, that''s some work." He dusted his clothes as he turned around. "Ok, let''s see what we have he-"


    Mid-sentence, he stopped as he froze in ce. His arm remained on his forehead as if he turned into a statue.


    "Oh no¡­" He muttered.


    "What are you seeing up there?"


    "... This is fucked up. This is one of hell of a funny joke, Divinity Online." He said as he clenched his fists. Then, he looked down at the group.


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    "We need to leave this ce¡­ NOW!!"


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 111: Chapter 111- Hell Beneath (Part 1)

    "Huh?"


    "What the hell is happening, Arthur?"


    The group was even more confused when they heard Arthur''s yell. It was rare to see that terrified look on his face as it only meant huge trouble was on the way. The boy quickly jumped down to the balcony.


    "Thousands of monsters areing our way from everywhere!" He eximed as he opened the door. "The earthquake is their feet stepping on the ground at the same time!" His expression was darker than ever.


    "What? Monsters?"


    "I saw them! There are so many of them! Fiy, Serko, prepare the aircraft to move now! How long would that take?"


    "... Uh, 5 minutes. We need to make sure all theponents are working perfectly and then move it to the open area behind the house for takeoff."


    "Shit, 5 minutes¡­ We don''t have enough time." Arthur clenched his teeth as his mind rushed through the options rather quickly. Judging from the distance, Arthur guessed that the monster would arrive in a minute or so. "We need to hold them off till Fiy and Serko get the ne off."


    "..."


    The others were still overwhelmed but what was happening so they didn''t react quickly. However, when the shaking became even more violent, they snapped out of it.


    "A monster stampede¡­ You have got to be kidding me." Danny muttered. He didn''t even need to see the stampede himself to realize how chaotic it must''ve been. Their stomping is sending shockwaves across the entire forest¡­ That was more than enough to realize the disaster that was about to fall on them.


    Quickly, the group moved out of the house while the two dwarves rushed to the aircraft to prepare it.


    Arthur stood on the edge of the stairs, staring into the forest with a cold expression.


    Far away, thousands of creatures rushed through the forest, rendering every area they passed by into a t wastnd. They were like an unstoppable force of nature, destroying everything in its way. Monsters of all kinds rabidly screeched and stomped everywhere as if they were escaping something.


    They didn''t care about anything around them, nor the creatures they were running with. Many fell to the ground and ended up getting stomped into meat paste. Blood and organs flew everywhere. It was a scene straight out of a nightmare and that scene is approaching the group at a rapid pace.


    The group stood there, unable to understand what to do. Everything happened abruptly with no time to n or act.


    "What the hell are we supposed to do now?"


    "It''s 5 minutes¡­ We need to hold on for 5 minutes somehow." Arthur replied as he gripped his sword tightly.


    "You said there are thousands of them rushing toward us! How can we hold that off?" Emmy asked.


    Forget about thousands, Emmy knew that they would have a hard time holding off hundreds of monsters if they rushed them at the same time. There are only four of them after all against an entire army of monsters that rampaged out of control.


    "Where did they evene from? And why are they rushing here?"


    "It isn''t the time to care about that. We''re facing a huge threat." I replied. "Focus on the fight."


    A minute passed inplete silence as everyone awaited the catastrophe. Calling the atmosphere tense was an understatement. Since none of them had seen a glimpse of the stampede, they were feeling even more on the edge than Arthur.


    Eventually, a glimpse of the disaster peeked from behind the trees. A massive cloud of dust and dirt exploded in the air, reaching several dozen meters up in the sky. The sound of the screeches and stomps became the only thing they could hear and the world started shaking continuously.


    Trees fell to the ground one after the other, smashing into the army of monsters while they advanced.


    "Get ready for battle!" I unsheathed her sword as she stepped forward.


    Arthur, Danny, Emmy, and Herculia nodded as they grasped their weapons tightly and took formation. Moving away from the house a good distance, they waited for the swarms of monsters.


    A few secondster, like flies, the monsters invaded the open area where the house was built. Monsters of all kinds and appearances appeared in their vision. Seeing the humans in front of them, they grew even more rabid, invading the ce instantly.


    "Emmy!"


    "Already on it!" The sorcerer girl replied as she lifted her staff in the air. instantly, a massive ball of fire formed on the tip of her staff, quickly growing to an unimaginable size.


    "Haaah!" With a loud yell, she swung the staff forward, sending the ball of me flying toward the monsters.


    *BOOOOOOOM*


    Upon contact, the ball of red mes exploded everywhere, turning the monsters at the front lines into ashes instantly. Then, the residue of the explosion spread everywhere, hitting many unfortunate monsters that came in the way.


    However, as big as the explosion was, it didn''t do much. Monsters were stilling from every single ce, closing up on them rapidly.


    ''This is insane¡­'' Arthur clenched his teeth as he finally channeled his mana to the full. Then, he rushed forward, stepping into the fray head-on.


    Almost instantly, he swung his sword, sending a horrifying sh into the swarms of enemies. He had activated ''Mortal sh'' without hesitation.


    The sword sh sliced through dozens of monsters in one single move. Arthur received countless notifications in one fell sweep. Along with it, he got some points for stats. But, he couldn''t use Blood Eater.


    At the same time, the monsters finally reached him. So, Arthur used every point of agility he had as he vanished like a ghost.


    *Swish*


    A secondter, several monsters were sliced into two pieces before they could even realize it. Falling to the ground, they spat out blood everywhere as they died instantly. But, Arthur didn''t stop there, swinging his sword everywhere at a rapid pace, he formed his bloody w and used it to attack two different sides at the same time.


    Although it was hard to keep up with two sides of the same fight, Arthur''s brain underwent an evolution as he got stronger. He could now multi-task way better than before, focusing on several monsters at once rather than just one.


    At the same time, he created many blood arrows around him, sending them everywhere at the same time. Since his speed and strength reachedpletely new levels, Arthur''s killing machine had be even more horrifying.


    Since the monsters were in a frenzy, they didn''t stop to attack Arthur, making it slightly easier to move through their lines. But, at the same time, their chaotic movement and unpredictable actions made predicting what they might do even harder.


    So, Arthur kept himself outside of the fray, moving through the front line, chipping down their numbers as fast as he could.


    "Guys! Don''t let them move past our line of defense! If they do! We''re done for!!" Arthur yelled as he cut a monster''s head and froze another using a ball of frost me.


    ''We can''t let them move past us! It will be a disaster!'' Looking over his shoulder, his group had already engaged with the enemies.


    "Protect the house at all costs!"


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 112: Chapter 112- Hell Beneath (Part 2)

    *RAWR*


    Blood sttered everywhere as monsters fell to their demise one after the other at an extremely rapid pace. shes of explosions and silhouettes moving everywhere mixed with the invasion of the monsters turned the battlefield into a chaotic scene of destruction.


    The shrieks of monsters filled the entire world and shook the entire forest. In a matter of a few minutes, the entire ce was turned into a blood-soaked hell.


    Arthur, I, Danny, Herculia, and Emmy fought with every single ounce of strength they had in their bodies. They killed every single monster that stepped beyond a certain line. After the arduous journey, they went through, the fruit of their hard work was finally starting to show off.


    Their powers had reached a whole new level that was far beyond what they were capable of before. They became far more destructive and far more lethal. They had more experience fighting monsters and they could recover from the worst situations better.


    Each one with their own strong points, was able to devastate the enemy lines in their own way.


    "COME HERE BASTARDS!! I WILL SMASH YOU TO DEATH!" sting through a group of monsters with pure strength, Herculiaughed like a maniac. His body was fortified withyers of defense and strength buffs that made him a human tank.


    His ability ''Storming Rage'' was especially devastating due to its ability to negate 90% of physical damage for 20 seconds so he could rampage and destroy everything in his way without worrying about his health going down quickly from the overwhelming number of monsters.


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    *Swish*


    At the same time, not that far away, Danny sliced through several monsters in a sh. His sword didn''t appear as if it moved at all the entire time. ''Ghost de'' which was one of his main abilities allowed him to move his sword faster than the eye of his enemy could perceived which made it impossible for weaker enemies to dodge or deflect it.


    "Haaaaah!!"


    At the back line, Emmy was sting the back lines of the monster army with massive-scale spells that reduced the pressure of the continuous swarm of enemies on her friends. Although she was killing many with each attack, her main goal was to simply stall the back lines so that her friend could deal with the monsters at hand.


    The n, while very simple and easy to break, was temporary and quick, fitting the urgency of the situation. After all, all they had to do was hold on for 5 minutes and then escape this ce.


    "Devourer Of Worlds."


    However, that level of strength whenpared to I¡­ Fell short. Where I was fighting, everything that could be seen was simply terrifying. The girl''s gravitational abilities rendered every monster into a t piece of meat paste.


    Her sword, imbued with that gravitational power, was like a devastating bomb that killed several monsters with each swing. The power of gravity was not only extremely special and rare, but also very potent against swarms of enemies. Coupled with I''s horrifying talent and the result was right in front of their eyes.


    "Agh!" Arthur clenched his teeth as he felt the pain of a strong bite on his shoulder. Grabbing the monster by the head, he threw it forward, smashing into several other monsters before he froze all of them with a single frost me ball.


    ''Hah¡­ Goddammit, did the 5 minutes not pass yet?'' Arthur cursed as he looked at the time in the corner of his eyes. Much to his displeasure, since the battle started¡­ It had only been two and a half minutes.


    The time was moving slowly¡­ Way slower than Arthur would''ve wanted. The situation was on the surface, under control as no monster had yet to break through this human barrier. But, deep down, every single one of the yers there knew that¡­ It was only a facade.


    With each passing second, they were forced to take a step back, reducing the distance between them and the house. The reality was, that the group was being overwhelmed. The thousands of monsters were indeed something they couldn''t simply fight for long.


    Slowly, the damage they received started ramping up. The fight that was a breeze at first turned into a struggle, then a full-blown battle for survival.


    None of them could hear their voices, nor the screams of their enemies. All they could hear was the echo of the battle. They couldn''t feel the pain of the bites or the ws, but they felt the sweat and blood dripping down their bodies.


    It was mere minutes, yet it felt like hell. Something not even their previous battle on Ad could reach. Something about this gave them way more despair. Especially, Arthur who could feel the relentless waves of monsters that kepting toward him. It was like he was chipping down on a massive steel wall with a fork.


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed level 15 Rock Boar.]


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed¡­]


    [Ding!]


    [You have¡­]


    [Ding!]


    [Ding!]


    [Ding!]


    [You have gained +1 health.]


    Notifications of each kill kept rolling down his mind, increasing his stats by one point every now and then. But, those notifications didn''t do much. He was getting stronger as the fight went on, but he wasn''t getting stronger, fast enough.


    His health depleted to dangerous levels and he didn''t even have time to drink a potion or even look at the state of his health.


    *BOOOM*


    sting several monsters back with one sword sh, heunched several arrows everywhere, killing even more monsters around. Then, he kicked the monsters behind him, sending them flying back. At the same time, his arm grabbed the head of another enemy and smashed it into the ground before he leaped back.


    ''Shit! I''m close to dying! I''m taking too much damage!'' Arthur panicked a little when he saw the state he had reached. He had been fighting like a maniac so he had forgotten that he wasn''t invincible.


    But, in such a situation, what was he supposed to do? There was no way he could escape or retreat. He was trapped and the time was ticking slowly. The third minute passed and two more left. It loomed on him that this was perhaps the worst situation he could''ve been in.


    ''Give me a break.''


    *Swish*


    ''Aren''t there enough bastards of you already?''


    *Swish* *Swish*


    ''Just die! All of you!''


    *SWISH*


    His arm went numb from swinging his sword relentlessly. He didn''t even notice that the cracks on his de had grown in size considerably. The Sanguine de was struggling as much as he was.


    "Arthur! Are you ok?" The only person who noticed the situation Arthur was in was I. She had seen him go even deeper into the enemy lines, attacking them from behind. ''Why is he leaving his position? He will kill himself. That idiot.''


    Clenching her teeth, I pushed the swarm of monsters around her and tried to move toward Arthur. She noticed the weird behavior Arthur was exuding. But, she was quickly stopped by the relentless creatures.


    I herself wasn''t faring any better than Arthur. But, because she was still out of the swarm, she was still alive.


    "Arthur!" She called for his name but he didn''t respond. All she could see were monsters being thrown everywhere as the battle reached a whole new level.


    From afar, she could see Arthur,pletely drowned in the blood of his enemies. With a shredded armor and a horrifying look on his face. She had never seen him in such a state before. He almost appeared like a devil¡­ His eyescking any of the usual beautiful glints she sees in them.


    She didn''t know why but that look¡­ It sent a chill down her spine. Something was awfully wrong going on with Arthur.


    "Hey, answer me!" As she fought, she tried to catch his attention. But, she couldn''t do it. Looking up at the time, there was a minute and a half left in the battle.


    Meanwhile, Arthur was in his own world. He couldn''t hear nor see anything aside from the enemies he was killing. He didn''t even realize that he was actingpletely off and that he was pushing himself.


    His health was but a few ticks away frompletely depleting. But¡­ He was calm. Something in his head snapped, and then all the worry vanished.


    ''This is actually¡­ Pretty nice. I''m feeling a little cold. But, I''m still alive.'' His thoughts turned into something they should''ve not been.


    [Ding!]


    [Health had reached the threshold.]


    [Your new ss ''Breserker Of The New World'' has been activated.]


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 113: Chapter 113- Berserker Of The New World

    The moment that notification appeared in Arthur''s retina, his body suddenly underwent a drastic change. For some reason, his temperature started rising rapidly as his skin turned a deep shade of red.


    The temperature quickly exceeded the average and skyrocketed to levels that shouldn''t be possible for humans or any living creature for that matter. It became so hot that steam started rising from Arthur''s body. At the same time, inside, Arthur was feeling as if his very blood was starting to boil like hot water.


    The sensation was really weird and really ufortable, painful even. His veins started turning a shade of red he had never seen before akin to magma orva. Like branches, the color spread across his entire body.


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    ''What¡­ is¡­ Ugh, happening?!!'' Trying to keep the scream from leaking out of his mouth, Arthur grabbed into his sword with both hands as he fell on his knees. The pain was reaching horrifying degrees. He couldn''t breathe or even think properly.


    He didn''t even if the monsters around him had lunged at him and started eating him alive or not.


    *COUGH* *COUGH*


    Eventually, it reached the threshold and he started coughing blood violently. ''Shit¡­ What is happening to my body¡­ It hurts!!''


    This was by far the worst pain Arthur had been through ever since he stepped into the game. No, it was the most painful thing he had ever experienced, period. Being burnt alive was not fun at all especially if it was happening inside and out.


    However, once it reached that point, Arthur started feeling something else rushing through his body. Something that he was familiar with yet also didn''tpletely understand. Immense amount of energy rushed through every fiber of his body out of nowhere.


    His entire body flexed instinctively as the boy''s aura exploded everywhere. All the monsters around him were pushed back from their sheer strength.


    "Huh?"


    Far away, I and the others noticed the sudden explosion of horrifying energy that spread across the battlefield.


    "What the hell?!" Emmy eximed as she watched the scene with terror in her eyes.


    "Where did thate from?!" Herculia pushed back the struggling monsters as he looked up.


    "..." Danny squinted his eyes coldly. His lips pursed.


    "It''s Arthur¡­" The only one who recognized that was I. Her eyes were wide open from the shock.


    "Oh man¡­ This isn''t funny at all. I''m not a huge fan, really."


    Amidst that chaos, Arthur stood up slowly as he rubbed the back of his head. His body was stillpletely red with magma-like veins running through him.


    ''I''m feeling¡­ like shit.'' Closing his eyes, Arthur stretched his arms wide. The euphoric power mixed with the horrible pain made himpletely numb to everything around him. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and then exhaled a cloud of steam.


    "I don''t know what happened but¡­ Time to work." He muttered. Then¡­


    *Swish*


    He disappeared. Simply like that, he didn''t appear like he even moved. He was standing therepletely still, then he wasn''t there anymore.


    The monsters that were rushing beyond him didn''t even feel a change. That was also the veryst thought they had in their minds.


    Out of nowhere, Arthur appeared again in the air. His arms which were normal before had turned into bloody ws like those of a terrifying monster. His eyes were open wide but there was nothing normal in them.


    Then, he swung his arm the attack formed several bloody shes thatunched forward.


    *BOOOOOOM*


    Smashing into the line of enemies, itpletely eradicated them. Dozens and dozens of monsters were incinerated by the blood. It was hot like fire, melting their skin rapidly while those who were in direct contact with the attack turned into red mes in a moment. Their bodies exploded, sending gallons of blood sshing everywhere.


    Then, Arthurnded again as he rushed forward, his speed several folds faster than before. He swung his arms again, incinerating the monsters in his path. The cries of pain shook the entire world as if it wereing straight from hell beneath.


    His bloody ws which usually were a secondary weapon he used, turned into weapons of mass destruction. They manifested blood in real life and turned it into a horrifying sharp weapon that could melt enemies all around it.


    The battle was tipped again in the opposite direction. Not even a single monster was able to pass through Arthur toward the house. Hundreds and hundreds of these creatures tried, but all they could see was the blood raining down on them from every ce.


    It was as if Arthur had several clones, moving everywhere at the same time to amodate for the huge number of abominations. But, it was all him. His agility which was somehow boosted to high-hell turned him into a true ghost, appearing and disappearing every single second.


    "What in¡­" I couldn''t believe her eyes. From afar, all she could see was blood exploding everywhere as monsters fell dead one after the other by the dozen. She didn''t even feel delighted that this was happening, as she knew the source of this destruction was one of herpanions.


    ''...'' Nobody could understand what was going through her head at that moment. But, quickly, she snapped out of it when she realized that the battle wasn''t over yet.


    "Don''t stop! We''re close!" Turning to the others, she yelled. "We only have to hold on for 40 seconds more!"


    The others were also witnessing the diabolical show Arthur was putting up for them. They were on the verge of losing. But, I''s words pushed them back up. Forty seconds wasn''t long, for better or worse.


    "I''m not falling now! Ptuh! Let''s get this done with bastards!" Herculia roared as he charged forward like a bull.


    "There is no other choice. We must not let them move past us." Danny muttered.


    "I will hold your back, guys!"


    With that, the battle resumed as if it never stopped. Led by Arthur, the group tried to hold on with every ounce of their power. While they were all struggling, Arthur dived deep into the enemy lines.


    He sted everything in his way without hesitation. Every monster that tried to bite him ended up burning its mouth since his skin was basically fire at that moment.


    ''Let''s put an end to this.'' Thinking to himself, Arthur stared at his surroundings. There was no way out of this position he was in. So, he decided to try something else. Suddenly, he leaped high in the air, towering above all the monsters.


    Then, he lifted his arms in the air. His eyes shed with a cold glint as he stared at the masses beneath like a god mocking the pitiful creatures under him. A big sphere of blood formed on the palms of his hands. It quickly loomed over the battlefield as it grew in size rapidly.


    "Say hello to the king of hell for me¡­ Wait, is that how it''s said? Oh well¡­ Who cares? Just bye." He muttered before he swung his arm down.


    The ball descended quickly on the army of monsters that was oblivious to the approaching disaster. Upon contact, the ball of blood exploded everywhere in a magnificently terrifying sight.


    "Wha-"


    The explosion sent a massive shockwave through the entire battlefield. A strong gush of air swept everyone by their feet.


    "AGH!!"


    "Hold on!!" Herculia grumbled as he held into his weapon. The temperature of the area rose drastically. Looking up, they saw theirpanion slowly descending to the ground, unbothered by what he did.


    "Arthur!"


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 114: Chapter 114- Leap Of Faith

    [Ding!]


    [Ding!]


    [Ding!]


    [Ding!]


    Experience new stories on m v|l e''-NovelBin


    [Ding!]


    Countless notifications popped in Arthur retina upon impact. Many creatures died in a single moment and the result was naturally ridiculous. Arthur couldn''t even see one single notification before another took its ce right after that. This was the biggest number of monsters he had killed in one fell sweep ever.


    The boy was stillpletely numb so even this sight didn''t make him react at all. He simply brushed it off as hended on his feet gently. His body was still burning violently and the steam rising from his skin wrapped him in ayer of fog.


    "Hah¡­ Hah¡­" Breathing heavily, he looked at his hands. His bloody ws looked like the arms of the devil, mixed with the bloody state he was in and the numerous injuries riddling his body, Arthur felt like he was staring at a monster rather than at himself. He couldn''t recognize his own body and how different it looked at that moment.


    Arthur''s nk expression shifted a little. He stayedpletely silent as he examined the state he was in. Nobody knew what was going through his head at that moment. However, he was quickly snapped out of that with a yell.


    "Arthur!" I rushed toward him as fast as she could. Because of the sudden explosion, many monsters cowered back, trying to avoid the bloody me. That gave her a crucial second to reach Arthur.


    "Are you fi-" Before she could even finish the sentence, she saw a glimpse of Arthur''s silhouette and she stopped. For a second, she didn''t recognize him at all. His appearance was different and so was his entire aura.


    It was so different in fact that I took a moment to recognize Arthur. This wasn''t the same person she had been traveling with for the past few days, at least not on the surface. That was when she opened her mouth and asked.


    "What happened to you?" She asked, almost in disbelief.


    Hearing her voice, Arthur turned around slowly and stared at her. That simple look sent a shiver down I''s spine. For some reason, she felt something she rarely feels¡­ Fear.


    "I''m burning alive as you can see and my veins feel like they''re filled with freshva. But, other than that, it''s all good." He replied in an eerily casual tone. He didn''t seem that worried at all.


    "What?" I squinted her eyes. "We need to get you out of here. You aren''t in a state to fight."


    Arthur, however, shook his head. "No, I can''t leave now. We still need to hold them back until Fiy and Serko prepare the aircraft for takeoff."


    As they were talking, the monsters were starting to recover from the fear and were starting to move forward again. Arthur knew that his attack had bought them precious time, but there was still a lot to do.


    I didn''t know what to say at that point. Nothing about this situation was normal so her mind found a hard time to even reach a logical decision. After all, how can one deal with a person who is burning alive yet is looking fine at the same time?


    ''What am I even thinking about? I need to get him out of here.'' She shook her head as she was about to get close to Arthur.


    "No, don''t approach me. You will burn yourself." Cracking his neck, Arthur faced the monsters. Flexing his arms, he got ready to engage in battle again. But, he didn''t ount for what was about to happen.


    Out of nowhere, all the energy he was feeling inside his body at that moment suddenly vanished.


    ''Huh?'' The boy didn''t even have time to register the sudden shift before he found his body descending to the ground. His muscles were frozenpletely and his ability to control himself vanished like mist.


    His burning body started cooling down rapidly and his red veins slowly lost their color as he returned to his normal color.


    Seeing that, I instinctively dashed forward, reaching him before he could hit the ground. Arthur found himself falling on her shoulder as she wrapped her arms around him.


    "What¡­" Arthur muttered with a difficult tone.


    "You can''t even move anymore."


    "No¡­ I can¡­"


    "Don''t move," I ordered coldly. "Or I will knock you out myself."


    ''His temperature is going down again. He''spletely spent.'' I frowned deeply as she looked over her shoulder. The monsters were approaching them quicker and quicker.


    ''I need to get him out of here.'' She thought to herself. The time in the corner of her eyes was showing that there were a few seconds left before the five minutes.


    At that moment, Fiy and Serko suddenly rushed out of the house. Taking in the horrifying sight of the battle, they were stunned for a moment. After all, the destruction that urred in a mere five minutes far exceeded what they expected to see.


    Piles of corpses filled the entire ce and the rest was covered in blood and guts. The smell was so foul, that they almost threw up right there and then. But, they quickly recovered.


    "The aircraft is ready for takeoff!!"


    Everyone turned to look at them as they felt a relief wash over their hearts.


    "Retreat!!" Herculia yelled as he pushed the monsters off him and started running back. Danny and Emmy followed suit. That was when they realized that their leader and Arthur were still behind.


    I clenched her teeth before she looked at Arthur. "This is going to be rough, bear with it."


    Then, she lifted Arthur over her shoulder. With how much strength she had, it was a very easy task to do that. Then, she looked over her shoulder. The monsters returned to their frenzied rampage and rushed toward her inplete madness.


    I didn''t waste a moment and started running back as fast as she could toward the house. The monsters followed after the group, invading the rest of the area like flees.


    "Hurry, I!"


    The group stopped at the door as they stared back. The monsters closed on them rapidly and the distance only grew shorter with each passing second.


    "Go! I''m behind you! Start the takeoff!" She yelled.


    "Wha-"


    "She''s right, we need to start the takeoff now. This house won''tst!" Emmy said as she ran inside.


    "Goddamit!" Herculia grumbled and followed her. The only one to hesitate was Danny. But, After hearing themand, he couldn''t refuse anymore.


    I ran as fast as she could without trying to look behind her. Reaching the door, she quickly mmed it behind her. She knew that it was mostly pointless, but if that could save her even a split second, it was worth it.


    A momentter, the waves of monsters smashed into the house like a tornado. The sheer shockwave of the impact almost threw I off her feet. The roof above her head shook violently as cracks started appearing on the wood.


    But, she didn''t stop running. Even as the sound of cracking spread everywhere, the walls started breaking into pieces. All it took was a few seconds before the monsters broke through the walls and the door, invading the house.


    Tens of these monsters spread across the ce, turning into a chaotic mess in record time, and continued rushing after I without a care in the world.


    The girl reached the back area where the aircraft were. There, She saw a massive opening on the other side where the aircraft stood. The des of the vehicle had already started turning as Fiy and Serko hopped into it.


    "Hurry, please!"


    Herculia, Danny, and Emmy reached the aircraft and rushed inside quickly. At the same time, the aircraft started moving slowly while I ran toward it.


    "Hurry, I!" Danny clenched his teeth as he stood near the gate waiting for them with a pale expression. The monsters were very close and the time was extremely tight. "Grab into my hand!"


    Extending his hand forward, Danny tried to grab I. Meanwhile, the girl got closer and closer to the aircraft as they exited the house and started slowly getting into the air. Its height quickly reached I''s waist and rapidly went up.


    ''I can make it¡­ I can make it.''


    Gouging, the distance, I had one single decision to make¡­ A leap of faith.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 115: Chapter 115- The Sky Is Blue Again

    "Come on, I!" Danny yelled.


    However, I didn''t immediately jump as she continued running, getting closer and closer to the aircraft. Her mind was calcting the distance, the jump, and what she had to do the moment her feet left the ground.


    After all, there was one single opportunity and if she missed it, both of them were dead. It had to be perfect and precise.


    ''Not yet.'' She thought to herself as she sped up, getting within range where she could jump and grab Danny''s hand. The height of the aircraft was increasing fast, reaching her head level.


    "I!" Danny was on the verge of losing his mind as he kept extending his arm forward, trying to reach her. He didn''t know why she didn''t jump yet even though she had the opportunity to do that. Unaware that his position wasn''t as secure as he thought it was.


    The monsters closed upon them, reaching a dangerously close distance from the aircraft. Many of them leaped forward, intending to grab I. At that moment, I suddenly leaped into the air using all her power.


    At the same, she activated her Gravity Swap ability, rendering their weight lighter than before so that her jump reaches a higher altitude. Danny saw that and quickly got ready.


    I extended her arm and reached him at the edge, grabbing tightly into his hand. At the same time, several monsters tried to reach her, piling up on top of each other without any hesitation.


    "I¡­ got you¡­" Danny clenched his teeth as he tried to yank both of them up in one single move. Although his strength was high enough to carry both of them, pulling two people up when he was barely holding on to the door was very hard.


    ''I can¡­ do it!'' Closing his eyes, Danny forced himself up, putting all his weight on his legs. However, when he was about to get them up, his arm suddenly slipped.


    "Oh no!" His heart sank when he realized that he was falling forward and quickly tried to grab into the door again. But, his hand missed and he started falling forward. At the veryst second, a hand extended and grabbed Danny by the back. Looking back in shock, he saw Herculia holding onto him.


    "Herculia!"


    "Not now, buddy. You aren''t going anywhere." He grinned before he growled and yanked all of them up with sheer power. The three of them reached the entrance and were dragged inside before the door was mmed shut. The sound of monster ws shing on the outside echoed in their ears.


    But, soon they stopped as the aircraft took off into the distant sky.


    "Hah¡­ Hah¡­ That was close." Danny muttered as he looked at I. "Are you ok?"


    The girl slowly stood up as she nodded her head while rubbing her head. As she expected, doing that was very dangerous and so if she didn''t take the perfect jump, Danny would''ve fallen along with them and the three of them would''ve died.


    "Brother¡­ Arthur! Oi, are you ok?" Emmy and Herculia approached Arthur. They noticed that some steam was rising from his body. "What happened to him?"


    "... I don''t know," I replied.


    "Cough! Cough!" The boy coughed lightly before he groaned. Then, he opened his eyes and looked around him. All of them stared back at him curiously, waiting for him to do something or say something.


    "... Good evening," Arthur muttered in a weak voice.


    "..." (x4)


    "Shit, my body hurts¡­" Arthur bit his lips as he slowly rose up from the ground. "What the hell happened?"


    "You tell us, man. What was that? You almost sted the entire ce out of existence! What kind of ability did you use?" Herculia asked.


    "..." Arthur blinked dazedly before he looked down at his hands. Luckily, they didn''t look monstrous any more. Although he was still covered in blood. ''What was that transformation? I was feelingpletely different.''


    It felt like an out-of-body experience for Arthur. He was aware and conscious but at the same not. Even his feelings and thoughts werepletely distorted. That was not a part of any of his abilities.


    "Arthur?" Emmy called for him confusedly.


    ''Where did thise fr-'' His eyes suddenly widened.


    That was when Arthur remembered that he had received a notification when that transformation started happening. Quickly, he opened his old notifications and skimmed through them, searching for it.


    [Your health has reached the threshold.]


    [Your new ss ''Berserker Of The New World'' has been activated.]


    "What?" Arthur blurted out. ''New ss? Since when did I have that -. Oh wait¡­'' Then, it clicked in Arthur''s head. When the boy touched the broken fragment of the shard earlier that day, he received a notification that his main ss had evolved and gave him a secondary new ss.


    Because of the situation, he couldn''t check it there and he eventually forgot about it since there were urgent matters to deal with at that moment.


    ''Ipletely forgot about this new ss. ''Berserker Of The New World'', what does it even do?'' Tapping on it, Arthur opened the ss information.


    [Berserker Of The New World


    Description: The old world is said to be when the Divine Realm lost all its light. The Dark Ages loomed over and death became the only constant. Wars and blood tarnished every corner for one single purpose¡­ A new world order. Those who follow the order shall be safe and those who go astray shall face the wrath of the ones above.


    Only the one who can defy that power shall push the New World to its rightful ce. Even if there is one single drop of blood left in his body.


    Effect: In battle, when the user''s health reaches 5%, they must heal in the next 15 seconds or the soul of the Berserker shall take over for 30 seconds. Causes fatigue and immobility for a certain amount of time after that.]


    "... What?" Arthur muttered. ''What the hell is this ss? The description is eerie.''


    Reading through it, Arthur held his breath for a moment. The description was talking about the new and the old world. But, Arthur didn''t fully understand what any of that meant. However, when he looked deeper into it, he started figuring some things out.


    ''Are they talking about the wars of the distant past to acquire the shards? Hmm, it could be. After the peace was established, that was basically the start of a new age.'' However, still, thatst sentence sent a chill down his spine.


    ''Is it talking about me there?'' He asked himself. Considering the fact that this was a ss given to him, he assumed that it was indeed the case. But, why was it talking about him like that?


    ''Defy the ones above? Oh hell no, I am not doing any of that. Thest thing I want is a conflict with people who have divine shards! I will be erased from existence before I can even realize it.'' Arthur thought to himself. ''Though, the effect of the ss itself is not bad. I felt so powerful at that moment, in such dire situations, that could truly be a trump card I can use.''


    "Arthur?" I snapped her finger in front of his face.


    "Hm? Oh, It''s¡­ Apparently, it''s a new ss I received recently. It transforms me into a Berserker of some sort."


    "A berserker?"


    "Yeah, I don''t know what a Berserker is exactly. But, that''s what it says."


    "Hmm, sounds really ominous to me," Herculiamented.


    At that moment, a door on the other side of the aircraft opened and the two dwarves came out.


    Discover hidden stories at m,v l''e-NovelBin


    "Is everyone on board?"


    "Yeah, we somehow made it," Emmy replied. "You two were a huge save. Thank you."


    "Hehe, we should be the ones thanking you."


    "Is the aircraft ok?" Danny asked seriously.


    "... Yes, theponents are looking fine and there aren''t any serious damages. We are flying safely." Fiy replied.


    Hearing that, everyone felt a huge amount of relief wash over their bodies. All the tension left them instantly and they almost fell to the ground tired.


    "Ugh, we''re finally done. I can''t move anymore, man!" Herculia grumbled as he sat down to rest.


    "You did well, big guy. Rest." Emmy replied as she threw herself down next to him. She was also very tired after everything that happened. "This trip better gets us close enough to our destination or I''m rioting. We even lost our horses."


    "Considering the amount of energy in the core. We might be able to reach our destination." Serko replied.


    "That would be great. I want to go out and sleep so badly."


    "Me too¡­"


    With that, the aircraft slowly cut through the air, leaving behind the massive forest as it was embraced by the blue sky again.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 116: Chapter 116- New Offer

    For the next several minutes, everyone took some time to rest and recover from the brutal battle they had been through. They were all exhausted beyond words. After all, this trip was exceptionally exhausting in terms of physical and mental aspects.


    They went through one problem after the other in session and didn''t even have a moment to rest. Even if this was a game and even if their real bodies were safe and sound, it still took a toll on them. Nobody wanted to talk for a while as they gathered their thoughts.


    Arthur closed his eyes as he listened to the sound of the aircraft moving through the air. Surprisingly, it was not as loud or annoying as he had expected.


    ''The engineering that went into this thing is so impressive. The propellers are making someforting white noises.'' He thought to himself as he exhaled a small breath. His mind slowly went back to the battle.


    Every single moment he closed his eyes, the image of his hideous arms returned like a vivid memory that never wanted to leave his head. As much as Arthur tried to take it lightly, the impact it left in his head was simply too profound.


    The simple sight of it, ovepping with the destruction he left behind wasn''t simple at all. For a moment there, Arthur truly felt like a monster, no better than the creatures he was killing.


    ''I know that this is a game and it''s far from reality. But¡­ It is still very odd to see such a different version of myself. It''s like I''m a stranger in my own eyes now.'' He mused while he clenched and unclenched his fists as if he were making sure they were truly back to normal.


    "What am I even thinking about¡­?" He muttered under his breath as he looked to the side. Everyone was rxing peacefully, enjoying the moments of silence they truly deserved.


    Here, they didn''t have to constantly worry about monsters that could attack them or humans that would chase them. They are simply cruising toward their destination without any problem and that was a huge blessing.


    Meanwhile, Fiy and Serko were in the cockpit, controlling the aircraft so that it doesn''t fall.


    His eyes moved across the room until they fell on one particr individual. I sat opposite to Arthur fiddling with her sword as she seemed deep in thought.


    The boy thought for a moment before he stood up slowly and walked toward her. Everyone looked up instinctively when he noticed his actions.


    Stopping in front of I, Arthur stared at her and she stared back, confused. As she was about to open her mouth, he spoke.


    "I didn''t thank you for saving me back there. I would''ve not been able to do anything in that situation. I owe you."


    "..." I looked a little perplexed but then shook her head. "No, you don''t owe me anything. I simply did what is correct."


    "Still, you saved me and that''s enough for me to consider it a favor. I will return it sometime in the future." He said as he turned around to go back to his spot. However, I stopped him at that moment.


    "On second thought, can I ask one thing from you?"


    Arthur turned around and looked at her with a smile. "If I can do it, I will do it."


    He didn''t really expect I to request something this quick but he was d she epted this as a favor.


    "If you want to repay me then¡­ Consider joining my team¡­ Permanently." She said.


    The request was like a bombshell that dropped on the entire group as everyone wentpletely silent¡­ Even though they were already silent.


    Even Arthur was taken aback by the request. That was not what he expected to hear at all. Blinking slowly, he asked.


    "Consider it?"


    "Yes, I''m not asking you to join me permanently right now. But, I want you to at least consider that option for the future."


    "... Uh, are you really sure about that? I mean, don''t get me wrong, I appreciate your offer. But, I am frankly not that good at teamwork."


    Arthur knew himself better than anyone else. Although his journey so far with this group was fruitful and went way better than he expected, he still wasn''t really certain if he could join them permanently. Not only because he had his own ns for the future but also because he was¡­ Afraid.


    He was afraid that he might end up alone again if he epted that offer and things went south. These people were the first group he could deem as ''friends'' if even a little. Everyone else before that was just an acquaintance at best so the experience was new and alien to him.


    Arthur couldn''t understand if he was truly good enough to stay friends with them or not. He was quirky, impulsive, and had an honestly iprehensible sense of humor. On the other hand, this group wasposed of exceptional young men and women with far more talent than he would ever even imagine.


    Arthur wasn''t someone to look down on himself too much, but he knew that he waspletely different from these people. Friends or not, they are all still from two different worlds.


    "... I." As he was about to speak, someone suddenly cut him off.


    "I sincerely oppose this idea," Danny said as he stood up with a cold re on his face. Everyone shifted their eyes to look at Danny. Thetter continued. "While I must admit, he had been very useful for us and had done some good things I still don''t believe that he is worth keeping around."


    "Danny, what a-" Herculia was about to open his mouth and snap at his friend for his ridiculous ims, I stopped him.


    "Why do you think so, Danny?" She asked calmly.


    "He is always out of order. We are good at working together because we have been together for a long time. But he isn''t a part of that. He doesn''t understand how our team works. Every single time we engage in a battle, he is always doing things on his own merit which can cause a lot of problems in the future."


    Danny believed in teamwork more than anything else. In his eyes, the whole was always greater than the sum of its parts. If the four of them put their abilities into coordination with one another, the results will always be exceptional.


    Then, Arthur came by and he was like a sore thumb that stood out. He didn''t follow their rhythm or how they fought. Danny saw with his own eyes how Arthurpletely ignored how they worked as a team.


    He hated that guy, with every cell of his being. He could not stand him even when he knew that he was very strong.


    "I see," I muttered as she looked at Danny coldly. Then, she stood up and walked toward Danny until she stood right in front of him. Instinctively, Danny flinched as he stared into her eyes.


    That look¡­ It was something he would instantly recognize anywhere as rare as it is. I was angry.


    Then, she did somethingpletely unexpected.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 117: Chapter 117- Clean Slate

    I exhaled a small breath. It was an exasperated sigh as if she had seen something extremely disappointing happen in front of her eyes. Something bad enough to make her exhale with a tired look on her face.


    Danny was surprised to see that shift in her expression. From sheer anger toplete disappointment. He knew I for many years and yet he never expected to be the target of that look. In a moment, he felt his heart sink in.


    "Since when did you start looking down on people, Danny?" She asked in a calm tone.


    "..." Her question made Danny frown as he pursed his lips.


    "Was that what you stood for this entire time? To consider yourself above other people?" She asked again. "Do you think they''re beneath you because you were born with a golden spoon in your mouth and they could never reach your level or exceed you?"


    "..." Staring into I''s eyes, all he could see was deep empathy and no emotions at all. He felt his entire body shudder in terror. There was no anger in her voice and there was certainly no threat, yet purely from her presence, Danny felt like he was staring at a looming silhouette.


    "I¡­"


    "I assumed you were someone that stood for what is right. Even when we could easily make weaker people''s lives hell for our own merit, we never did that. When we were kids, didn''t we agree that no matter what happens, we will never follow the footsteps of those people above us?"


    Then, I pointed at the blood on her face. "We bleed so that we can make a change. If that isn''t what you think¡­ If that is the case, then¡­ I don''t recognize you anymore."


    Emmy gasped in shock when she heard thatst sentence. "Is-" As she was about to speak, Herculia grabbed her shoulder secretly, making her look back at him. Then, he shook his head with a serious expression.


    "I, I¡­"


    "Tell me, what makes you think he couldn''t learn how to be a part of the team? He had saved our lives several times and we benefitted a lot from his actions. We became way stronger when he joined us. We would''ve not been able to even reach this point if Arthur wasn''t there. On what basis do you think that his power wouldn''t be a huge addition to our collective?"


    "I didn''t mean that. I¡­"


    "Sigh, I do not know why you''re still stuck on what happened a few days ago. Don''t let hatred fill your mind. We have had enough of the consequences hatred brought upon us." I closed her eyes and opened them again.


    Danny could see deep within her eyes a faint pleading look. Her tone, while still the same, sounded like a pleading cry for Danny not to be like those people that they knew about. She didn''t want to see one of her friends whom she had known for a long time be something different.


    Danny, while being rough around the edges, was still deep down a kind person who hated seeing people being oppressed by the stronger. He saw the harsh reality of that arrogance and how much pain it brought upon many people. He had stood for what was right his entire life. Yet, he was now following the wrong path.


    Realizing that hit Danny really hard. His eyes flickered with a myriad of emotions. He couldn''t speak at all.


    ''I''m¡­ Looking down on him?'' He asked himself in disbelief. Then, his mind started recounting what happened the past few days. How he looked at Arthur, how he treated him, and how he was always opposed to anything rted to him. The excuse that Arthur couldn''t have good chemistry with the team was just a facade he used to hide the reality that he was indeed looking down on Arthur.


    Danny was feeling bitter that someone who had no background and no talent and who was apletely average human being exceeded him. It didn''t sit well with him that the others simply epted him as a friend.


    He even felt that he was being slowly reced by Arthur. He was taking his position in the team as everyone walked around him while Danny stood at the back, unable to be there.


    ''That never happened, did it? I have been hallucinating that I was being reced yet there was no indication of that. Why was I thinking that way?''


    Holding his face, Danny bit his lip aggressively. This was akin to a p to the face. He was being foolish and childish the entire time. He had disappointed the person he looked up to the most. He had put an oath on himself that he would make sure to help I and be by her side for the rest of his life. Yet, unknowingly, he caused her more harm than good.


    "I¡­ I''m sorry¡­ I don''t know what''s wrong with me." He finally spoke in a soft tone, unable to handle the shame.


    Seeing the guilty look on his face, I responded. "Think about your actions and make things right. I am not asking you to like him. But, at least respect that he is someone who isn''t inferior to us in any way."


    Then, I looked at Arthur who was silent the entire time. He seemed a little taken aback by the shower ofpliments she had rained down on him.


    ''Hey, hey, I never said I''m not inferior to all of you. That dipshit isn''t wrong.'' He thought to himself. However, the boy felt quite happy deep inside hearing those words. He didn''t think I thought that highly of him.


    Nobody had everplimented him that much, showing that he was worth something. It was a subtle detail but its effect on him was profound.


    ''Wow, I have somehow made her think that way of me. It''s¡­ Well, I''m not humble enough not to admit that it feels pretty nice.'' He shrugged it off casually.


    As he was like that, he noticed someone approaching him. It was none other than Danny. With a guilty look on his face, he stopped in front of Arthur.


    Arthur: "..."


    Danny: "..."


    ''Uh, is he ok?'' Arthur frowned.


    "I¡­ I want to apologize for what I said. I didn''t mean that." He said with some difficulty.


    "... Uh, it''s ok. I have nothing against you." Arthur rubbed the back of his head gently. "I''m here for a fleeting period of time. I don''t want to ruin the bond this group has. You guys have inspired me a lot with how strong your friendship is." He added with a smile.


    "Arthur¡­" Herculia and Emmy were touched by his words.


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    "I have lived most of my life with no real friends and I honestly was fine with it. I''m not cut out for friendships or long-term rtionships. But, it is still very nice to see a group of people that will never break no matter what they face. I respect that."


    Saying that, Arthur stared back at Danny before he extended his hand. "So, let''s start a new clean te? No grudges?"


    "..." Danny looked at his hand then at Arthur. Pursing his lips, he said. "Your hand is dirty, I don''t want to touch it."


    "Wha-"


    Before Arthur could even react, Danny grabbed his hand in a firm handshake as he looked up and extended his tongue out. "I''m joking."


    ''This bastard¡­''


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 118: Chapter 118- Black Dot

    *A few hourster*


    Inside the main cockpit, Fiy and Serko sat on their chairs, looking through the front window at the distant sky ahead of them. They had been flying for a while and it waspletely peaceful the entire time.


    They didn''t see anything odd nor did they face any problems with the aircraft itself. The weather was also clear and they could see everything around them. It was a nice time for them to rx, too.


    As they were like that, they heard a knock on the cockpit''s door. That snapped them out of their thoughts and made them look back.


    "Pleasee in," Fiy said.


    The door then opened slowly and someone peeked inside with his head only. The two immediately smiled when they saw who it was.


    "Arthur!"


    "Hey, you two. How are you doing?" Arthur asked as he walked inside and closed the door behind him. "I wanted to check on the two of you since you didn''t appear for a few hours."


    "Hehe, we have to make sure the aircraft is working as intended," Serko replied. "If we leave for a while, bad things could happen."


    Arthur stared at the windshield and the distant sky beyond it. They were very high in altitude at that moment, hanging in the air without any way of going down if bad things truly happened. He immediately understood why the two kids were worried and didn''t leave the cockpit.


    ''This is very unnerving indeed.'' He mused as he shifted his gaze to look at the control panel. As he expected, the panel was veryplicated with a lot of options and buttons that he didn''t understand the purpose of.


    "Where is the broken shard by the way?" Arthur asked curiously.


    "Hm? it''s on the front of the aircraft, right inside the nose of the aircraft." Fiy pointed beyond the windshield.


    "Oh, is that a safe spot to put it?" Resting his hand on the chair, he asked with an attentive look.


    "Yes, that''s the safest spot and also the most effective spot. It makes it easier to wire everything to the shard."


    "I see¡­ Well, that''s good to know. By the way, do you want anything to eat? Well, not anything, we only have water, fruits, and jerkies."


    "No, we ate earlier today, we are fine," Serko replied.


    "We have all kinds of fruits. They''re really delicious, though." Arthur smiled.


    "No, we''re really fine."


    "Ok, if you say so. Well, I''m going to leave then. Make sure to call me if anything happens." Waving at them, the boy turned around to leave. But, as he was about to look away, his eyes caught a fleeting thing in the distance. "Hm?"


    Stopping, he turned around and looked at the spot again, a little confused. His eyes couldn''t recognize what he was seeing, it was very distant and very small. But, in the clear blue sky, it stood out like a sore thumb.


    Slowly, he stepped forward and leaned to take a closer look. "Can you guys see that?"


    "Hm? See what?"


    "That small ck dot in the distance." He replied as he pointed at it. "... What the hell is that?" He muttered.


    As the aircraft flew toward it, the dot started getting bigger and bigger, slowly forming a different shape. Then, it clicked in Arthur''s head as his eyes widened.


    "Turn the aircraft to the left." He said.


    "Huh?"


    "I said turn the aircraft to the left, quickly!" He repeated in a more urgent tone as his face turned pale.


    The two kids didn''t even have time to understand what was happening before they quickly started working. Using the steering wheel, they changed the aircraft''s direction. However, by that time, it was all toote.


    In a split second, the distance between the aircraft and the flying object was cut short. Find your adventure at mvl


    "Oh no!!"


    *BANG* *CRACK*


    The object smashed violently into the aircraft, shaking it out of its bnce. "Woah! Hold on!!" Arthur grabbed into the chairs to stop himself from falling. At the same time, Fiy and Serko shook in their ces.


    The windshield cracked upon impact as the object was impaled into the ss. When the aircraft stabilized again, Arthur looked up in shock. There, he saw something he didn''t expect at all.


    "A bat?"


    The creature waspletely ck from head to toe with considerably big wings and a big head. The impact had destroyed its skull and wrecked its body and it appeared to have died instantly. But, that didn''t ease Arthur''s shock at all.


    Quickly, he rushed toward the monster and pushed it out of the ss again. The massive hole in the windshield created an immense amount of air and pressure that seeped into the cockpit, pushing him back slightly. "This is bad, this is really bad."


    Rushing through Ideas, Arthur hurriedly took his shirt off before he formed it into a ball and shoved it into the hole, closing it as tightly as he could. Instantly, the wind stopped and the chaos calmed down a little.


    "Hah¡­ Hah¡­" He breathed audibly as he stared at the hole. "Thest thing I would''ve expected is for a goddamn horrifying bat to smash into the windshield!"


    "Ugh¡­"


    "Are you two ok?"


    "... We''re¡­ Fine. What happened?"


    "It seems a monster of some kind had found its way into our path and hit the windshield," Arthur replied with a frown. "Is the aircraft going to be ok?"


    The two dwarves looked up at the closed hole. "This isn''t too bad¡­ The damage was luckily minimal."


    "So everything is fine?"


    "... We will deal with it. This aircraft is resilient, this shouldn''t cause a disaster." Fiy exined with a thoughtful look.


    Hearing that, Arthur exhaled a sigh of relief. He was ready to hear the worst news about the condition of the aircraft after this ident, but things seemed to be fine for now.


    ''Though, what are the chances ofing across a bat in such a vast sky? We''re so goddamn unlucky.'' He mused. At that moment, Arthur suddenly had an epiphany.


    ''Wait, a bat? A bat¡­'' Putting his hand on his chin. ''A bat¡­''


    "Arthur¡­" Fiy called for Arthur in a quiet tone.


    ''If I''m not wrong aren''t bats usually¡­'' Wrecking his head trying to remember that one particr information he knew about bats, he ignored Fiy''s voice.


    "Arthur."


    ''Oh right! They''re social animals which means they move in groups, don''t they?¡­ What is a single bat doing here?''


    "Arthur!"


    "What? Don''t you see that I''m¡­ thinking¡­ of¡­" Hearing the dwarf call for him for a third time, Arthur opened his eyes and looked at him. That was when he noticed that the child had a horrified look on his face he had never seen before. His mouth was hanging open as he stared directly at the windshield.


    Arthur instinctively followed the line of vision, only to freeze in his ce as a nightmarish sight weed him with a wicked smile.


    "..."


    In the distance, a massive swarm of ck dots appeared in their line of sight. It was so massive that it created something akin to a ck cloud in the sky. Many bats flew around chaotically like a swarm of flies and the aircraft was flying right toward them at full speed, closing the distance rapidly.


    "Fiy, move, move¡­ NOW!!" Amidst his shock, he tapped the kid on his shoulder quickly. "Snap out of it! We need to avoid that swarm or we''re all dead!"


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 119: Chapter 119- Cruising Down

    The boy immediately snapped out of it and started tapping buttons on the aircraft and steering it down as quickly as he could. The ne quickly started descending at a sharp angle.


    "Woah!!"


    The trio lost their bnce, falling forward as the gravity inside the aircraft tilted along with them. "Hold on!" Arthur yelled and grabbed the chair. rms started going off inside the cockpit indicating that there was something abnormal happening.


    Arthur looked up at the swarm of bats they were approaching and his face paled visibly. ''We won''t make it. We won''t goddamn make it!!''


    Feeling his heart sink in at the realization, Arthur quickly turned to look around him. His mind raced to find a n but there was nothing he could really do. There was only hope and prayers.


    At that moment, the door to the cockpit opened as the others rushed in, fighting the shifting gravity to the best of their abilities.


    "What the hell is going on?!" Danny yelled.


    "We''re approaching a swarm of monster bats! Brace yourself for the impact!" Arthur threw himself on the ground. At the same time, the aircraft reached the swarm.


    *BANG*


    The impact was brutal, sending everyone down to the ground. Nobody could keep bnce as the monsters hit the aircraft from every single angle. The wood cracked as if it was being smashed with a hammer continuously.


    "Shit!!" Arthur covered his head trying to avoid all the ss and debris flying everywhere. The rms continued ringing loudly in his ears. Nothing made sense as all chaos hailed down on them.


    A few cruel seconds passed just like that while the aircraft continued going down, passing through the swarm of monsters. On the outside, bats smashed into the body of the ne from all angles. The impact made them burst into pieces of sh, dying instantly.


    Seeing that, the rest grew even more agitated and started flying everywhere in a frenzy, making the impact even more brutal. Left and right, the aircraft struggled to stay out of their way and thatsted for almost 30 seconds.


    Eventually, the collision stoppedpletely, leaving behind only the noise of the rm.


    Arthur opened his eyes slowly and looked up. Immediately, he saw a piece of wood falling straight toward him. So, he quickly rolled to the side, barely dodging it in time.


    "Are you guys ok?!" He asked as he rose up. The entire cockpit was a huge mess. His friends were lying on the ground everywhere.


    "Shit, that hurts!" Herculia growled as he grabbed his arm. He had fallen on his left arm upon impact, twisting it slightly.


    "I''m fine¡­" Emmy replied while pushing a piece of ss off her.


    "Me too."


    Seeing that they were all conscious, Arthur turned to the two dwarves to check if the impact didn''t hurt them. However, what he saw didn''t please him at all. The two dwarvesid on their chairs motionless as the aircraft continued descending at a rapid pace, moving through the clouds beneath.


    "Fiy?! Serko?! Hey, can you hear me?!" Quickly, Arthur checked their pulses. His heart beating in his throat afraid that the two children were harmed seriously from the impact.


    ''They have a pulse''. He thought to himself feeling their necks. ''They aren''t dead¡­ Fuuh, thank god.'' Exhaling a small breath, Arthur quickly looked up at the cracked windshield. The hits havepletely destroyed it, riddling it with even more holes. However, even those cracks couldn''t hide the reality of the situation¡­ The aircraft was falling.


    "We need to stop the aircraft." He muttered and shifted his gaze to the control panel in a hurry. But, all he saw wereplicated buttons and options with nobels to indicate what each thing would do. ''How do I stop it from going down?!''


    "Uh¡­ This? No, this¡­ Uh, what should I do?" Arthur started to panic internally. At that moment, he felt a tap on his shoulder. Looking back in a hurry, he saw Danny.


    "Get out of the way, I will stop it!" He dered.


    Arthur looked at him for a moment before he moved away. He didn''t even need to question whether Danny truly knew what he was doing or not but he had to trust him. They didn''t have time to argue back and forth.


    Thetter then quickly looked at the panel and started tapping several buttons. Then, he grabbed the steering wheel and moved it up. Immediately, the aircraft stopped descending.


    Arthur looked around him in shock as the normal gravity returned to the cockpit. His legs didn''t struggle to keep him standing anymore.


    "You did it¡­" Arthur eximed in disbelief.


    "... We aren''t out of the dangerous waters yet, the goddamn aircraft is barely intact. Manyponents have been damaged and one of the propellers lost two des." He replied. "What should we do, I?"


    Looking back at I, thetter stood up and walked to Danny. "Try to keep it in control as much as possible. Herculia, Emmy, go check the interior of the aircraft¡­ I''m afraid we might have somepany on board. Kill them all." She said.


    Due to the impact, several bats pierced the wood and got into the interior of the aircraft. I could feel their presence even from her position.


    "Let''s go." Herculia pushed his friend as they opened the door and quickly left.


    "Help me get the two kids off the chair. We need to wake them up." She said as she picked up Fiy. Arthur nodded and lifted Serko before they emptied a spot and put them down gently. The two kids were still unconscious for some reason.


    Arthur pulled out a sk of water and sprayed a small amount on their faces. However, that didn''t seem to work at all.


    "Dammit, they aren''t responding," Arthur grumbled as he looked up at I. "What should we do?"


    "..." The girl thought for a moment before she pulled out two health potions and quickly poured them into their mouths. Immediately, the small scratches on their bodies started healing. However, that didn''t seem to have an effect on their unconscious states.


    ''Did they suffer severe concussions? That doesn''t make sense. A healing potion should heal even that and wake them up quickly.'' I frowned. Knowing the magical effect of these potions, it made no sense why it didn''t work.


    "We need to wait a little. They might wake up on their own."


    "... We don''t have time. We don''t even know for how long this thing will hold on. Can we make an emergencynding anywhere, Danny?" Arthur asked.


    "... I¡­ Don''t know. I don''t have any vision of the current ce we are flying over. If it''s not an open in, I can''t do an emergencynding and even that would be seriously dangerous in this state."


    "... Shit." Arthur cursed as he stood up. ''What should I do? Think, Arthur. The aircraft has been heavily damaged, we don''t know if it can hold on for longer. We also don''t know if we cannd or not¡­ This doesn''t sound like a nice situation, huh, game?


    At least give us a goddamn opportunity!''


    No matter how he looked at it, Arthur could only see a disaster. Taking a gamble and deciding tond without knowing where you were was simply too much of a risk. At the same time, staying in the air was a horrible idea as they didn''t know if they could even fix the aircraft mid-air. Not to mention that the only ones who could possibly do that were unconscious and not showing any sign of waking up.


    However, unbeknownst to Arthur, the situation was only about to get worse. While he and I were busy taking care of the two children, Danny was trying to keep the aircraft stable the entire time.


    Every now and then, he would tap on certain buttons and move the steering wheel a little. He wasn''t sure if this was truly helping or not, but he was simply following everything he learned about aviation to the best of his ability. At some point, he tapped on another button to stabilize the aircraft, and that was when he noticed something seriously off about it.


    The button didn''t work. Then, as if fate was mocking him, the entire control panel shut offpletely.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 120: Chapter 120- Insane Is My Middle Name

    "Huh?" Danny made a confused sound as he quickly started tapping buttons in shock. However, nothing seemed to work. All the control panels and signals shut off out of nowhere. "Why? Why¡­?"


    As he started to realize the disastrous problem, Danny started panicking. "The control panel." He said as he looked over his shoulder in a hurry. "It stopped working."


    "What?" Arthur blurted out. "What do you mean?!"


    "I can''t control the goddamn ne anymore! Something is wrong!"


    I and Arthur looked at each other before they quickly approached Danny to check what was happening. As Danny described none of the mainponents of the aircraft was working anymore. It all turned off at the same time and slowly, the aircraft started going down, changing its direction again.


    "Woah¡­" Arthur grabbed into the chair so as not to fall again. The aircraft''s automatic descension began again.


    "Can you do something about it?" I asked.


    "Not when the entire control panel is shut off. We need to reactivate it now." Danny replied.


    "What is the cause of this?" Arthur asked as he stepped forward and looked through the windshield to see what exactly was happening outside. Unbeknownst to the other two, his expression started to change once he took the scenery in.


    "It could be many things like damagedponents or even¡­"


    "The source of energy was cut off."


    "Yes, that''s a possibility. Wait, how did you know tha-" Looking up in confusion, Danny saw the gloomy look on Arthur''s face. Then, his eyes moved to the windshield and that was when he saw the problem, as clear as day in front of their eyes.


    "... You have got to be kidding me." He muttered under his breath.


    Outside, on the nose of the airne, a massive hole could be seen that was torn into the woodenyer. Out of that hole, a small shiny orb came flying out as it was carried by the violent wind around it. It smashed into the side of the airne again and again.


    The only thing that stopped it from flying away into the sky beneath were a few wires that were linked to the orb. The three of them stared at it swinging around with speechless looks on their faces.


    "... I guess we won''t need to search for the problem anymore."


    "Arthur¡­ Shut up," Danny replied in a daze.


    "..."


    For three seconds, nobody spoke a single word. That was when Arthur made the first move. Stepping forward, he approached the windshield as he clenched his fist.


    "Hey, what are you doing?" I asked.


    "I''m going to reattach the orb to the other wires." He said as he aimed his fist to break the windshield.


    "What? Are you crazy?! You won''t be able to hold on outside for a second!" Danny eximed with a frown.


    "Do you have another choice? We only have like what, a minute before we fall to the ground? If you don''t want to die in a glorious explosion, we need that orb to fuel the aircraft again." Arthur said.


    "Are you sure about it, Arthur?" I looked into his eyes seriously.


    "Yes. I know what I''m doing." Arthur nodded his head seriously. "Trust me."


    I squinted as she tried to read his expression. Seeing the flicker of light in his eyes, she finally understood what he meant.


    "..."


    "Wait, I think I have some ropes on me," I said as she opened her inventory.


    "What?! That is so risky, leader!"


    "We have no time to consider other things. If Arthur dies on his own, we cane back to him. If this aircraft falls, these two kids will die and nevere back." She replied coldly.


    "*Snap* Exactly. I understands." Arthur smiled as he grabbed the rope she handed to him and tied it around his waist. Then, from the other end, I tied it to the door behind her and made sure it was strong enough.


    "Is it ready?"


    "Yes, it''s ready. Danny and I will grab into it just in case something happens."


    "Ok, here goes nothing." Arthur then slowly jumped on top of the control panel and tapped the windshield a few times searching for the weak points.


    Danny watched how Arthur worked without any hesitation and he can only feel very weird about it. He had seen it before many times and yet it still weighs on his mind. How can Arthur be that nonchnt about doing these things? Even if this was simply a game, Arthur had never shown fear whenever he was about tomit something insane.


    It was as if the boy didn''t know fear or as if fear didn''t bother him. But, Danny had fears, and doing something like this was definitely on that list. His fear of heights would cripple him.


    ''How¡­ How can he be like this¡­?'' He asked himself as he sensed that feeling welling in his heart. Eventually, without realizing it, he spoke. "You''re an insane person."


    Without realizing it, he had voiced his thoughts and Arthur heard him. With a confused look, he peeked over his shoulder at Danny. The two made eye contact for a second before Arthur grinned widely from ear to ear.


    "Insane is my middle name."


    *CRACK*


    Then, he smashed the ss with one clean punch. Instantly, a violent gush of air invaded the entire cockpit as Arthur was sucked out at a horrifying speed.


    "Hold on!" I yelled as she grabbed the rope. Danny quickly followed suit as they rooted their legs into the ground, trying to fight the immense pressure of the outside world. It was strong enough to swing them around like weightless tree leaves.


    I quickly looked outside, searching for Arthur. However, much to her horror, she couldn''t see him.


    "Arthur! Are you there?" Grabbing her hair to stop it from flying everywhere, she called for him. But, there was no response for the first few seconds.


    "Arthur!"


    "Hnng¡­" At that moment, I saw a silhouette climbing from the side of the aircraft to the nose.


    When Arthur was thrown outside, he found himself swinging to the side of the ne. The air smashing into his body felt like it was crushing him alive. But, he clenched his teeth through the pain and climbed the rope slowly, fighting the air that wanted to peel him off.


    "This¡­ Isn''t¡­ Fun!" He growled as he grabbed into the nose of the ne and looked up. The orb was right in front of him, swinging everywhere like a fan.


    ''Come on, it''s not that far. I can do it.'' He mused.


    Then, Arthur started climbing up slowly, moving toward the edge of the ne carefully. He knew that any mistake would send him flying again. He only had a few dozen seconds before the entire ne fell to the ground. He had to hurry and he knew that very well.


    But, it was all easier said than done. At one point, as he put his hand forward, his other hand slipped and he instantly was dragged back.


    "Oh no." I and Danny watched with shock as Arthur quickly activated one of his abilities.


    His bloody w stabbed into the wooden nose of the ne as he was being dragged with sheer force. Luckily, at the veryst moment, he stopped.


    ''Fuuh, that was close. Ok, let''s not be dumb here, Arthur.'' He spoke to himself.


    The time remaining: 35 seconds.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 121: Chapter 121- Collision

    With his bloody w, Arthur dug his fingers into the woodenyer of the ne. It instantly gave him a way better grip against the violent wind. Step by step, Arthur approached the flying orb.


    Looking up, he could see it from up close swinging around everywhere. He was barely a few meters away and yet the distance was so far at the same time. It was frustrating as he knew that he didn''t have much time left.


    At that moment, Arthur noticed a small yet horrifying detail. As the orb swung around, it was still linked to three wires that held it from flying away. However, when he looked up again, Arthur noticed that those three wires became two. Then, before he can even react, the two wires be one.


    ''Oh no.'' Arthur sucked a small breath. ''It''s going to fly away! I need to hurry!''


    With that in mind, Arthur started moving as quickly as he could. He didn''t know how much time he had left before the aircraft falls and yet now he had to hurry even more because he might lose the engine of the aircraft.


    "Come on¡­" He grumbled as he fought the pressure with all his power. A normal person would''ve been crushed to pieces under such an intense environment. Luckily, Arthur''s body was strong enough to bear that pressure well, but his strength was barely enough to fight it back.


    "I''m close¡­ Come on!" As the distance turned into a few inches, Arthur extended his arm forward, trying to grab the broken shard. But, because it was still swinging everywhere at a rapid pace, this small task proved to be harder than he expected. Meanwhile, I and Danny watched the scene with bbergasted expressions.


    ''It''s ok, don''t panic, Arthur. There is still plenty of time¡­ Who am I even kidding?! we''re all about to die!''


    Following the trajectory of the shard with his own eyes, he aimed for the wire. He was in apletely focused state at that moment as everything became a mere echo in his head.


    ''Left¡­ Right¡­ Up¡­ Right¡­ Left¡­'' Reading the movement of the shard, Arthur waited a moment. Then¡­


    ''Now!''


    Quickly, he lunged his arm forward to grab the shard. At the same time, thest wire finally sumbed to the pressure and detached itself from the orb. Instantly, the object flew back, getting sted by the intense wind.


    "No!" Danny yelled when he saw that, thinking that the orb was lost. For a second, his heart stopped.


    However, then, he saw Arthur lift his arm slightly and at the tip of his fingers, he was holding the orb. Instantly, he felt relief wash over his body. He didn''t even realize that the nerve-wracking situation was making him react in ways he didn''t even know he had in him.


    "Fuuh¡­ That was close." Arthur muttered as he lifted the orb and quickly grabbed one of the wires that was close from him and looked at the shard. There, he saw some iron sockets welded into the shard. The tip of the wire fits the socket exactly which made Arthur feel relieved.


    He was afraid that he wouldn''t understand how to get those wires back into their proper spots.


    With that in mind, Arthur hurriedly ced the wire where it was before. Then, he grabbed another wire and did the same for it. His eyes kept moving up to stare at the trajectory of the aircraft.


    Much to his bad luck, Arthur could see glimpses of thend beneath them approaching at a horrifying speed.


    ''Hurry, hurry, hurry¡­'' He moved his arms as fast as he can while trying to keep his calm. In a matter of four seconds, Arthur fused several wires back.


    "Did the energye back?!" He asked in a loud voice, trying to get Danny''s attention.


    "... No! It didn''t!" Thetter replied as he approached the control panel carefully. He tried to tap several buttons or move the wheel but, the energy didn''te back yet.


    ''Goddamit. Where is the wire for this shit?!'' Arthur started panicking when he realized that there was only a few seconds before impact. Beneath him, he saw a giant mountain peaking at them through the clouds. It waspletely covered in a thickyer of ice from top to bottom.


    The aircraft was moving straight toward the peak of the mountain head-on. It didn''t take a genius to understand the disaster that was about to ur in the next several seconds and Arthur was certainly not an idiot.


    "Arthur!"


    ''Come on, this one? No, this one? No, how about this one?'' Arthur''s arms moved so quickly that he didn''t even care if he flew off the aircraft or not. After all, at this point, there was really no time to worry about his safety, the aircraft was going to hit the mountain and they were all going to burst into pieces.


    ''I need to at least stop it from fully colliding with the mountain!'' Arthur grabbed another wire as he prayed in his heart. ''Please, we can''t die here, please! Just give me some luck this time!''


    Then, he shoved it into the socket. That was when Arthur noticed the orb shing with a bright light. Then, that light traveled to the wires as they spread everywhere. At the same time, back inside the cockpit, the control panel suddenly lit up again.


    Seeing that, Danny''s eyes widened before he quickly tapped a few buttons and grabbed the steering wheel. "Hold on, I!"


    Then, he pushed the wheel to the extreme as fast as he could. The propellers of the aircraft started moving again at full-throttle and the ne changed direction again, barely a few dozen meters away from the collision.


    Even though I was aware of that, she still didn''t think twice and started pulling Arthur''s rope with all her strength. "Arthur is still out there!"


    She knew that if she left him outside, he was going to be in huge trouble. But, when she tried to drag him back, the violent air smashing into his body made it extremely hard to pull the ropes back.


    Her arms clenched as she channeled ''Gravity Swap'' into the ropes trying to lessen the weight. But, s, it was toote.


    "Get ready for collision!" Saying that, Danny closed his eyes.


    *BOOOOOOOOOOOM*


    The aircraft collided with the mountain with a loud explosion. The entire world shook from the sheer power of the impact. The ice clusters on the peak of the mountain burst into the air asrge chunks of rocks broke and started falling from the mountain inrge masses.


    Meanwhile, inside the aircraft, it was chaos. The entire ne shook as if it was hit by arge earthquake. Nobody was able to stay on his feet. I fell to the ground, covering the two kids with her body as ast attempt to protect them. She didn''t care if she died, but the two dwarves must not die as their death was a real one while hers was temporary.


    The spot of the impact was the lower parts of the aircraft. The sharp peak of the mountain tore a massive hole across the entire ne, leaving a massive gaping hole beneath.


    The aircraft slid up the peak and flew in the air again only to start falling again. All the propellers burst into pieces along withrge chunks of wood. The aircraft slowly descended down the mountain, smashing into its slope.


    The ice avnche falling down made them slide down rather than explode into pieces. At a rapid pace, they went down the colossal mountain, drowning in the ice and therge shards of rock that broke.


    Meanwhile, outside the aircraft, Arthur struggled for dear life. After the impact, he was sent flying off the aircraft.


    "AAAGH!!"


    The only thing that stopped him was the rope tied to his waist. Swinging down, he smashed violently into the side of the aircraft, almost knocking him unconscious.


    ''Godammit!! I''m not lucky at all!'' Looking beneath him, all he saw was a nightmare of imminent death. But, Arthur didn''t give up as he used the ws to grab into the side of the aircraft and pray that he didn''t get sted into the distance.


    All while the aircraft rolled down the mountain, slowly breaking into pieces.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 122: Chapter 122- Relief

    The avnche carried the ne down to the foot of the mountain, breaking it to pieces with each hit. The people inside were thrown everywhere, hitting the ceiling and the ground like bouncy balls.


    Nobody could stop or fight back the horrifying impact. They tried to grab anything to stop it and keep themselves alive as the ne approached the bottom.


    Meanwhile, outside, Arthur held into the side. The ne rolled horizontally and vertically. In more than one instance, it almost made him smash into the ground and then get crushed by the weight of the avnche.


    Holding on to the rope, he covered his head and remained motionless. There was nothing else he could do. If he released himself, the avnche of rocks and ice would eat him instantly so he had to remain on the aircraft.


    But, with each passing second, his body was being crushed slowly by the pressure of the snow and the rocks mixed within it. His back got hit several times, almost pulverizing his bones. At the same time, he was being swung up and down rapidly, totally destroying any mental perception he could have of the situation. He was getting really dizzy.


    His skin was peeled off cleanly as blood gushed out. All Arthur could do was try to hold on while looking at his health dwindle rapidly. He didn''t know if he was going to survive.


    Eventually, and after a godly awful amount of time, the aircraft reached the foot of the mountain. It finally stopped rolling, and the avnche continued dragging it down through the in.


    Until¡­ It finally stopped. The avnche carried it a few hundred meters away from the mountain when it lost all momentum. Everything wentpletely quiet for a good 10 seconds as the impact settled in. The aircraft''s parts were scattered everywhere around the area, leaving the main bodypletely wrecked.


    Then, out of nowhere, a hand emerged from the snow. Then, another hand emerged and they pressed against the thick snow as a body popped out. Arthur growled as he pulled himself out of the snow. His bloodied and tattered body could barely move properly.


    Laying on the ground, Arthur exhaled and inhaled greedily, trying to regain hisposure. His heart and lungs were working on overdrive and the adrenaline that shot through his body kept him wide awake.


    ''I made it¡­ I made it alive!!'' He thought to himself as he opened his inventory and took several potions of health. Then, with his shaky hands, he chugged them down. Every inch of his body was in dire need of healing so the potions were instantly used for recovery. Continue reading at mvl


    Since they weren''t the strongest type of potions, the effect of one was minimal. Arthur needed 6 of them to actually recover enough to start moving again. His back was still brutally disfigured, but the bleeding stopped and he had regained some strength.


    Standing up from the puddle of blood he was lying in, he looked around him in an eerie silence. The entire ce waspletely quiet as if it was some kind of cemetery. Arthur was still post-shock so in his mind, he was panicking.


    "I! Herculia! Emmy! Danny! Anybody?!!" He yelled at the top of his lungs. But, he didn''t receive any response.


    That almost crushed his heart as the looming truth started settling in.


    ''Did they all die?'' Putting his hand on his forehead, he started walking forward with a dark look on his face.


    "They aren''t that fragile¡­ They shouldn''t be dead." He said with a frustrated tone. Reaching the wreckage of the aircraft, he fell on his knees and started digging through the snow with his bare hands. For several minutes, that was all he did, he dug and dug the snow till his fingertips started going numb. Yet, he barely made any progress.


    "I! Can you hear me?!" He yelled again and again as he dug with his arms, trying to find a way inside the aircraft. But, there was simply too much snow.


    "Goddamit! Goddamit!!" Feeling helpless, Arthur started punching the ice with an angry look on his face. ''Those two kids¡­ No¡­''


    Arthur put his bloodied hand on his face as he sat back and looked up at the sky with a dazed expression. His expression was nk and nothing appeared on the surface. He looked like he was a hollow vessel with no soul.


    Staying there, he silently stared at the empty blue sky. "... Fuck this game¡­" He muttered under his breath. ''It''s toying with me¡­''


    This entire journey, from the moment it started till this point had been a series of extremely hard challenges one after the other. Arthur didn''t know if the game deliberately put them in their path or if it was simply a series of unfortunate events, but Arthur was tired.


    He hadn''t left this world for days now so this journey felt as real as it could get. He had seen all kinds of horrors and lived through the most insane situations in a matter of days which was very much ridiculous.


    "Tomorrow is the first day of the academy¡­ Oh man¡­" He muttered. He was feeling really defeated and exhausted beyond words. This oue was the worst one possible.


    At that very moment, when Arthur was about to stand up again and try onest time to dig the snow, he suddenly heard a cracking sound.


    "Hm?" Looking up, the noise led him to the submerged aircraft. Its wooden surface was peeking out of the snow so he could see it clearly¡­ The wood suddenly burst open as shards flew high in the air.


    Arthur followed the broken bits with his eyes before he looked down again quickly at the exact moment when a silhouette emerged from the broken hole.


    "... I?" Arthur muttered in shock.


    The girl didn''t seem to hear him as she pushed herself up before she quickly turned around and pulled Fiy and Serko.


    "Hah¡­ Hah¡­ Come on, get up!" She said to the others inside the aircraft. Then, one by one, his injured group emerged from the hole. I, Danny, Herculia, and Emmy¡­ They were all there.


    "We''re alive¡­ somehow!" Herculia said as he dropped to the snow.


    "The aircraft¡­ it protected us from the avnche," Emmy replied as she wiped the blood off her face.


    "Are you two ok?" Danny lowered himself to check on the two dwarves. Even though they were clearly still in shock, they were fortunately awake again after the impact. When I covered them with her body, it lessened the impact on their bodies and they survived.


    However, at the same time, I suffered severe injuries because of that. Looking at her, her body was tattered and beat, she had a massive injury on her side as if something had pierced through her abdomen and the reality was¡­ I was impaled by a sharp wooden piece.


    Although it almost killed her, I was able to get it out of her and quickly heal herself. When the aircraft finally settled, she was the first to spring into action as she gathered everyone and made sure they didn''t die due to blood loss.


    Then, she tore a hole through the ceiling for everyone to leave. In a nutshell, she had done everything to ensure their survival.


    Yet, even then, she didn''t rest at all as she looked around her, looking for someone. ''Where is Arthur? Did he¡­?''


    At that moment, they all heard a loud yell.


    "Guys!! I''m here!! Oi!!!"


    Looking up, they all saw a silhouette rushing toward them in a hurry.


    "Arthur?! You''re alive!" Emmy eximed with a wide smile on her face. Her expression lit up.


    "Arthur! Hahaha, I knew you would make it, you bastard!" Herculiaughed heartily.


    "I''m d you''re all alive. Man, I was about to cry if they were all dead." He said as he stopped in front of them. "Well, not really cry, but let me be dramatic for a second there."


    "Hahaha¡­" They allughed.


    I stepped forward and looked at Arthur. "If you didn''t reconnect the wire in time, we would''ve all been dead. Great job, Arthur."


    For a moment there, Arthur saw a sh of a smile appear and disappear on her face. He was stunned in his ce, realizing that he had just witnessed something extremely rare. I was someone who very rarely smiled due to her personality.


    Yet, that subtle one was so gorgeous, that even Arthur felt his heart skip a beat. It was simply one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen. But, he quickly shook his head.


    ''What are you thinking, idiot? Stop being weird.'' He sighed inwardly.


    "And all of you too. Our collective work as a team saved our lives. I want to thank you all." I turned and said to the others.


    "Haha, that''s what a team is for. We work together to survive." Herculia replied.


    "I''m d everyone is safe and that''s what matters." Emmy nodded.


    "You have done most of the work, I. We should thank you." Danny replied with admiration written all over his face.


    "Hehe, fanboy," Herculia muttered.


    "What did you just say, musclehead?!" Danny red at him.


    "Nothing." Herculia shrugged.


    "You bastard¡­"


    "Hey, don''t attack me, hey! Stop!"


    Seeing that, the othersughed. Arthur joined them with a wide smile on his face. His relief was truly¡­ amazing.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 123: Chapter 123- The Snowy Range (Part 1)

    As the group was talking, Arthur noticed that the two dwarves had walked away from the group and stood in front of the aircraft wreckage. Seeing their lonely silhouettes, Arthur''s smile vanished slowly. He could read what was in their minds even though they weren''t talking.


    So, he approached them with a calm look on his face. The two didn''t notice him walking closer until he spoke.


    "What are you two doing all alone, hm?" He asked as he crouched next to them while trying to smile.


    "... Arthur? Mm, we''re just looking at the remains of the¡­ aircraft." Fiy replied in a quiet tone.


    "The aircraft, huh? I''m sorry for your loss. You must''ve worked really hard to make this." He replied.


    "... No, we aren''t thinking about that. We''re just¡­ Sad that it didn''t hold on for long enough." Serko replied. "We almost caused everyone to die."


    "..." Arthur blinked in surprise.


    "If we made it stronger and sturdier¡­ It might-" At that moment, Fiy was cut off.


    "Aaah, what a bummer." Arthur rolled his eyes as he fell on his butt. "That''s not the talk I like to hear. Listen here, both of you. This aircraft had fallen from the sky because of an unexpected oue, it has nothing to do with how you built it. If anything, it''s a miracle you made this thing from wood and some metal. You two are talented geniuses and your talent is something really precious."


    The two dwarves stared at Arthur with a confused expression. They couldn''t understand how Arthur reached such a conclusion.


    "But, it fell down."


    "So what? It did its purpose. We''re far closer to our destination than ever before and it''s all thanks to the two of you. So, lift your heads up, you deserve gratitude from everyone here." Arthur said with a grin.


    "Arthur¡­" The two dwarves felt deeply touched by his words. They couldn''t believe that he wasn''t angry that the aircraft fell from the sky and almost killed them and instead thanked them for making it.


    ''How can that letter say that humans are bad¡­ Arthur isn''t bad¡­ He is good.'' The two thought to themselves. Fiy and Serko didn''t forget what they read in that letter and how they must be aware of humans as they ''Would only spill destruction wherever they went''.


    Yet, the only thing they saw in the first humans they ever interacted with was kindness. They weren''t the evil monsters the two expected them to be.


    Unaware of their thoughts, Arthur tapped their heads gently. "Now, let''s go. We have a city to reach."


    "So, what''s the n now?" Herculia asked.


    "Obviously, we need to continue on foot. The several hours of flight had cut down a few days of traveling. Looking at the map and the distance we crossed." Emmy replied.


    Their current location, while still unknown was horrifyingly far away from where the aircraft took off. It was easy to say that a few days worth of traveling had beenpressed into several hours which was great news.


    "But, we need to know where we are exactly first," Arthur interjected.


    "Hmm, it seems we fell in a snowy, mountain region of some sort," Danny replied.


    The area around them waspletely covered in ice. Wherever they looked, it was all ice. To their left and right, arge mountain range reached the far distance and beyond the horizon. Its peaks were at least 1000 meters in height or way more. Their colossal and towering heights loomed over the group like divine pirs.


    It was a very beautiful and majestic natural scenery. But, it also gave them the chills as mountains and snow was also a huge trouble to travel through.


    "We should continue as nned¡­ North." I suggested.


    Although their fall was unnned, they were still more or less on the same path, and continuing on it was the obvious choice.


    "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Though, crossing these mountains is going to be brutal. Man, I hope we aren''t far from the nearest city or vige. I want to rest." Herculia mumbled.


    "Come on, this is thest stretch, big guy." Arthur tapped his shoulder. "Though, I understand your pain¡­ I''m tired too."


    "My brother Arthur, you understand me!"


    "My brother Herculia, of course I do!"


    The two hugged each other dramatically while the others looked at them as if they were two of the dumbest people on earth.


    "We should start moving," Emmy muttered with a nk expression.


    "I agree," Danny replied.


    "Hey! Wait for us!"


    "Why are you leaving so quickly?!"


    Rushing after the group, Arthur stopped near I and asked. "By the way, did you get the broken shard?"


    "Hm? Oh yes, here it is." Pulling it out of her inventory, she handed it to him. "It flew inside the aircraft upon impact and fell next to me."


    "... Really? What a weird coincidence." Arthur muttered as he grabbed it and put it away. ''That''s some good luck right there. I would''ve had to waste hours digging for this thing if we lost it.'' Arthur chuckled to himself.


    ***


    With that, the group started marching through the rocky mountain region. As they expected the snow proved to be a big problem as it not only required them to use more energy but it also made it hard to see where to step and where not to.


    The group found themselves tripping over rocks and pebbles that were hidden under the snow. The weather was also way colder than in the first step region.


    The ones to feel the most affected were the two dwarves since they weren''t as strong as the yers. They had to wear the big coats the others had which covered their entire bodies. Then, at one point Herculia decided to carry them on his shoulders when he noticed that they were exhausted.


    "No monsters, huh? This region ispletely deste. It''s like a goddamn snow desert." Arthur muttered as he stopped for a moment and looked around him. They had been walking for almost an hour without stopping and they were still moving through the mountain range with no end to it.


    "Are you ok, Arthur?" I stopped and looked at the boy next to her.


    "Hm? Yeah, I''m fine. I''m just wondering why this ce feels so empty."


    "Well, this is a considerably harsh environmentpared to the regions we have been before. I''m not surprised that we didn''te across any monsters. I wouldn''t be surprised if we came across them either."


    "I wouldn''t be either¡­" Arthur muttered as he started walking again.


    "Arthur! Arthur! Look at this!" Herculia suddenly called for Arthur, he was weirdly facing the other way as if he wanted to hide his face.


    Then, when Arthur looked at him, he turned around. "A big snowy beard. Hohohoho!"


    "Pfft! What the hell is that?!" Arthur exploded inughter when he saw the funny expression on Herculia''s face.


    "What? Don''t you like my Santa beard? Come here, Santa will give you a gift."


    "No! Stay away from me, weird Santa!" Find your next read on mvl


    "Hohoho! Everyone deserves a gift!"


    As Herculia started chasing after Arthur, thetter grabbed a ball of snow and threw it at him. Thetter dodged and threw one at him too.


    "Hey! You two, stop messing around like kids!" Emmy scolded them with an angry look on her face. "We''re stranded in the middle of nowhere and you have the time to y around?"


    "... We''re sorry¡­" The two said in unison as they dropped the snow to the ground.


    "Sigh, unbelievable."


    At that moment, the group heard a loud screech that took their attention immediately.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 124: Chapter 124- The Snowy Range (Part 2)

    The group immediately took their position and pulled their weapons out, ready for whatever creature that made that scream toe out. This has be something akin to second nature to the group.


    Whenever they hear a weird noise, their first instinct is to grab their weapons and be ready for battle. It didn''t matter if the noise was far or close, they had to be always ready for battle no matter the situation.


    "What was that?" Emmy asked as she looked around her and saw nothing. The ce was still as tranquil as ever. There was no movement or disturbance except for this sudden screech.


    *BOOOOM*


    Then, the group suddenly heard a loud explosion that shook the ground beneath them followed by a louder screech of total agony and pain.


    "What the hell is going on?!" Herculia grumbled.


    "Don''t put your guard down!" Danny clenched his teeth.


    "Can you feel that¡­ I?" Arthur asked coldly, his eyes looked in one particr direction.


    "I can feel it¡­" I looked in the same direction and nodded.


    "It''s giving me goosebumps." The boy clenched his sword when he realized what he was feeling at that moment. Whatever was the cause of that scream, it wasn''t a weak monster by any means. After all the powerups he went through, for a monster to give him goosebumps means that it was extremely strong.


    "Should we go that way?" I asked him.


    The direction led them around the foot of the mountain to the other side where this monster was.


    "We should check and see but try to stay hidden. Something is telling me there is more than one thing right there." He said as he started moving forward.


    "Are we sure, I?" Emmy asked.


    "..." Thetter thought for a moment before she sighed. "We should check, just in case. This thing might get in our path either way."


    Arthur walked around the foot of the mountain until he reached a point where the noise was at its loudest. As he got closer, he started recognizing other noises that were drowned by the screeches of the monsters.


    ''Wait, could it be?'' Feeling a deep suspicion welling in his heart. Then, he slid behind a rock and peeked at the sight of the battle. Right there, he witnessed it.


    A giant creature standing on both feet was running wildly around like a crazed ape. Its body was covered in white fur from head to toe, leaving only its hideous face visible. Itsrge body and overwhelming aura made it very intimidating to look at. Even Arthur felt a chill down his spine when he saw it. However, to the ones standing right in front of it, it didn''t seem to be a problem at all.


    ''Is that a fucking Yeti?! No, this thing has six eyes and four arms. It looks terrifying!'' Arthur frowned. While it did have some simrities with the mythical creature called ''Yeti'' this monster was arguably far more hideous than that one.


    ''... The ones fighting this thing are far more terrifying, though.''


    The monster was in a brutal battle with several humans d in thick fur coats carryingrge weapons on their shoulders that were at least several hundred kilograms in weight each. The three of them spread around the monster, attacking him relentlessly.


    *BANG*


    Arthur saw one of them swing his hammer at the monster, sending the creature stumbling on the ground. Then, the second one stabbed forward with the greatsword, piercing the monster''s abdomen.


    As ast resort, the creature screeched as it started smashing the ground and kicking everywhere inplete madness. The swordsman wasn''t able to run away in time as one of the kicks smashed into his body and sent him flying.


    "Now!" The hammer warrior yelled as the third man quickly rushed toward the monster and leaped in the air, reaching its neck with ease. Then, the man swung hisicallyrge scythe.


    *Swish*


    The weapon swiftly sliced the monster''s head as if it were a piece of butter. Blood splurted from the severed neck like a fountain as the monster''s entire body fell to the ground motionless.


    "... Wow¡­" Without realizing it, the boy gasped in shock.


    Arthur waspletely entranced by what he had witnessed. This small segment of the fight, as brief as it was, hit him hard. The three men were so swift and lethal in their teamwork that he didn''t even realize when the monster was already dead. Their coordination was almost wless and their power was horrifying.


    Arthur knew that sending something as big as that monster flying required an unfathomable amount of strength.


    ''Who are these people?''


    Quietly, he stared at the three men as they approached the dead monster.


    "Huh? What-"


    At that moment, Arthur heard Herculia''s voice near him. In the time he was watching the fight, the others had reached him. But, they weren''t aware of what was happening.


    "Shush!" Arthur puts his hand on his friend''s mouth before he can speak. ''We don''t know if these people are hostile or not.''


    "Hm? Hmm, hmmm¡­" Herculia hummed through Arthur''s hand until the boy released his hand.


    "Stay quiet, they could hear us." He whispered to the others as he pointed at the three men. "They have killed that monster on their own. They aren''t weak."


    "... What? That thing?" Emmy gasped.


    "We need to quietly leave. They don''t look friendly." Danny replied coldly.


    "Those clothes¡­" The only one that seemed to be upied by something else was I. Her eyes followed the three men with a terrifying sharpness.


    "I?"


    "That attire¡­ I have heard about it back in the vige. Look at their chests." She said.


    The group instinctively peeked again at the three men. That was when they noticed what she meant. Etched into their armor was arge crest made out of gold. It''s corners were drawn as pirs while a single silhouette stood in the middle, shining with pure divine light.


    "What''s that?" Arthur asked.


    "I¡­ When I was going around the vige doing quests, I learned a lot about the Last Empire. That crest, if I''m not wrong, belongs to the Royal Mercenaries."


    "Royal Mercenaries?" Emmy asked. "Who are they?"


    "They''re a group of people that work under the royal family. They are notorious for being one of the strongest forces the Empire has simply because they''re ready to do all the dirty work for the royal family in exchange for money and status." She exined.


    "Shit, that doesn''t sound pleasing to the ear at all," Herculia muttered. "Look at thoserge weapons, for god''s sake, that''s insane."


    "That''s why we need to leave quietly and take another turn. I don''t want to fight them." Danny frowned. He felt the overwhelming aura those three had. Continue reading at mvl


    As the group was discussing their next move, one of them didn''t notice a small pebble close by and tried to step back, only for that pebble to roll away and hit another rock, making a small noise.


    Everybody froze in ce at that very moment.


    "Hm? Who''s there?"


    ''Goddamit!'' Arthur clenched his teeth when he heard the man.


    "Did you hear that?"


    "I did. Something is hiding behind that rock. Go check."


    ''Perfect! They didn''t even take a moment to think about it!'' Arthur sucked a breath before he looked at I.


    "I''m going out, you lot stay here."


    "What? Are you insane? What if they attack you?"


    "Better than getting cornered like this. If I get attacked, you cane out." Arthur replied. "Or better yet, ambush them when they least expect it. I will take their attention."


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 125: Chapter 125- Royal Mercenary

    The mercenary started walking toward them in slow steps. Arthur could hear the quiet noise of the man''s feet on the thin ice. Taking a deep breath, he looked at his friends and nodded quietly.


    Then, he stood up and lifted his arms. "Don''t attack! I''m not an enemy!" He yelled.


    The man was taken aback as he quickly took a fighting stance. However, when he noticed that the stranger that suddenly appeared was a young kid, he frowned visibly. He inspected Arthur with his eyes before he said. "What the hell are you doing here? State your name!"


    He didn''t drop his guard at all the entire time. It was clear that he didn''t understand how a little kid reached these parts of the region on his own, especially with his worn-out attire and the stains of blood on his body.


    "My name is Arthur. I am lost and I want to head to the nearest city. Can you please help?"


    "..." The man frowned as he looked over his shoulder at his twopanions. They stepped forward. "What the hell are you doing here, kid? How did you reach this ce?"


    "As I said, I''m a traveler heading to the capital and I got lost in this region. How far are we from the capital or any nearby city?"


    "..." The three mercenaries stared at Arthur silently before one of them spoke. "You''re in the ice region of the capital, a hundred kilometers away from the ''Capital Of Glory''." They said.


    ''The ice region of the capital? Wait, the capital has several regions?'' Arthur was a little confused when he heard the answer. He didn''t understand what they meant by the ''Ice Region'' of the capital as a region is supposed to contain the capital and not the other way around.


    Unless, of course, the capital was bigger than an entire region which was something Arthur didn''t even want to start thinking about.


    So, he went back to the topic that he was going to follow. "I see, 100 kilometers, huh? That''s far."


    "Where are you from, kid?" Another mercenary asked.


    The boy had already predicted that question woulde yet, he still didn''t have a good enough answer toe up with. He knew that if he lied and they discovered that lie, they would try to kill him.


    ''Should I take a bet? I mean¡­ That''s my only choice right now, isn''t it?'' Sucking a small breath, he looked up.


    "... Have you heard of the Gifted Ones?"


    "The Gifted Ones?" The three mercenaries repeated in a confused tone as they looked at one another.


    ''Shit!'' Arthur panicked inwardly, thinking that he had messed up.


    "Wait, are you one of the Gifted Ones?" One of the men asked again.


    "... Yes?" Unaware of what they were thinking about, he nodded. That was when he saw their eyes widen slowly in shock as if they were hit with the biggest surprise of their lives. Since the lower half of their faces were covered, he couldn''t see their full expressions, but he was certain that they had beenpletely stunned.


    "... Uh, gentlemen?" Arthur called for them awkwardly.


    "The first Gifted One..." One of them muttered. "The very first Gifted One!"


    "Huh?"


    The three mercenaries pointed at him at the same time. "We have heard of you lot. The entire world had been waiting for your arrival. To think that the first one will reach the Capital Of Glory so soon¡­"


    ''Wow, I definitely did not expect this reaction.'' Arthur blinked.


    The sudden flip in their attitude when he mentioned that he was one of the Gifted Ones was so sudden and unexpected that he didn''t even know how to react. All the tension surrounding the mercenaries vanished as if it was never there.


    "You should''ve told us from the start. We were about to kill you." One of the mercenaries said.


    "... Thanks for not killing me. I''m really tired and beaten up you see. The journey has been long and arduous. Can you help me reach the capital, if you can?"


    "Of course. His Highness had made it clear that if we find the Gifted Ones, we must help them till they reach the capital. We cannot go against those orders."


    ''His Highness? I assume he means the king.'' Arthur noticed that subtle detail very easily. ''Why does the king want us to reach the capital? Oh, I guess that isn''t hard to figure out.''


    Arthur wasn''t a genius, but he could see why the royal family would put the Gifted Ones in an important regard. After all, they were the ones destined to change the shape of the Divine Realm as it was known which meant that they were a power that far exceeds anyone''s imagination.


    ''If the royal family can scout these Gifted Ones, that will be a huge addition to their power.'' He thought to himself.


    Experience tales with mvl


    "Do you need some clothes, we have some spare ones." One of the mercenaries said as he stepped forward.


    "Well, actually, can I know your names first?" Arthur interjected him.


    "Of course! My name is Uhl, that lousy idiot is Imor, and that is Van. We''re a part of the 35th squad of the royal mercenary."


    "... I see. Well, Uh, you see¡­ I have one small thing I must tell you." Arthur said.


    "Hm, what is it?"


    "I''m not alone here," Arthur said.


    "What?"


    As he said that, the rest of the group walked out of their hiding spot. Although they didn''t expect the mercenaries to be this friendly and inviting, they decided to see what kind of reaction they might have. It was a little risky and they could''ve certainly stayed hidden, but seeing the current development, I decided to follow Arthur''s intuition.


    She trusted that he had a good judgment of people.


    "What in god''s¡­" The three mercenaries were shocked beyond words seeing the appearance of six more figures out of nowhere.


    "Six Gifted Ones?! Oh my god! W-We didn''t think there were this many of you!"


    "Haha yeah, we had to travel as a group to survive. As you can see, we are all in a really rough shape. Do you have a way of carrying all of us to the capital?" Arthur asked with a small smile.


    "Hmm, I think we do, don''t we? Our mounts are not that far away from here. They should be able to carry all of you." One of the men said.


    "Great! We are really thankful!"


    ''Yes! Finally! Things are finally working out!'' Inside, Arthur jumped in excitement. He couldn''t believe that they were finally this close to the capital. It felt like it had been years since he left the first step vige on this journey. Yet, it was only a few days of traveling.


    "Follow us."Moving to the side, the mercenaries opened the path for the group to move.


    "You can lead the way," I replied coldly, giving them an apathetic look.


    "... O-Of course." The men nodded and started walking.


    Arthur looked at I and smiled before turning around and moving after the three mercenaries.


    With that, the group followed the royal mercenaries to the other side of the mountain which was hidden from their perspective.


    ''The Capital, here wee!''


    Unbeknownst to Arthur that the next several seconds were about to give him a huge p in the face¡­ A p that will trigger the biggest change this world has ever seen.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 126: Chapter 126- Melting Snow (Part 1)

    "How did you make it this far from the south on your own?" As they were walking, one of the mercenaries asked casually. "I have heard the south is really dangerous. Even Royal Mercenaries rarely go down south."


    "Uh, we were lucky. It was a hard journey." Arthur replied.


    "Hm, I see."


    "Why don''t you go down south? Is it that dangerous?"


    Find adventures on mvl


    "The south is not under the Last Empire''s control and it''s certainly not a part of our territory. We only go there for specific missions and not anything else."


    "What kind of work do you do then?" Emmy asked curiously. The group had already silently agreed to try and get as much information from these mercenaries without making it too obvious. Every piece of information was going to help shape their view of the capital and everything surrounding it.


    "Uh, mostly monster hunting, bounty hunting, bodyguarding and some other tasks that we can earn money from."


    "Oh, like a Jack of all trades," Herculia eximed.


    "Exactly. We do all the work the Royal Army doesn''t do." One of the mercenaries replied. "If it isn''t something that requires the Royal Army, then best believe we will do it for the right price."


    "So, there is no loyalty to the Royal Family, is there?" Out of nowhere, I asked that question and the entire group wentpletely silent. Everyone turned around to look at the girl who had a deadpan expression.


    ''Isn''t that a little bit too direct, I?'' Arthur squinted for a moment. He knew that these mercenaries were friendly so far, but such questions could trigger the wrong reaction. But, he still trusted I''s judgment.


    Then, their eyes turned to look at the three mercenaries.


    "Hm, money is loyalty for us, Miss. If we are paid for what we do, then we are going to do it." Uhl replied.


    "What if you were tasked with something that could kill you?"


    ''I?!'' Arthur was shocked at how direct I was with her questions. It almost seemed like she didn''t care about the consequences of her questions. But, seeing the look on her face, Arthur was certain that she was weighing her actions very precisely. She had seen something in these three mercenaries that he didn''t see.


    "The Royal Family knows what we can and can''t do so loyalty is preserved with money. We are ready to serve the royal family for the right price." Van shrugged.


    I squinted her eyes before she nodded faintly and wentpletely silent. The group continued walking in silence until they finally reached their destination. On the foot of the mountain, three massive horses stood tied to a giant rock.


    The horses were as big as the ones that Arthur and the others used when they first started their journey.


    "We''re here!" Imor stepped forward and tapped one of the horses on its head. "These bad boys can definitely carry all of you."


    "We really appreciate the help," Emmy said.


    "Of course, we are honored to bring the first Gifted Ones to the capital. The Royal Family will be happy with the news. Here, let me help you get on top." Van said as he put his hand forward to I.


    However, she ignored him and looked at her group. "Let them get on first. I can do it myself."


    "... U-Understood." The man retracted his hand hesitantly. "Ok, so, I assume the two little fes will go first?"


    Van looked at Fiy and Serko. The two dwarves have been silent the entire time with the coats they were wearing covering their faces. The mercenaries assumed that they were also Gifted Ones that came with the group. Their silent attitude was also not that weird since they looked like little, timid children.


    "Hm, oh yeah, they should go first," Danny said.


    "Ok, let me help you, little one." Approaching Fiy, Van crouched down to help him up. The boy seemed quite hesitant as he didn''t move. Instead, he stepped back.


    "Hm? Are you ok, little one?"


    The mercenary tried to step forward. But, at that moment, a small gush of wind swept through the area. Although the weather wasn''t too windy in this region, there were asional cold breezes and this was one of them.


    *Swish*


    Hitting Fiy in the face, it lifted the cover that hid his appearance, blowing his hair in the air, for the mercenary to see.


    ''Red?'' The mercenary''s eyes slowly widened when Fiy''s full appearance settled in. His entire body froze. Nobody was aware of what just happened as it took them a second to notice. However, that second was more than enough for something bad to happen¡­ Something really bad.


    "A dwarf?!" Van yelled in shock as he instantly jumped on his feet, grabbed Fiy by the face, and shoved him into the snow. "What the hell is a dwarf doing here?!"


    "A dwarf?!" Uhl turned around in shock.


    "What?"


    "I''m not lying, there is a dwarf here!"


    "Get off me!! Ugh!" Fiy struggled against the man''s arm but couldn''t push him off. He felt like he was getting his head crushed.


    Arthur, who was busy inspecting the horses, looked back when he noticed the ruckus.


    "Why are there dwarves here?! Did these two run away?!" Looking up, Van noticed that the other one looked very simr to the one he had captured. "How did these monsters escape and what are they doing with you?!"


    Without hesitation, the other two rushed toward Serko and captured him violently before they took the hood off his head, revealing his full appearance. "Nasty bastards, I''m going to vomit! Stop moving, you little scum!"


    "Arthur!" Serko yelled.


    "Shut up!"


    *Smack*


    Punching the boy, he fell to the ground. Then, he put his knee on the boy''s face, pushing him down with his crushing weight. "You''re going to tell us how you escaped, bastard! And why are they with you?!"


    "Let them go now!" I was the first to react as she pulled her weapon out as she rushed forward to attack the mercenary, but, his friend intercepted her with his sword, making them sh violently. "What are you doing to those kids?"


    "No, you''re going to tell us how you found these two! Helping dwarves to escape is a crime punishable by death! You''re going to get in trouble if you let them free!"


    "We need to report the matter back to the capital right now! This is a huge disaster. A dwarf hadn''t escaped in decades."


    "I said to release them right now or you''re going to face consequences." I red daggers at them as she channeled her aura. and pushed the mercenary back a few steps before she attacked again.


    "I am not doing that. You have no idea how ba-"


    "I!!" Tears welled up in Fiy''s eyes as he struggled for dear life. His bones were starting to shake from the crushing power of the mercenary that was suffocating him.


    *Swish*


    Before the mercenary could even finish the sentence, a silhouette appeared next to Van, and before he could realize it, his vision spanned around as a crushing power assaulted his face.


    *BANG*


    With a single punch, the man was sent flying as he rolled on the ice violently. The group was stunned for a moment when they noticed Arthur''s sudden appearance.


    "She said ''let them go''. Are you deaf?" He asked coldly. In his eyes, there was endless rage. Seeing how the two dwarves were assaulted in such a manner immediately made him spring into action without hesitation. He didn''t care if this was going to cause him trouble, he couldn''t for the life of him see the two kids being hurt.


    "What the hell are you doing, Sir Arthur?!"


    "Shut the fuck up. Release the boy before I kill both of you." He said.


    The two mercenaries'' expressions grew darker and darker. "We can''t let these two run away¡­ You have no idea what kind of disaster sparing them will do to us." Uhl said. "Please, don''t push us to do something we don''t want to do."


    Arthur squinted before he pulled his sword out. "I want to see you try."


    "... Arthur¡­" With tears in his eyes, Serko uttered the name as he stood there.


    "Even if it means we have to be violent¡­ We can''t spare them. Don''t me us for what we will do."


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 127: Chapter 127- Melting Snow (Part 2)

    In a matter of several seconds, the entire situation was flipped on its head. From a friendly encounter with random people that were ready to help them, to a brutal fight that was about to break out.


    Nobody could''ve expected this to happen, at least not in such a weird manner. Arthur and the others were confused as to why the mercenaries'' attitude changed when they realized that Fiy and Serko were dwarves.


    The look of panic and disgust that appeared on their faces made Arthur question their real thoughts. What did they think of dwarves for them to instantly assault two children of that race without thinking twice?


    ''Not the time for such questions. They''re ready to fight us for the sake of capturing Fiy and Serko. Whatever it is they think of these dwarves, it is worth fighting the first Gifted yers to arrive in the Capital Of Glory¡­''


    The same yers that the royal family was expecting.


    As Arthur was thinking about that, Van rose from the ice as he looked up with a cold re on his face. Blood was seeping through his mask. Arthur''s punch had broken one of his teeth.


    "Step back, Fiy." Arthur tapped the boy''s head gently with a serious look. "This isn''t going to be easy."


    "..." The boy stared at his friend for a moment before he nodded and moved away. "Please, be careful, Arthur."


    Then, he stood up and picked up his giant hammer. Without saying a single word, he dashed forward at a horrifying speed.


    ''Fast!''


    In a short moment, Arthur found the mercenary right in front of him with the giant hammer swinging down, aiming to crash him with a single hit.


    Calmy, Arthur sidestepped the attack as he stabbed with his sword, aiming for the man''s throat. He wanted to simply end the fight in a split second with a horrifyingly fast attack that would kill the mercenary in a moment.


    ''This boy!!'' Van felt a cold sensation in his spine as he realized that the de of the boy''s sword was barely a few inches away from his throat.


    Instinctively, the man channeled his mana. ''Magma Eruption!''


    Suddenly, his hammer''s head ignited with a bright me. Then, right where itnded, a giant explosion of hotva erupted everywhere, spreading across the area in a split second.


    ''Hm?'' Arthur''s eyes went down as he realized that the ground beneath him had cracked open slightly andva bubbled up right where his foot was.


    Without hesitation, the boy jumped back with insane reaction speed.


    *BOOOM*


    The Lava exploded all around Van, melting the ice in a moment.


    ''That was close. That could''ve been a deadly blow. But, now I know that he can useva. Tsk, this is going to be to-''


    *Swish*


    ''Behind me¡­!''


    Arthur suddenly felt a chill run down his spine as he looked behind him. There, Uhl had snuck out of nowhere and stabbed forward with his sword, aiming for Arthur''s blind spot.


    The boy was about to react and summon arrows, but, at that moment, he stopped.


    *BANG*


    ''I got him!''


    Before Uhl could even celebrate, a silhouette stepped in front of him as she stomped his weapon down to the ground before she thrust her sword, aiming for his face. Thetter was barely able to dodge the attack in time.


    His cheek was grazed and a small amount of blood trickled down his face.


    "Your problem is with me," I said coldly as she red at him.


    ''Fuck!'' Clenching his teeth, Uhl lifted the sword up, making I jump in the air andnd near Arthur.


    "Thanks." The boy said without looking back.


    "We will talkter," I replied. "Kill them all."


    "You don''t have to tell me."


    *Swish*


    The two vanished like ghosts as they attacked the two mercenaries. Experience exclusive tales on §Þ??


    Meanwhile, the others watched in awe until they turned to stare at thest mercenary. The two sides made eye contact and they realized that Serko was still on the ground.


    *CRACK*


    "Well, time to beat the shit out of this bastard." Herculia grinned.


    "Don''t kill him¡­ Too quickly." Danny pulled his sword out.


    "Hey, you two better stay out of the way, I''m going to st that bastard."


    "*Gulp*" The mercenary realized that he was about to fight three Gifted Ones at the same time and he felt a cold dreadful feeling wash over his heart.


    ''I''m going to get killed¡­ But, if I let these two dwarves run away, the royal family will do far worse things to me.'' He clenched his teeth. In the end, the man decided to do the only logical thing.


    "If you move a single inch, I''m going to crush his head!! Do you hear me?!" He yelled loudly, lifted Serko up, and held him by the neck.


    Immediately, the yers'' faces grew darker as they realized what was happening.


    "You bastard, let him go!" Herculia growled angrily as he red at the mercenary.


    "If you don''t want him dead, surrender right now!" The mercenary squeezed the boy''s neck, almost suffocating him.


    "H-Help¡­" Serko muttered as he grabbed the man''s hand, tears welling up in his eyes.


    "Scum¡­" Emmy muttered with a disgusted expression. She was barely able to keep herposure as she squeezed her staff.


    All sympathy that she might''ve had for these three mercenaries was gone at that very moment. Using a small kid as a shield was something only a truly devilish monster would do, not a human.


    "Danny¡­" She said.


    "Yeah, I know." He replied coldly. ''We need to take him down before he can do anything to the kid.''


    A swift and fast attack aimed at the head would kill the mercenary instantly and save Serko. But, the question remains¡­ How?


    ***


    *BOOOOOM*


    Meanwhile, not that far away from their current position, Arthur and Van were engaged in a brutal battle. From afar, one could only seerge explosions ofva and fire as two silhouettes moved at a horrifying speed, shing several times in a matter of a few seconds.


    As Arthur expected, Van was a very strong foe. Not only was he very fast, he also was able to easily swing around arge hammer as if it weighed nothing. He knew that if he made even a small mistake, the hammer would squash him into a meat paste. On top of that, each attack eruptedrge amounts ofva everywhere, pushing the boy even further back.


    *BOOOM*


    Arthur dodged therge hammer as he jumped back before he threw arge ball of frost me at Van. Thetter quickly lifted his hammer and deflected the hit. Ice covered the weapon for a moment before it melted from its insane heat.


    But, Arthur didn''t stop his assault as he followed that attack with several blood arrows. Van swung his hammer, destroying the projectiles swiftly as he dashed forward, leaped in the air, and smashed the hammer down.


    ''So annoying! I can''t get close to him because of the dumbva!'' The boy clicked his tongue before he jumped aside at the same moment as the hammer smashed the ground, sending a massive shockwave everywhere.


    "Hah¡­ Hah¡­" The two fighters stared at each other. They were breathing audibly as the battle grew more and more intense.


    "There is really no reason for us to be fighting, Sir Arthur¡­ We have nothing against you. We only want to capture those disgusting dwarves and return them where they belong." Van lifted his hammer and said in a calm tone.


    "..." Arthur pursed his lips. "Return them where?"


    "To where they belong. Right beneath the Wall! They have been sentenced to that ce and if a single one of them escapes, hell will break loose upon our heads!" Van dered loudly, his expression turning more and more sour with each word.


    ''The wall? What is he talking ab-'' At that moment, Arthur''s eyes widened as he remembered something one of the dwarves said to him a while ago. When they were asked about the ce they were heading and what the letter told them. They said one single ce.


    ''The Wall Of The Gods.'' Arthur mused. Suddenly, things started getting clearer and clearer. The bits and pieces he had gathered so far started linking together. Although he still didn''t know everything, things were starting to take shape.


    "What made them deserve such a thing?" He asked.


    "They have to atone for their sins! Those devils cannot be let out into the world! The day that happens, we''re all doomed!" He yelled. "We need to get them back there as soon as possible! Please, Sir Arthur, don''t force me to do this!"


    Hearing the pleading voice in the man''s tone, Arthur felt even more confused. Why was he begging him for that? What did he mean by ''Doomed''? What sin did these dwarvesmit to be imprisoned in a wall?


    A thousand questions popped into his head at that moment. Yet, all of it vanished when he heard his name being called.


    "Arthur¡­" Fiy muttered as he watched his friend''s silhouette with a lost look on his face.


    That made Arthur look over his shoulder at the dwarf. For a moment, his eyes shed with a weird glint before he turned to look at the mercenary.


    "Meh, I don''t really care. Those two are good people and I won''t let you treat them like that for whatever twisted reason you have. Doomed or not, I am not betraying them."


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 128: Chapter 128- Melting Ice (Part 3)

    A little far away from where Arthur''s fight was ensuing, I and Uhl were engaging in a brutal battle of their own. The two were moving like blinking shes of light, shing violently with their weapons.


    *ZZZZ*


    Uhl''s giant de sizzled with electric current as it hit I''s sword, sending a current through it. The girl felt her muscles spasm for a moment, rendering her unable to move. Uhl took that opportunity and attacked her, aiming to finish the fight quickly.


    However, at that moment, he was hit in the side by a flying rock. His eyes widened as he groaned loudly then he fell to the side. I quickly shook the rigidness and grabbed her sword as she leaped on the mercenary.


    Thetter tried to dodge, but I quickly manipted her gravity and pinned him in ce as she plunged her sword into his chest.


    ''Shit! She''s going to kill me! Lightning Burst!'' Feeling the horrifying thing about to happen to him, the man channeled all his mana into his body. Then, out of nowhere. His body suddenly exploded with a giant burst of lightning that sent a massive shockwave everywhere around him.


    "AAAAAGH!!!" The man screamed in agony as his body was assaulted with an inhumane amount of voltage. The shockwaveunched I back into the air falling into the snow violently.


    An intense amount of energy coursed through her body, turning her muscles into a spasming mess. The lightning was so strong that she felt her heart as if it was about to explode. She slowly rose from the ground as she coughed weakly.


    ''So much¡­ Current¡­'' She clenched her teeth and slowly stood up. At the same time, Uhl rose up from the ground as he breathed heavily.


    ''I can''t kill her¡­ She''s way too strong and her ability is too tricky to deal with.''


    Although the battle seemed to be equal on the surface, Uhl was aware that he was being pushed back into defense more and more with each passing second. I was winning.


    ''Think, think¡­ What should I do?'' He clenched his teeth.


    I wiped her face before she picked up her sword and dashed forward. She didn''t even spare a breath to speak or say anything. The fight had been going on for several minutes without her saying a single word and that yed with Uhl''s mind. He couldn''t read what she was thinking about in her cold expression either.


    *CLING*


    The two shed swords again as he stared into her cold eyes. Uhl felt almost powerless in I''s presence. Even though they had only met a few minutes ago, he felt a heavy, oppressing aura basically oozing out of the girl without her even trying. It was something he only saw in the royal family who had the true power. An aura of someone who is truly superior in every sense of the word.


    Even though I wasn''t way stronger than him, her pure aura made him feel like he was way too inferior to keep up.


    ''Why am I feeling like this? What is happening?''


    Without realizing it, his mind went into a whole different world. His entire body started feeling a welling fear that only grew and bubbled with each passing second.


    *CLING* *CLING*


    I noticed the subtle change in Uhl''s attitude. He was clearly not as aggressive as before for some reason and she didn''t know why. Something was happening with him.


    But, I didn''t wait for him to figure out anything as she became even more aggressive. Swinging her sword as fast as she could, she pushed him back. His giant de tried to keep up but it failed miserably. Attack after attack, her de started prating the man''s defenses. Small cuts appeared on his arms and torso as blood covered his clothes.


    ''Faster!'' I''s eyes grew even more hostile as she increased her speed even more as if she was trying to break her limit. She didn''t care if she had to put everything into it, she was going to kill that man.


    Read new chapters at §Þ??


    ''Faster!''


    Uhl''s eyes were barely able to keep up with the relentless attacks. He felt as if he was fighting a machine rather than a human. In his entire career as a mercenary, he had never been in such a tough position.


    ''Is this¡­ Ugh, what a Gifted yer is like?!'' With a terrified look on his face, he finally realized why the royal family had put a lot of trust in these individuals. All he heard about them were drunk rumors and gossip.


    He had heard that these individuals could be the new rulers of the Divine Realm and the true powerhouse that would change the entire world as they knew it. He didn''t believe those things as the Divine Realm was already ruled by beings who are almost as strong as gods.


    A bunch of newbies could never reach that level, could they?


    The realization came to him at that moment. These people had arrived in this world merely a few days ago¡­ Yet, they were already at a level where they could defeat seasoned mercenaries like Uhl and hispanions.


    *Swish*


    It didn''t take a few seconds before I finally broke through the solid defenses of the mercenary. Pushing him back, she slid down, tackling him with her left leg. The man''s eyes widened as he fell to the ground.


    ''Now!'' I used that moment as she attacked the mercenary. This time, she knew that she wasn''t going to spare him this time.


    At that very moment, the man cried loudly. "Please¡­ Spare me!!"


    *Swish*


    But, it was far toote. The sword plunged into his neck piercing it swiftly. Uhl''s eyes widened as he stared up at I. Blood slowly seeped out of his mouth and from the gruesome injury he sustained.


    "... Curse¡­ You¡­ Gifted¡­ Ones¡­" He muttered with hisst breath as he finally stopped moving.


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed level 22 Royal Mercenary.]


    [+2 Strength, +3 Agility.]


    [Ding!]


    [Two new items have been acquired. Check inventory.]


    "..." I stared down at the man''s empty eyes as she slowly pulled her sword out. She didn''t react at all to what she did.


    "Fuuh¡­" Exhaling, she swung her sword to the side to get rid of the blood and turned around to look for Arthur. At that moment, she stopped as she stared into the distance in shock.


    Her eyes fell on a flying silhouetteunched in the air. Then, out of nowhere, several projectiles hit the silhouette followed by a giant ball of blue mes.


    *BOOOOOOM*


    Van''s bodynded on the ground, motionless. Arthur approached him slowly. His battle with Van was hard, and it made him push himself. But, once Arthur used several of his abilities in session, the difference in power was immediately established.


    ''Damn it, I almost got killed more than once.'' Spitting out a mouthful of saliva, he lifted his wed hand.


    Standing in front of the dying man, he inspected his condition and the boy frowned for the first time. The man had several arrow holes in his body and ice covering a good chunk of his torso. He was struggling to even breathe as he tried to move his shaking hand.


    "It never really had to reach this point, Van. Why would you put your life on the line and for what, for attacking two innocent children?" Arthur asked. Although he felt no sympathy for this man as he and his friends had almost killed both dwarves without hesitation, he still didn''t understand why he would do all of this just to capture them and send them to prison.


    The response he received at that moment hit Arthur where he expected.


    "They''re¡­ Not¡­ Human¡­"


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 129: Chapter 129- The Capital Of Glory (Part 1)

    After saying those words, Uhl stopped moving as all the light in his eyes vanished. Arthur kept staring at the man with a nk expression. Nobody could read what was going through his head at that moment.


    ''They''re not human?'' Arthur thought to himself. Those few words hit him hard. They were very simple and even could be considered harmless, but, Arthur immediately saw the deeper meaning they carried.


    This entire time, Arthur saw Fiy and Serko as two innocent children. They were from the dwarves, but they were still sane creatures that had feelings and thoughts just like humans. Arthur didn''t really differentiate between humans and these two kids because there wasn''t really that much difference, to begin with.


    Yet, now he understood one thing, a very small detail that he had missed this entire time. Uhl, Van, and Imor were not like him. They didn''t see the two dwarves as human or even close to that. They saw them as something inferior and a threat to them.


    Once he realized that fact, everything made sense. The way they immediately attacked them and the way they were ready to kill them without hesitation. This could only be the case if they saw Fiy and Serko as mere monsters just like every other monster they hunt down in their missions.


    ''... You have to be kidding me. But, why is that the case? They aren''t that different from humans?'' Arthur rubbed his face with a tired look on his face. He was disappointed in what he discovered.


    Something told him that this encounter was giving him a snippet of what he was going to witness in the future.


    "If this is how they treated two children¡­ Then, what about the other dwarves imprisoned under that wall?" Arthur muttered with a frown. The Divine Realm was finally starting to show its ugly side¡­ A very ugly side.


    What made it even worse for Arthur was that this wasn''t the first time he heard about it. He didn''t forget his main goal for heading to the capital this quickly which was to infiltrate the bastion where all the beastmen were held.


    ''On one hand, there are the Dwarves imprisoned under the wall¡­ And on the other hand, there are the Beastmen imprisoned in a massive bastion and all of them are under the control of the Last Empire. This can''t be a mere coincidence.'' He mused.


    Even if one would argue that the humans were the victims of these other races and had the right to imprison them to stay safe¡­ How could it be this gruesome? There were also the weird things he heard from Van about a curse and a doomsday of some sort. It didn''t make sense at all.


    ''It seems that it''s highly likely the humans'' fault this entire time¡­ But, I can''t tell I see it with my own eyes.''


    "Arthur!"


    At that moment, he heard someone call for him. Looking up, he saw Fiy approaching in a hurry.


    "Are you ok?!" The kid''s eyes were filled with worry. Arthur shook his head and put all those thoughts away. Whether the dwarves were being oppressed or not, Arthur didn''t regret saving these two kids. They were innocent and didn''t deserve to be treated in such a way.


    "I''m fine. What about you? Did he hurt you?" Arthur asked as he patted the boy''s head.


    "No, I''m not hurt. But¡­ Serko¡­" The boy turned to look for his friend.


    It didn''t take a second for someone to appear from afar. "Fiy!!"


    "Serko?!"


    The other dwarf rushed toward his friend and hugged him tightly. Not that far behind him, Herculia, Danny, and Emmy arrived near Arthur. He checked their conditions with his eyes before he asked. "Did you get rid of him?"


    "That annoying scum is dead. It was a little tricky though. We had to be careful." Emmy replied.


    "Are you ok?!" Meanwhile, the two children were busy with each other.


    "Mm, are you ok too?"


    "Yes. Thanks to Arthur and I! They saved my life!"


    "Herculia, Danny and Emmy helped me too!"


    As the two made sure that the other was safe, Arthur watched with a small smile before he looked up.


    "Did you kill him?" He asked I when he saw her approaching him. The girl had her sword in her sheath and she looked rather fine except for some small scratches and burns.


    "He''s dead." She nodded. "It was a tough battle."


    "Same here. These mercenaries are no joke. They are very strong."


    "Yet, they don''t seem like they''re particrly special amongst the royal mercenary. My guess is they''re just amon mercenary." I replied.


    "I figured that too. But, this isn''t good news. Now that we killed them. What are we supposed to do?"


    Arthur didn''t know whether killing these three mercenaries was going to make them criminals or not. Thest thing he wanted was to be chased by the government for something he did.


    "We should just bury them in the snow," Herculia suggested.


    "Burying them is a good idea. But, I doubt nobody would notice that they have gone missing." Danny replied.


    "Eh, who cares? In the end, we just have to move away from this ce and stay lowkey. Nobody should discover that we did it." The big man shrugged.


    "Herculia is right." I nodded. "We should bury them and leave this ce now before anyone could notice."


    "Wait, before you do that," Arthur interjected. "I have to consume their blood."


    "..."


    "Don''t look at me like that, these are all free stat points. I can''t let them go to waste like that." Arthur shrugged when he noticed the weird looks the others were giving him. He knew that Blood Eater was quite the eerie ability, but it was equally powerful as it always pushed him ahead of everyone else.


    If the cost of that was a few weird looks, he was ready to pay it with his eyes closed. With that, Arthur stepped forward and approached the first dead corpse. Upon using the ability, all the blood in the mercenary''s dead body formed as a sphere in the air and entered Arthur''s body through his hand.


    [Ding]


    [You have absorbed the target sessfully.]


    [Absorpiton efficiency 18%]


    ''Hmm¡­ No stats. I guess that makes sense, he''s a little under-leveled.''


    Arthur had noticed that in some cases when he is considerably stronger than his foe, Blood Eater doesn''t give him extra stats and instead stores that blood and waits for more of it to fill up and then gives him the extra points. That meant that he had to kill more and more under-leveled enemies if he wanted to benefit from them in anyway.


    Moving to the second corpse, he absorbed it.


    [Ding!]


    [You have absorbed the target sessfully.]


    [Absorption efficiency 18%]


    [+1 stamina.]


    ''So it required two dead bodies to give me one point of stamina. Man, this is really getting harder and harder.'' Arthur sighed as he absorbed thest dead body which gave him nothing as he expected.


    "Ok, let''s bury them now." Arthur turned around and said to the others.


    "... I''m never getting ustomed to that ability of yours. You''re like a goddamn vampire." Herculia muttered.


    "Yeah, I am basically a vampire. But, I don''t have to suck them with my teeth." Arthurughed.


    "Creepy vampire." Emmy snickered.


    "Hey! I heard that!"


    "Don''t know what you''re talking about~"


    "It''s not the time to joke around." I stopped them as she approached the first corpse and lifted some snow before she threw it on top of his body. "Help me."


    "... Yes, ma''am."


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3 Read new adventures at §Þ??

 Chapter 130: Chapter 130- The Capital Of Glory (Part 2)

    With that, the group quickly covered the three corpses in a thickyer of snow. With theirbined effort, they quickly erased all traces of the battle to the best of their abilities, to make it harder for anyone to figure out what happened.


    That naturally took a few minutes as there were many empty spots and burnt areas from all the destruction.


    "Fuuh, that should be it. This ce looks¡­ More or less how it was before." Dusting his hands, Arthur stared at the result of their work with a satisfied expression. Although there were some small details left that they couldn''t do much about like the cracks and the craters, he believed that their work was as good as it could be.


    "How long do you think it will take before anyone would realize their disappearance?" Emmy asked.


    "Hopefully long enough for us to bepletely out of the scope of suspicion," I replied as she stomped the ice to make it even and then turned around.


    "Now, the question is, should we take the horses or not?" Danny asked as he approached one of the horses and rubbed its head. He was surprised these animals didn''t panic when they saw their owners fall dead.


    ''Perhaps they aren''t really their masters and they simply rented them or bought them recently.'' He thought to himself.


    "We should take the horses till we get close to the capital, then we continue on foot to erase any suspicion," Arthur said. "100 Kilometers is a lot to go on foot so we need to make use of the horses if we want to reach our destination today." He said.


    The others nodded their heads in agreement. They knew how important it was to actually reach the capital today. Tomorrow was the first day of the academy and they were bound to get very busy for the next several days at least before things finally settle down again.


    They had to reach the capital today or it would be a headache to make it tomorrow.


    "Ok, so, how do we go about doing this? There are 7 of us and only three horses."


    I looked around her before she said. "Herculia and Emmy will get on one horse. Danny, Fiy, and Serko will get on the second horse. Arthur, you''re with me."


    "What?" Danny blurted out without realizing it.


    Everyone looked at him weirdly so he coughed and looked at I. "Mm, I¡­ Shouldn''t Arthur go with the kids? I mean, he''s better than me in taking care of them."


    Hearing that I and Arthur will get on the same horse didn''t sit well with Danny at all. He knew why he felt that way, but he didn''t want to think about it. There was simply no way he could ept that.


    However, I shook her head. "I need you with them in case we end up being attacked. Using Shadow Step, you can get them out of trouble really quickly."


    Danny''s ability ''Shadow Step'' allows him to transport himself a small distance away instantly. His ability can carry two other people with him after he leveled it up several times. It was very useful for instant escape.


    "But¡­" Danny tried to argue but then realized that he had nothing to say against her logic. I was indeed right, if there was a need to get the two dwarves out of trouble, he had the perfect ability for that.


    ''Why do I have such a dumb ability?! Goddamit!'' He cursed inwardly.


    "I¡­ Understand¡­" He said with a difficult tone.


    Meanwhile, Arthur watched the colorful expressions that appeared on Danny''s face with a small smirk. ''Hey, I might be stupid but¡­ Isn''t he jealous? He looks really jealous actually. Oh, he''s ring at me now. Yup, he is very jealous.''


    Arthur had noticed already that Danny looked at I in a different way than he looked at everyone else. He was aware that the boy carried some special feelings toward her and it was basically all over his face. But, it didn''t seem like I shared the same feelings as he did or at least she was very good at hiding them.


    ''Ah, teenage love¡­ Good old days.'' He shook his head with a smile.


    "Arthur?"


    "Yeah, yeah, I''ming." Arthur looked up and walked toward the horse. I sat at the front and tapped the area behind her. So, he jumped on top of the horse and positioned himself a little farther away from I for decency.


    He didn''t want to carelessly touch her and bebeled a creep very quickly. However, I broke his expectations again.


    "Put your hands on my shoulder, we''re going to move fast." She said coldly. Experience new tales on §Þ??


    "..."


    *GLARE*


    ''He''s ring daggers at me isn''t he?'' Arthur gulped as he peeked over his shoulder and there Danny was murdering him with his eyes. ''It''s really not my fault here, my brother. Well, I''m not going toin either.''


    Saying that, Arthur put his hands on I''s shoulder very gently. He could feel the softness of her skin on his hands even through the clothes. It was really pleasant. ''I don''t know how shoulders could feel nice to the touch, but here I am.''


    "Are you ready?" I asked, unaware of what Arthur was thinking.


    "Yes."


    "... Yes."


    "Ok, let''s go then."


    With that, the group started moving again at top speed, leaving behind small traces in the snow. They knew that this could trail back to them, but there was nothing they could really do about it.


    They can''t really erase those footsteps at the speed they are moving. Like the wind, they stormed through the snowy region, crossingrge distances in a short period of time.


    ''At this pace, we can definitely make it to the capital by the end of the day.'' Arthur thought to himself as he looked ahead of them.


    "Fuuh, cold air¡­ I love this." Arthur muttered as he released his hands from I''s shoulders and opened them wide.


    "Hm?" I looked over her shoulder at him. "What are you doing?"


    "Enjoying the beautiful weather. Don''t mind me." He smiled with his eyes closed.


    "..." I blinked as she stared at the blissful grin on Arthur''s face. Nobody could read her mind at that moment. Then, she turned around. A secondter, I suddenly made a small turn to the left.


    "Woah!" Arthur''s eyes opened widely when he realized that he was about to fall due to the sudden change in his bnce. Instinctively, he grabbed into I''s shoulders again.


    "... What happened?" He asked.


    "A small rock. That''s why I told you to keep your hands on my shoulders." I pretended as if she did nothing and replied with a casual tone. "If you don''t want to fall then don''t open your arms."


    "... Damn, ok I won''t let them go then," Arthur replied.


    Unbeknownst to him, I''s lips curved for a split second before they returned to normal as if nothing happened. She didn''t know why she did that or why her mind epted it, but after doing it she felt satisfied.


    ''What is really wrong with me these days?'' She sighed inwardly. She was definitely acting a little different from usual. But, she didn''t hate this subtle change, weirdly enough.


    The person who liked consistency the most was open to a change for once.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 131: Chapter 131- The Capital Of Glory (Part 3)

    For the next two hours or so, the group crossed the snowy region at a steady pace. The uneven terrain and the rocks made it hard to navigate even on horses, but they were able to keep moving fast due to the immense stamina the horses possessed.


    They moved way faster than they expected. As the sun moved across the sky with them, the group finally reached the end of the mountain range. All the colossal pirs of nature stopped behind them as they merged with arge, snowy in that stretched far.


    "We''re getting close," Arthur muttered as he exhaled a steamy breath. "How much left do you think?" He turned to look at I.


    "We should be very close."


    "Very close but¡­ I can''t see any massive towers or buildings in the distance. Shouldn''t the capital be massive?" Herculia asked.


    "Now that you mention it, that is indeed very weird," Emmy muttered. "Shouldn''t we see the legendary tower from afar?"


    The group had heard of the great shards and that they were inside horrifyingly tall towers. The introduction of the game had shown them one of the towers and it was iprehensibly tall. Yet, if they were truly close to the capital and the tower was indeed there, they should''ve seen it from hundreds of kilometers away let alone when they were this close.


    "..." I frowned as she felt something weird well up in her chest. Things were off. "We should get rid of the horses here and continue on foot."


    "... You''re right," Arthur muttered as he jumped down from the horse and looked around him. ''I''m feeling something weird. But, I can''t understand what it is.''


    His senses weren''t really capturing much information even though he was feeling really off. This was the first time he experienced such a thing and he didn''t know how to exin it.


    After leaving the horses behind, the group started walking through the snowy in quietly. Their eyes looked around curiously. The area waspletely empty and quiet as if it was stopped in time.


    It didn''t take a few minutes for the group to get very far into the in. Looking back, all that was left behind them were long stretches of snow that had no end.


    "This ce reminds me a little of that misty forest. The two have simr vibes." Danny said. "Except there isn''t any fog here."


    "You''re right, it gives the same vibe. But, I''m not as terrified here¡­ Just a little weirded out." Herculia muttered.


    "So this is what the outside world looks like, huh?" Fiy muttered in awe as he looked around him. After living for so long in that forest, he and his friend were finally able to see the outside world for the first time. It was as majestic and beautiful as they imagined.


    At some point, however, something weird happened. As Arthur and the others were walking, they suddenly smashed into something.


    "Huh?" Arthur frowned.


    "What was that?"


    The group stopped as they looked ahead of them. But, there was nothing out of the ordinary. It was the samerge in they had been walking through for the past several minutes.


    Arthur curiously extended his hand forward to examine the space in front of him. That was when he felt it against the tips of his fingers. An invisible yet solid t object stopped him in his way. Tapping on it, he felt several ripples move across the entire object.


    "... An invisible barrier¡­" Arthur muttered in awe.


    The others tapped it curiously too, feeling its smooth and even texture.


    "It almost feels like touching¡­ ss. Very fragile ss." Emmy said.


    "Why is there an invisible barrier here?" Herculia asked as he put his fist against it.


    "It''s most likely here to protect the capital," I replied as she traced the barrier with her hand as far as she could reach. "It seems to be stretching in all directions, even up."


    "To protect the city? Hmm, that makes sense. But, how are we going to pass through?" Danny tapped the invisible wall as he spoke.


    The group wentpletely silent as they contemted their options. But, it didn''t take a second before they heard a loud bang.


    *BOOOM*


    "My hand is in!"


    Looking to the side, they saw Arthur''s hand submerged into the wall. But, what made the sight confusing was that his fist didn''t appear on the other side, and instead vanishedpletely as if he lost his limb.


    "What are you doing, Arthur?!" Emmy panicked.


    "Hm? It doesn''t hurt." Arthur frowned. He can still clench and move his hand even though he can''t see it anymore. Then, the realization came to him. "Is this wall an illusion too?"


    "An illusion?"


    Without answering, Arthur shoved his other hand into the barrier and the two vanished. ''That''s it! This thing isn''t only a barrier, it''s also hiding whatever is behind it and recing it with a stretch ofnd¡­ Just like a mirror that reflects light.''


    Arthur didn''t know how this thing existed but he finally understood why he was feeling off. Because most of this vast in was nothing but a facade and the true ce was hidden behind this barrier.


    "Follow me, guys." He said with a smile as he started walking into the barrier.


    "Hey, Arthur! Wait!" Hispanions were naturally taken aback by what they were seeing. That was until Arthur vanishedpletely from sight.


    "... And there he goes on his own." Danny facepalmed.


    "Sigh, let''s go. It seems that Arthur had found the way." I said as she pressed her fist against the barrier and pushed it forward, getting through with rtive ease. Then, she slowly submerged herself into the barrier and vanished like Arthur.


    One by one, the group walked into the barrier. When they all disappeared, the entire ce returned to normal and the barrier magically fixed itself before blending perfectly with the atmosphere again.


    ***


    Arthur slowly opened his eyes after passing through the barrier. All the cold wind he felt before vanished as if it was never there and the temperature rose up to afortable level.


    "Hm, what is hap-" Arthur didn''t even finish the sentence as his eyes took in the scene in front of him. A scene so mind-blowing that he found himself in aplete trance. Even after traveling thousands of kilometers and going to many ces that looked majestic, nothing couldpare to what he witnessed at that moment.


    It was a true moment ofplete awe.


    The Capital Of Glory¡­ The city he had heard about from Nina was the heart of the human territory and its strongest point. It was the Last Empire''s most vital organ and so naturally, its true appearance was simply like a dream. The city appearedpletely covered in snow. Its beautiful, almost shining white colors blended slowly into one another.


    Arthur stood on a cliff, looking at the city from afar. Yet, all he could see was a section of it that stretched as far as the eye could see. Countless buildings filled the ce, cutting through it wereplex systems of streets and alleys andrge zas. In the distance, Arthur saw a horrifyingrge structure, standing tall like a shadow over the city.


    It was so far away that he could only see a vague image of it, yet¡­ The feeling it inflicted upon his heart was like nothing else before. That behemoth of a structure was¡­ The divine tower where one of the great shards was.


    All Arthur could hear at that moment was a simple ring mixed with the noisesing from the behemoth of a city.


    [Ding!]


    [You have discovered a new area!]


    [The Capital Of Glory, Fourth Region: Frost Fall.]


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 132: Chapter 132- Odd Details

    Arthur read the name with a dazed look on his face. ''Frost Fall? The fourth region¡­'' He was a little taken aback as he looked up again at the majestic city stretching into the distance.


    "We''re here¡­" Arthur muttered to himself as the realization hit him. Then, slowly, a smile formed on his face. Staring at the beautiful lights of the city under the night sky and the huge moon in the distance, looming over the region. Arthur was captivated at that moment.


    "Hahaha, we''re here!" Then, he turned around to look at his friends whileughing. He had already noticed them appearing behind him. They all shared the same awe-struck expression.


    After all, this city had truly exceeded their expectations. They had roamed the globe, seen the most beautiful cities the world had to offer and yet nothing came close inparison to the Capital Of Glory.


    "... We made it." Herculia was the first to snap out of it as he looked at Arthur. "We made it, brother!"


    "We did, goddammit!"


    The two high-fived aggressively as theyughed. They were excited beyond words. The journey they took had finallye to an end. After long, hard days, they made it to their destination in one single piece.


    "Emmy, snap out of it! We had arrived!"


    "... I know, I''m just¡­ A little speechless." The girl replied as she grabbed her staff with her two hands. A smile of relief appeared on her face. "I''m d we''re alive."


    "We made it, I!" Danny approached his leader excitedly.


    I was the only one that was still staring at the city''s skyline. She then looked at Danny and nodded her head with a calm expression. "We''re here. Thank you all for your efforts. With your help, we have arrived at our destination."


    Stepping forward, she stared at the group. "We are the very first yers to step into the capital. That is an achievement worth celebrating. But, this is only the start of our journey in this world. Everything before this was the preparation for the true challenge. There are many things we need to do and we need to do them quickly."


    "..."


    The group stared at I with serious expression. They understood very well that this was indeed merely a tutorial and the first step toward their goal. This world had countless things waiting for them and a massive challenge to stay on top even whenpeting with billions of yers.


    It was a huge task they were all willing to take. Well, all of them except for Arthur. The boy hadpletely different ns for the future. ns that were perhaps far crazier than he would''ve ever thought.


    "I''m so ready for this! Things are about to get serious now!" Herculia punched the palm of his hand as he dered loudly.


    "Time to work even harder and get established in the city before yers eventually arrive here," Emmy said.


    "It''s good that you understand what is happening here. We can''t let our guard down." Danny nodded.


    As for Fiy and Serko, the two were simply happy to be there with Arthur and the others. As long as they were with them, things were going to be ok.


    "Ugh, I want to leave the game and finally take a goddamn break. We have been going at it for days and days." Arthur groaned. He hadn''t left the game ever since they started the journey. He even forgot how the real world looked and how detached he became from it.


    During this entire journey, Arthur hadn''t left the game not even once. He had been ying for days and days without stopping. He didn''t even know what condition his body was in after several days inside the FIC.


    ''Well, time to see what happened to it.'' He thought to himself. ''I have been injected with so much serum, I hope I''m ok.''


    "Before you log out, Arthur," I said. "We should get into the city and find a good ce to log out. Staying outside the walls is not safe."


    "... You''re right, we shouldn''t risk it." Arthur nodded his head. Since the city was surrounded by a gigantic wall that stretched left and right as far as the eye could see, logging out inside these walls was far better and far safer than doing it outside.


    "Oh, so we''re going to take a glimpse inside!" Emmy muttered excitedly.


    "Not for long. We have other stuff to do before tomorrow." Danny replied.


    "Yeah, yeah, I know. Hey, you two, are you ready to go?" Emmy turned to the dwarves and adjusted their hoods to cover their faces. "Make sure to stay hidden and not let the hood fly off your heads, ok?"


    "... Mmm, we know. We won''t ck off like before." Serko nodded vigorously. They would never dare to make the same mistake as they did before. Especially when they''re about to go inside a ce filled with hostile humans that would attack them the moment they identified them.


    That idea alone scared the two kids greatly. They didn''t want to experience the same fear they experienced when the three mercenaries discovered them.


    "What if they know who we are, Serko?" Fiy muttered under his breath as he looked at his friend.


    "I don''t know, Fiy¡­ I really don''t know." The boy responded anxiously. They didn''t want to even think about the consequences of such a disaster if it happened. Not only on them but also on Arthur and the others as they would also be identified and persecuted for bringing dwarves into the capital.


    "Don''t let it get to your heads, guys." At that moment, they felt a hand pat them on the head. Looking up, they saw Arthur. "You two are going to be ok. We will bring you to the person looking for you safe and sound. I promise you that."


    "... Arthur¡­"


    Seeing the confident smile on his face, the two boys felt at ease almost immediately. They didn''t know why, but they trusted Arthur''s words blindly. If he said that, then that means they are going to be truly fine.


    "Good, that''s the look I want to see on your face." He nodded. "Now, let''s go."


    With that, the group slowly descended from the cliff through the path until they reached ground level. That was when the true scale of the walls and the city behind it dawned on them.


    The walls were at least several hundred meters tall and made out of fortified stone and hard iron. They were at least a few dozen meters thick which made them look imprable. They loomed over the world outside as if they were divine guardians protecting the city behind them with their lives.


    It was truly something that put the group in their ce. This wall was more than enough to tell them that beyond that point¡­ They aren''t the special people they think they are. Behind those walls are people who would truly erase them out of existence with a mere thought.


    Then, their eyes fell on the colossal gates built into these walls. The two giant doors almost reached the middle of the walls in height. The iron they were forged from looked ancient and yet still terrifyingly strong. They didn''t look like they could be open let alone prated forcefully.


    "What in the hell is this ce¡­?" Arthur muttered in awe.


    "How do you even go about building something like this?" Emmy nodded.


    "..." The two dwarves looked at the walls and the gates with aplicated expression. For some reason, the moment their eyes fell on them, they felt something really weird well up in their hearts. But, they couldn''t understand what that feeling was.


    As the group got closer and closer to the gate, they noticed the third detail that made them quite confused.


    "Am I tripping or are the gates¡­ Open?" Herculia muttered.


    "... They are indeed open, you aren''t delusional," Danny replied. "Why are they open?"


    "There aren''t any guards either," Imented. "It''spletely empty."


    For some reason, the group felt off seeing such a thing. For a city as fortified as this one, to leave the gates open sounded really dumb, and by dumb they mean¡­ It makes no sense.


    "Did they forget them open?"


    "Of course not. They are not that dumb." Emmy replied.


    As the group got even closer, they noticed a few silhouettes slowly walking out of the gates. They were 4 people wearing thick coats and had the same mark as the three mercenaries they met earlier.


    ''More mercenaries?'' Arthur tensed a little as he got closer form Fiy and Serko. The other group noticed their presence too and stopped.


    The two groups stared at each other as they continued walking. The atmosphere became quiet and cold as nobody uttered a single word. The only sound left was of the feet pressing into the thick snow and the wind howling across the empty area.


    Eventually, the two groups passed by one another without saying a single word.


    ''Huh?'' Arthur''s eyes widened slowly as he looked over his shoulder. ''Why didn''t they talk to us?''


    Something really weird was going on.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 133: Chapter 133- See You Tomorrow

    Not only did the mercenaries simply move past them as if they didn''t exist, they didn''t seem bothered at all. It was as if they were seeing normal people passing by. However, it didn''t make sense at all to Arthur.


    ''Did they not notice that we''re strangers? Or were they busy?'' He asked himself as he watched them walk farther and farther away. Then, when they were far enough, Arthur finally turned to the others.


    "Did you see what I just saw?" He asked.


    "I did. They really didn''t seem like they cared at all." Herculia replied as he rubbed the back of his head.


    "... I expected them to at least stop and inspect us. But, uh, I guess they aren''t interested?" Emmy muttered.


    "..."


    Nobody knew how to react to what happened. So, in the end, they started walking again in confused silence. There was really nothing else they could do except to continue moving into the city.


    However, nobody forgot about that detail, especially Arthur and I. Something told them this wasn''t a mere coincidence or anything like that.


    Reaching the open gates, the group looked inside. As they expected, the city was bustling with movement. Even from afar, the noisesing from inside were very loud and distinct.


    Countless humans walked about their days, filling the endless streets of the region. Vehicles of all kinds carried goods to the shops and buildings spread everywhere they looked. The streets were built out of sleek stone that looked quite high-quality and clean. The buildings varied in colors and decorations, giving each one of them a distinct appearance and distinct features.


    Beautiful light poles stood along the maze of streets, casting a beautiful light upon the city.


    "Wow¡­" Stepping inside, the group stopped and took everything in. The bustling environment reminded them of the major cities in the real world except¡­ The fantastical side of it made it even more mesmerizing and way more special.


    "Let''s go, I want to see more of the city!" Emmy said excitedly as she walked ahead.


    "Hey, wait for me!" Herculia rushed after her.


    "We want to go too!" Fiy and Serko screamed as they rushed after the others.


    "Don''t run off on your own," Danny said as he looked over at I. "We should follow them."


    "..." I started walking after them, and that was when she noticed that something was off. Immediately, she stopped and looked behind her. "Arthur?"


    The boy had been standing still the entire time as if he were lost in thought. Ever since they stepped into the city, he had been oddly silent, unlike his usual self. I did notice that but she didn''t think much of it as she was focused on the new world they had entered. But, now she could not ignore it anymore.


    "Hm?" Hearing his name being called, Arthur looked up.


    "Is everything ok?" She asked curiously as she turned around to face him.


    "..." Arthur pursed his lips as he looked down. "Ah, it''s nothing. I was just thinking about something."


    "Is it something you can tell me?"


    "..." The boy was a little surprised by her question. I wasn''t usually the person to ask questions when she felt like someone was trying to hide it. Yet, for some reason that wasn''t the case at that moment.


    "It''s¡­ How should I put this? Now that we arrived at the city, it dawned on me that our deal is over." He said as he rubbed the back of his head.


    "... That is indeed true." I blinked.


    The deal they struck when they first started the journey was to help each other reach the capital. That was the deal and now that they reached their destination, that deal was officially done. Arthur and I felt a little weird about it. After spending a considerable time together, they didn''t really think about what could happen after the journey was over.


    I did offer him to join her team or at least consider that option for the future, but she never contemted how she should treat Arthur once this deal was over. Were they still friends? Strangers? Enemies? Allies?


    It was indeed a tricky situation and one that made them feel off.


    "I did promise you that I will think about the offer you gave me. You guys helped me a lot and I do like spending time with you. But, my n for the future isn''t something you would want any part of. It will put you in huge danger, and it will put everyone else in danger."


    "What do you mean?" I frowned. The way Arthur was talking made her concerned. This entire time, Arthur had never shown that he was taking the game as seriously as they did. He was simply there to have fun and experience this beautiful world. Yet, for some reason, at that moment, he seemed almost¡­ fearful.


    ''What could it be that makes him feel fearful? What danger is he talking about? You can''t die in the game.'' She mused.


    "It''s¡­ Fuck, ok, I will be frank. What I''m going to do may or may not turn this entire ce upside down. It''s going to cause a lot of chaos if it works and it will certainly affect you and your ns. It''s something I''m not even certain is possible to execute yet. That''s why, I''m going to spend my time here working toward that goal." Arthur said.


    ''Infiltrating the Abyssal Bastion¡­ It''s starting to dawn on me how much of an insane task that will be.'' Arthur thought to himself.


    Before embarking on this journey, Arthur had no idea of how the scale of power in this world could skyrocket into the sky after leaving the first-step vige. Yet, now that he had experienced a taste of how truly ridiculous the Divine Realm can get, Arthur could only shudder at what he would have to face once he stepped into that hell of a ce.


    ''I need to get stronger¡­ Way stronger than this. I''m not good enough now. I have to spend the rest of my time before my meeting with Miro and Nina getting as strong as possible.'' Arthur clenched his teeth.


    This entire time, getting stronger was simply a side quest that he didn''t give much focus. But, now, it was time to get very serious about it.


    I saw the myriad of emotions passing through Arthur''s eyes and it dawned on her that the boy was truly serious about what he was saying.


    ''Something that could turn this ce upside down? What could it be? What is he nning?'' I felt an urge to ask more about it. But, seeing how unwilling Arthur was to disclose any information, she felt that it was not appropriate to ask at that moment.


    Instead, she decided to say something different.


    "How long do you think it will take you to finish this task?" She asked.


    "Huh? Uh, I don''t know. It could take months." He said.


    "Then, once you''re done with that. You''re free to join me." She replied. "If you also need help with whatever you need to do, we''re always open to give a helping hand."


    "What? No, I can''t do that. It''s too much trouble as I said." Arthur blurted out.


    "You''re underestimating how determined my team is, Arthur." The girl shook her head. "Especially when ites to one of us and you''re a part of that team."


    "..." Arthur blinked in shock.


    "So, don''t hesitate to ask for help. We are always here. Don''t forget that we''re also going to be academy students tomorrow. I hope you don''t think this is some kind of farewell, do you?"


    "No, it''s not¡­" Arthur replied in a daze. He was truly struck hard by those words. Even though they were simple and clear, they twisted his heart in ways he didn''t even think were possible.


    He had been treating it like it was truly farewell at that moment. But, that was far from the case. Arthur was still going to see I and the others tomorrow and perhaps the day after. He can talk to them and if possible, share adventures again with them like he did before.


    ''Why did I think that this was the end? I''m very silly sometimes, man. We can definitely do many other things in the future.'' Arthur slowly smiled as he nodded his head.


    "Yeah, you''re right. Sorry, I wasn''t thinking straight there."


    "There is no problem. We''re partners after all."


    "You''re right! I won''t hesitate to ask for help if I need it then."


    "Good."


    "Also, one more thing. I need to log out earlier than you guys, I have some stuff to prepare for tomorrow." Arthur said.


    "Go ahead. We are going to find a ce where the two dwarves can stay and then log out ourselves."


    "Understood." The boy then opened the menu to log out, only to hear onest thing.


    "See you tomorrow, Arthur."


    Looking up, he saw the expression on I''s face and he smiled. "See you tomorrow."


    Then, it all became darkness.


    A//N: With that, we are finally starting the academy and all the chaosing with it. Don''t forget to support the book if you liked the chapter.

 Chapter 134: Chapter 134- First Day (Part 1)

    Arthur slowly opened his eyes with a small groan. He wasn''t feeling any particr pain but his body was a little numb due to theck of movement for long periods of time. Blinking slowly, all he took in was a dim room.


    At the same time, the ss door of the FIC opened for him. Without saying a word, he put his hands outside and pulled himself out beforending on his feet. Holding his face, he rubbed his eyes.


    "Ugh¡­ I''m finally back." He muttered as he looked around him. The room was as he left it, dim, and surprisingly very clean. He expected to see ayer of dust after several days of being leftpletely unattended to.


    "Did some staff workerse in here and clean it?" Arthur muttered to himself. "Well, that''s very nice of them. I don''t have to clean the ce myself."


    So, the boy stretched his limbs to regain his full motion, and that was when he noticed something even more surprising.


    "Wait¡­ Did I get even taller?" Arthur eximed as a smile appeared on his face. Looking down, he immediately noticed that the ground beneath him was way lower than before. This wasn''t some small change that was hard to notice, he was way taller than before.


    Quickly, he rushed toward the mirror and stared at himself. There, his eyes examined his appearance with twinkling excitement. The change that he had undergone in a few days was¡­ Insane.


    "... Holy shit¡­" He muttered with a gasp of shock. Not only did Arthur increase several inches in height since thest time he looked in the mirror, but his entire appearance as a whole was changedpletely.


    To begin with, his weak and skinny body had be considerably more muscr. His shoulders widened and his back became more broad and strong. His arms grew in length and his biceps expanded. Even his thighs became almost twice their previous size. Arthur now became a lean yet muscr guy.


    But, arguably the biggest change he had undergone was on the upper side of his body.


    "... I look¡­ Way better than before. I can even say I''m handsome now!" He muttered as he touched his cheeks and turned his head around. His face, while still basically retaining the same features, had be far more defined and far more pleasing to the eye.


    His jaw became sharper, his nose a pointier and his hair more luscious and soft as it dropped over his forehead. Even his eyes became sharper and colder, giving him apletely different aura than before.


    If he was simply average before, then he was now certainly above average in appearance.


    "This serum is pure magic¡­ It can''t be described as anything else." He muttered as he flexed his body a few times. "I can''t believe my own eyes. I have truly be apletely different person."


    Although this change was exciting, Arthur could only feel a little weird seeing himself in the mirror. This was certainly not the same miserable face he saw in the mirror every morning. His dead eyes had regained their light and he was smiling more. His horrible life was truly changing for the best and he was guiding that change with his own effort.


    ''It''s all thanks to Divinity Online. It had changed my life forever. I''m really grateful.'' Smiling brightly, he clenched his fists. ''Let''s see how far I can go.''


    Then, he turned around and walked to the bathroom to take a shower. After cleaning himself thoroughly, he ate some food and finally sat down. on his bed and looked through the window at the dark sky outside. It was around 1 AM so it was prettyte.


    When he felt the soft mattress beneath him, Arthur finally realized that he was truly back in the real world. Everything that happened in the past few days gave him the urge to stay alert or at least keep looking around in case a monster would ambush him in the dark. But, no such thing was going to happen.


    He can truly rx at that moment. Sitting there silently for a few moments, he finally rested his head on the pillow.


    "Hmm, should I sleep or spend the time training?" Arthur muttered to himself. "I guess sleeping is more important since tomorrow is going to be very eventful. Saying that¡­ I really don''t have an urge to sleep."


    Although Arthur had been technically awake for several days now, he didn''t feel exhausted at all. In fact, he was feeling really good and even better than ever before. The energy pumping through his body reached a whole new level.


    But, he knew that he would need sleep since he won''t have the opportunity to sleep as much for a while in the future. Bncing his time in the academy and his time in the game was going to be tough and sleep was simply not an option anymore.


    "Oh well, goodbye sleep I guess. Consider this myst gift to you before our inevitable farewell." He muttered as he slowly closed his eyes.


    ***


    Several hours passed and the sun finally rose from the horizon, casting its ethereal light upon the Middle Ind. The sound of the chirping birds woke Arthur up.


    "... Wow, that sleep really didn''t do much." He muttered to himself as he blinked. "I''m not even feeling drowsy. How energetic do I have to be for a night''s sleep to actually have no effect on me? This serum is turning me into a machine that doesn''t need rest."


    Looking at his clock, it indicated that it was around 7 AM, two hours before the first day of the academy was supposed to begin.


    But, Arthur didn''t want to go there on time, he wanted to arrive early. The schedule told him that his means of transportation to reach the academy would arrive at 8 AM. So, he quickly left the bed, cleaned himself, and then put on his uniform.


    "Hmm, they didn''t give me any school supplies so I guess everything will be electronic. Honestly, that''s way more convenient." He said as he adjusted the necktie to be looser. Arthur didn''t like restricting his neck with ties. Then, he made a quick breakfast with the abundance of ingredients in his fridge.


    The staff had told him that the fridge was going to be restocked regrly and if he wished for something in particr, he could ask the staff and he would get it.


    After making sure he was ready, he finally left his room and exited the building.


    "Hmm, the bus should be here anytime now," Arthur muttered as he looked around him. Although the app didn''t specify what kind of ''means of transportation'' would bring him to the academy, Arthur assumed that it was a bus since that''s what he was used to.


    However, he didn''t know that his expectations were about to be shattered again. Going through the door, he halted as he noticed something. Right outside the building, in the parking area, there were dozens of weird-shaped objects lined up organized one after the other.


    Next to the parking area, there was a sign.


    "Sonic Boards?"


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 135: Chapter 135- First Day (Part 2)

    "Hm? What is even this?" Approaching the parking lot, Arthur examined one of the sonic boards with his eyes. The boards looked like a mix between a scooter and a hoverboard with no wheels. It had a sleek metallic finish with a ss screen at the top that looked very advanced.


    "Is this¡­ The means of transport they were talking about?" Arthur raised an eyebrow. "How is it even floating?"


    Looking down, Arthur slid his hand under the sonic board and yet he didn''t feel anything beneath. The board was indeed floating.


    "Yes, technology! Yes, science!" Arthur pped his hands with an impressed look on his face. "I don''t know how they pulled it off, but mypliments to the ones who invented this."


    At this point, the technological advancement of this ce was something he had seen everywhere he went. This was not that huge of a surprise as hoverboards had existed in some way for a while in the real world so he wasn''t really that shocked.


    As Arthur''s eyes wandered to the side, he noticed a number written on the slot where the hoverboard was standing. Then, his eyes moved to another slot and he eventually realized what was happening.


    "Each one indicates a student''s room. I guess mine should be somewhere around- There!" Finding his number, he quickly approached the slot with his room''s number on it.


    "Ok, so, how does this thing work?" Jumping on top of it. He bnced himself easily on the board and then tapped on the screen. Immediately, the screen activated, showing him a small square with a few words written on top of it. ''Swipe your device on the square.'' it said.


    "Device? Oh, they mean this." Pulling his phone out, Arthur put it against the screen and swiped. Almost immediately, the hoverboard made a ringing sound as the screen activated. Then, a strip of neon light lit up across the frame of the hoverboard while the engine slowly activated.


    Arthur stared down with pure excitement. He never expected a day woulde when he would ride one of these things. ''I''m living the dream!''


    His eyes then shifted to the screen. There, he saw two new options appear on the screen.


    "''Please choose the travel mode: Automatic/ Manual.'' Hmm, automatic sounds better than manual. But, who cares about what''s best? I want to drive one of these things! Manual it is!"


    Without hesitation, Arthur tapped the manual. Then, he put his hands on the handles.


    "Ok, so¡­ If I''m not wrong, I should twist this and it should wor- WOAAAAAH!!"


    The monster Arthur twisted the handle, the hoverboard suddenlyunched forward at a horrifying speed.


    "Holy shit!!" Arthur panicked as he quickly steered to the side to avoid smashing into other hoverboards. But, he couldn''t control it at all.


    "The brakes! The brakes!"


    With no other choice, he quickly pressed the brakes when the sonic board finally stopped before hitting the wall.


    "Hah¡­ Hah¡­ Ok, goddamit! I''m not using manual mode!" Arthur clenched his teeth as he tapped on the corner option and then chose Automatic.


    When he chose that option, a map of the city appeared on his screen with several cursors indicating many of the main areas one would want to go to. Arthur searched for the location he was going to.


    "Hmm, Academy Elevator? That should be it." Arthur muttered as he tapped that option. A secondter, the hoverboard suddenly activated again and then started moving. However, this time, it didn''t fly at top speed like before.


    Arthur grabbed the handles and looked ahead.


    "This is pretty nice, actually."


    Flying through the parking lot and into the street, the sonic board picked up pace a little. The streets were still empty since students didn''t leave yet.


    "Hm, the screen says we will arrive in a few minutes."


    As the wind rustled his hair, Arthur enjoyed the cold weather and the fresh air. Passing countless buildings, the giant mountain in the distance grew closer and closer, as it started looming over Arthur. The academy structure built into the mountain cast its reflection everywhere, showing the true insanity of its design.


    "Wow¡­" Arthur muttered with a frozen expression. "This looks far more ridiculous up close. Where am I even?"


    The Middle Ind felt more like a fantasynd than a real ce in the world. Then, his eyes went down to the foot of the mountain. There, he saw a massive gate that separated the dormitories from the academy''s main areas.


    A group of guards held their position around the gate and the walls. When they saw Arthur approaching, they stopped him immediately. Arthur tapped the brakes and waited for the guards to approach him. He was surprisingly not as nervous as he expected himself to be.


    ''Did my confidence increase along with my power? I''m not worried at all.'' He mused to himself as he calmly stared at the man with the weapon.


    "Good morning, your device please." The man said as he pulled out his own device.


    Arthur nodded and handed his phone to the man. Thetter swiped it over his own device and stared at the screen for a few seconds. Then, he nodded and handed it back to Arthur.


    "You can proceed." The man said as he signaled for the gates to open. "Have a good day, Mr Arthur."


    "... You too." The boy replied as the board started moving again on its own. Passing through the gates, Arthur found himself in a massive open area that looked like a parking lot. On the other side of it, he saw a majestic set of stairs that led somewhere up to the higher parts of the mountain.


    Arthur''s sonic board moved till it found its slot and stopped.


    "Ok, that wasn''t too bad. Hmm, the parking lot is almostpletely empty. There are a few other sonic boards, though. Some students must''ve arrived before me." He muttered as he jumped off the sonic board and started walking through the parking lot toward the set of stairs.


    They were surprisingly long so it took him almost a minute to reach the end. Up there, Arthur was weed with another majestic sight. Near the foot of the mountain, a tform was built that was big enough to contain thousands of people with ease. The tform was made out of hard sleek rock and paved with beautiful tiles that stretched far and wide.


    At the end of this tform, there were two massive ss tubes that rose from the ground and into the sky and beyond, reaching the giant structures hanging up in the air.


    "Holy shit¡­" Arthur muttered. "Are those elevators?"


    Although the design was unfamiliar at first, Arthur eventually recognized what that was. ''So that''s how we reach the main areas. Makes a lot of sense.''


    Arthur had been wondering how it was possible to climb such a mountain to reach the institution. After all, climbing stairs was simply not an option and so was climbing the mountain. There had to be alternatives that could contain therge number of students and staff that live on the ind. So, massive elevators were the answer.


    Then, Arthur looked down and he saw a few students standing here and there. There were no more than a dozen students seemingly idling around waiting for something.


    "I guess it''s not time yet." Arthur checked his time. There were at least 35 minutes left.


    "What should I do for the rest of the time now? Tsk, I should''ve probably spared some more time before arriving here. I don''t know anybody around he-"


    "Arthur?"


    At that moment, Arthur heard a very familiar voice behind him. Turning around slowly, he saw her face. For a second, he was surprised before his eyes instantly brightened up as he smiled widely.


    "I! Is that you?" He asked.


    I stared at Arthur with an equally surprised look. The boy looked different from how he looked yesterday. He was taller and more good-looking. When she saw him, she almost didn''t recognize him which is why she asked uncertainly.


    "Yes, it''s me. I wasn''t sure if that was indeed you. It seems the serum had truly changed you a lot." She said.


    "Hahaha, yeah, I''m still not that familiar with it. Though, you don''t look that far off from how you usually look."


    "Hm? Do you think so? I think the serum didn''t have any effect on me."


    Hearing that, Arthur''s expression froze for a moment. ''Ehem, I don''t think so. The serum probably tried to change some things, but with how you look¡­ There was really not that much room for improvement.'' He coughed inwardly.


    I was already the most beautiful girl he had ever met. She was also tall and slender. She looked like a world-ss model or even better. She didn''t seem tock anything appearance-wise.


    "In any case, thank god you''re here! I really didn''t know what I was going to do for the next 35 minutes. I''m d I met someone I know." He said.


    "Mm, me too." She nodded. "What a sudden and quick reunion that is."


    "... Yeah, we aren''t that far away from each other, are we?" Arthurughed.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 136: Chapter 136- First Day (Part 3)

    "Let''s stand over there, people are about to start arriving and the entire ce will fill up," I said as she led Arthur to a corner of the tform where they stood alone. Others looked at them curiously from afar as they were very eye-catching, but nobody approached them yet.


    Several minutes passed as students started appearing on the tform, one after the other as they filled the ce. Their numbers slowly increased at a steady pace.


    "The atmosphere is already so tense," Arthur muttered as he crossed his arms and rested his back against the wall.


    "It''s expected. These people aren''t sure of what''s about to happen. Their expectations and fear are ovepping." I replied.


    "Damn, you''re really good at psychological analysis, where did you learn that?" Arthur asked with a raised eyebrow.


    "... To survive where Ie from, you have to be able to read people really well. The better you can read them, the better your position is."


    "Hm, so when you met me first time, what did you think of me?" The boy thought for a moment as a grin appeared on his face. ''Hahaha! That''s a good question!''


    "Do you mean my first impression of you?" I turned to look at him.


    "Yes, first impression."


    The girl went silent for a moment as she tried to recall what happened that day. Their first meeting was quite a unique one so she couldn''t easily forget it. In fact, it left an impression on her to that day. The way he had almost killed her entire team and then said that she was a horrible leader, she had never met someone like that before. Yet, as disrespectful as it was, I didn''t really hate it.


    She found it rather amusing.


    "Hmm, I would say¡­ quirky is the right word to describe my first impression of you."


    "Quirky?"


    "You were a very quirky individual. I couldn''t predict what you were going to do or say next."


    "... Is that a good thing?" Arthur gulped.


    "It''s definitely not negative. We wouldn''t be here if it was a negative first impression. I usually don''t give second chances." I said in a calm tone.


    ''Damn, that is quite ironic since that first encounter could''ve not gone any worse.'' Arthurughed inwardly as he stared at I.


    "Though, what you said that day, was that truly your first impression of me?" I returned the question.


    "... Uh, to be honest, yes. I thought that you weren''t really that good of a leader for not properly leading your group. But, I could''ve not been any more wrong." He replied as he rubbed the back of his head.


    "What do you mean?" Weirdly enough, I seemed even more curious of what he was thinking about.


    "I mean, I have seen how you lead the group and you are a really good leader. I don''t have anyints." Arthur shrugged.


    He had seen how I dealt with the situations. She was smart, decisive, and caring enough that she tries to protect her group from any harm. She was a true leader through and through and Arthur believed that firmly.


    "..." I stared at the boy with a nk expression. He couldn''t read what was going through her mind at that moment.


    "Is that so?" She muttered and turned away.


    ''Did she not like that?'' Arthur squinted his eyes.


    But, at that moment, he heard a noiseing from afar.


    "I!!"


    Looking ahead, he saw a group of three people approaching them. Arthur immediately recognized the group as his team. Herculia, Emmy, and Danny. They all looked exactly like their game avatars but with some minor differences.


    "Wait, is that you, Arthur?! Holy shit, you look different, man!" Herculia eximed when he noticed Arthur. "I didn''t recognize you."


    "Haha, that''s what she said." He replied. "I look cooler, don''t I?"


    "You definitely look far more dashing, hehe!" Emmyughed.


    "Hey! Don''t insult how I looked before so tantly!" Arthur jokingly eximed. Herculia and Emmyughed loudly.


    Meanwhile, Danny looked from the side with the usual ring look. He was inspecting Arthur with his eyes.


    ''The serum had done an overhaul on how he looks. How much power did he gain for such a drastic change to happen?'' He thought to himself.


    Danny was aware of the serum effect. But, never did he think the serum could make someone change so much in such a short period of time. He even noticed some changes in himself, but not to the extent of Arthur. It requires him to be pumped with an unbelievable amount of serum.


    "Looking good, Danny." At that moment, he heard Arthur speaking to him.


    "... Thanks." He replied ndly.


    "So, when are we going to get inside?" Herculia asked.


    "So far, the elevators are still closed. It seems we should wait for someone to open them for us." Arthur replied.


    At that moment, he started listening to some whispersing from people close to them. Since the ce was now getting more and more filled, they couldn''t really hide their conversations from his sharp ears.


    "Look at those people¡­"


    "Wait, do you recognize that girl?"


    "Yeah, isn''t that I Goldsmith?"


    "That big guy¡­ It''s Herculia Norman! Isn''t his dad the previous world champion boxer?"


    "That short girl too! That''s Emilia Forger!"


    "Isn''t she the daughter of a powerful businessman?"


    "That guy is Daniel Maine! From what I know, his family owns several airports across the world."


    "Wow, how are all these individuals here? And they seem to be together?"


    "Though, do you recognize that fifth guy?"


    "Hm? No, I can''t recognize him. What about you?"


    "He doesn''t look familiar to me. Who is he?"


    "I wonder if he''s also a rich second generation like them."


    ''I''m not a second-generation dipshit, idiots!'' Arthur rolled his eyes as he ignored the group. He was aware that he was standing around extremely influential and powerful individuals while he was just another guy.


    But, he really didn''t care that much. If these were the only people ready to ept him as their friend, then he was fine with that.


    As he was contemting that, he heard the students around him gasp. Immediately, he looked up to check what was happening when he noticed it. High in the sky, two giant tforms slowly descended through the tubes down to their level. The ss gates of the elevators started opening on their own.


    "..."


    Everyone watched in awe and nobody moved at all. Then, a voice spoke to them.


    "Please, get into the elevator calmly." The voice boomed through the entire ce, reaching everyone there. It was calm yet also very powerful, almost as if it was ordering them to do so.


    At first, they were a little surprised, but then, their curiosity finally took over and one by one, the students started getting into the tforms.


    Like waves, they entered the gates without hesitation. Their excitement was clear in their eyes.


    "I think we should go too. It''s time." Arthur said as he started walking.


    "You''re right, time to see what the fuss is all about. They better not disappoint." Herculia stretched and followed Arthur.


    Unbeknownst to them that the moment their feet stepped onto that tform¡­ A whole new world was about to open to them. A world meticulously crafted to create heroes. And by heroes¡­ They mean warriors.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 137: Chapter 137- First Day (Part 4)

    Like waves, the students got into the two elevators. There was enough area for all the students to get inside without being crammed.


    "Woah, this looks insane from the inside," Arthur muttered as he got inside the elevator. The giant ss structure was overwhelmingly huge. It made him feel like he was a small ant. The other students shared the same reaction to what they were seeing.


    Then, when all the students got inside, the ss doors started closing slowly and the tform slowly took off into the sky. Some gasps of shock echoed inside the elevator as students started panicking. After all, everything around them waspletely made out of ss so they felt as if they were flying in the air.


    Slowly, the two tforms lifted them from the foot of the mountain to the higher peaks. Everyone watched in awe at the majestic view and the beautiful scenery of the middle Ind from high up there.


    The giant city, the forests beyond it, and even the glistening sea in the distance reflecting the sunlight.


    Arthur approached the ss and peeked outside. ''So this is how the ind looks? Damn, so beautiful.'' He thought to himself. He had never seen the middle ind as a whole from afar even when he was on the ne so this was apletely new sight to him.


    A few minutester, the tform started slowing down as it entered through a dark tunnel. Everyone went silent as they waited for the elevator to stop. The excitement was taking over their heads.


    Slowly, the tform reached its destination and stopped. Then, the ss gates started opening slowly. The moment it fully opened, the students were met with a giant hall stretching into the distance. Large pirs filled rose from the ground, holding the high ceilings. Large windows covered the walls, giving a 360 degree view of the mountain and the ind as a whole.


    At the end of it,plex systems of stairs spread everywhere, leading to many different sections of the academy. It was by far the most beautiful open hall they had ever seen. Something that looked like it came straight out of a fantasy world.


    But, their attention was quickly diverted toward something else. A few feet away from the elevators, a few people stood in order. They were all wearing formal academic attire and had stern looks on their faces.


    There were at least 12 of them, 6 men and 6 women. Then, one of them stepped forward and stared at the two groups of students with a calm expression.


    "Wee, dear students to the Institution. My name is Theodore and along with my colleagues here, we are the administration body of the academy. We are honored to see all of you here today. I hope you had a good week and you''re well rested and ready for today." The man said in a cold tone. "Please, follow us. We shall exin what is going to happen today on the way."


    Saying that, the man turned around and started walking. His peers followed him.


    "So quick¡­ Did he say administration body?"


    "Yeah, I heard him. So those are the people in control. They look terrifying¡­"


    "He said to follow him¡­"


    "We should do that."


    Some whispers echoed around the student body. Then, one by one they started walking out of the elevator, moving after Theodore and his colleagues. Nobody dared to make a single noise as they felt the oppressing aura of these people.


    ''Such a strong presence.'' Arthur squinted his eyes. ''They''re oozing with pressure. How are they even doing that?''


    Arthur couldn''t wrap his head around it, but he felt something he never expected to feel in this ce¡­ Threat. Those people made the rms in his head turn off and he didn''t know why.


    "This is the main hall of the institution. It is built as the main area where everyone can enter and exit the institution. Then, the stairs will lead to different sections of the academy. The map in your Bluelinks should''ve been updated the moment you entered the institution. You should be able to know where you are and navigate the ce effectively." Theodore exined as they walked.


    Everyone immediately pulled their devices out and noticed that there was indeed a new notification that said their map had been updated. Opening it, they found a detailed map of the institution, in 2D and 3D for precision.


    There was also a search feature that will lead you to your desired destination through thorough trailing guides.


    ''This is almost overly detailed. If you still get lost with all of this¡­ You remind me of a certain green-haired man.'' Arthurughed to himself as he closed the device and looked up. Through the windows, Arthur could see several different sections linked to this ce through wide passages hanging in the air.


    ''I wonder if those things are really safe to go through. Oh well, they probably are. There is no way they would design it that way if they weren''t sure of its safety.'' He shrugged.


    "If you need any help with directions, you shall find guards walking around the entire ce. They will help you find your way." Theodore exined as he pointed at several men and women walking through the area. They stopped and bowed respectfully before continuing on their duty.


    "Any questions?" He looked over his shoulder as he asked.


    The students were a little hesitant to ask any questions as they were still terrified of this man. However, there were still the cocky and ignorant students in there, and those didn''t seem to be aware of what was happening.


    "Where are you bringing us?"


    "Good question. Lift your hand next time to ask." Theodore said. Those words were simple and fleeting, but the boy instantly went silent as his smile vanished. He felt something really off in his heart.


    "We are heading toward the ceremonial hall at this moment. It is an important part of the first day as there, you shall be assigned your ss based on the data we collected from each individual." The man exined.


    "What?"


    "Based on data?"


    "How?"


    Gasps of surprise echoed everywhere around Arthur. The students were taken aback by what they heard.


    ''Bingo, as I expected.'' Arthur thought to himself as he licked his lips. ''These people live and die by hierarchy. There is simply no way they won''t implement it in the academy. We are about to witness something truly interesting.''


    Arthur had already predicted this oue days ago and while he doesn''t agree with it, he was certain it will make his time in the academy far more entertaining than he could ever imagine.


    It was very easy to see the war about to ensue between students to take the top spots and be the best. It was a miniature example of how things will go in DO on arger scale.


    Reaching the stairs, the man led them to the right-wing stairs up several floors. As they went higher, they found themselves in apletely different section of the institution, right above the main hall. There, they found themselves in front of several wide gates. The signs above them indicated the location.


    ''The ceremonial hall.''


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 138: Chapter 138- First Day (Part 5)

    There, the students found themselves inside another massive hall simr to the one they had just been in except this one had arge wooden stage on the other side and massive stands surrounding it filled with red chairs.


    It looked like a luxurious theatre rather than a mere hall. Pleasant music yed in the background, giving the ce a very calming atmosphere.


    "This ce is only getting bigger and bigger," Danny muttered as he stood next to I. There was simply no way they could expect the institution to be this vast and interconnected. The design felt almost like pure magic. There was simply no way one would expect such a theatre could exist casually on one of the floors.


    The administration body moved down the stairs slowly.


    "Take your appropriate seats," Theodore said. "The ceremony will start in a few minutes." Then, he disappeared along with his colleagues somewhere, leaving the students alone.


    "... They''re so quick with it."


    "They appeared and disappeared so quickly. Why are they in a hurry?"


    "The seats have our names on them, look!"


    As the students started getting more and more familiar with the theatre, they slowly started walking down the stairs and spread everywhere, trying to find their seats.


    "We should also move," I said. "Stay attentive, guys."


    "You don''t have to tell me that." Herculia stretched. "I didn''t like those people. They gave me the chills."


    "Me neither¡­" Emmy nodded.


    "In any case, we can get together after whatever ceremony they''re going to do." Danny shrugged as he started walking down the stairs.


    The group then separated, everyone going to a different section of the theatre, searching for their name. Since names were organized based on the number of their assigned rooms too, it was easy to find their spots.


    "Hmm, my ce is¡­ Here!" Arthur eximed as he found his seat and sat down. The soft cushion felt very good on his back and thighs. It was a veryfortable chair.


    "Ugh, my back, man." He muttered. "I feel like an old man."


    "You don''t move like an old man, though."


    "Huh?"


    Arthur looked up, only to realize that I was sitting next to him. He blinked in confusion before shifting his gaze to her chair. There, he saw I''s full name and her room number.


    "Wait¡­ You have the same room number as I do?" He asked in confusion.


    "Seems so. What a coincidence." I crossed her arms and said.


    "..."


    ''Coincidence, that''s like a one in several thousand. Wow¡­ I''m not even going to question that.'' Arthur sighed inwardly as he looked ahead.


    "How are you feeling about that Theodore and his colleagues?" I asked coldly while staring at the stage with a calm expression.


    "... They have something wrong with them. I don''t know what it is but it''s definitely there. Do you recognize him or any of the other people with him, I?"


    "No, I don''t recognize them. I don''t forget the face of someone I met before so I''m certain I never met them."


    "But, considering the fact they have such a high position, they could''ve not been normal people. There should be something about them on the inte or in the media." He said.


    Divinity Online was known for not allowing any leaks in its system. They are very careful about everything they do, down to the smallest details. So, information about these people is going to be hard to find even though it logically shouldn''t be hard considering how vast the world of the inte is.


    At that moment, the music suddenly stopped and the lights inside the theatre were turned off, submerging the ce in darkness.


    "Oh, here we go," Arthur muttered while adjusting his position to focus on the stage, ready for what was about to happen. The entire ce wentpletely silent as a highlight focused on the red curtains covering the stage down there.


    Then, slowly, those curtains started opening on their own, revealing a single silhouette standing in the middle of the stage, alone. Nobody could see their face since the ce was very dark. But, when the light finally focused on the silhouette, their appearance was revealed¡­ Or to be more precise, theirck of facial features was revealed.


    A man d in a professional suit with a tall stature and an average build stood with his arms behind his back. He had a weird ck mask on his face with no features on it at all. It was just a nk ck mask.


    "Hm?"


    "Huh?"


    "Who is that?"


    Gasps of confusion echoed across the entire ce. Nobody understood why a masked man was standing on the stage. It was not what they expected to see.


    "A mask?" I muttered as she squinted her eyes. "What is happening? Ar-" As she turned to look at her friend, I realized that the boy had a shocked expression on his face.


    "Arthur?" She touched his shoulder, snapping him out of whatever state he was in.


    "Huh?" He looked at I.


    "Are you ok?"


    "Ah¡­ Yeah, I''m fine. I was just a little bit surprised, that''s all." Arthur replied in a weird tone as he looked down at the stage again. Nobody knew what was going through his head at that moment.


    Meanwhile, the man himself seemed unbothered by the weird stares he was getting from all these students.


    "Dear yers." He finally spoke, in an unnaturally deep voice.


    ''He''s using a voice changer.'' I frowned. ''He doesn''t want anyone to recognize his voice or face. Who is he?''


    "Or shall I call you ''The Heroes Of The New Generation''?" He asked. "I am truly honored to finally see you all here, sitting on those very seats. It has been a dream of mine to live this day, the very first day of this honorable academy. I have never thought that day woulde so quickly. Yet, here we are." He said in a calm, deep tone.


    "..."


    For some reason, nobody made a single more noise the moment he started speaking. He didn''t even need to say anything about that and everyone instinctively understood they needed to remain silent. That kind of presence was unreal.


    "We have gathered all of you here, from all nations and continents. You have left your homes, and your families heeding our call. That I am grateful for. It is never easy to follow another man''s dream. But, I never stopped dreaming. Ehem, I should stop bbering on and on. I shall introduce myself." The man said.


    "I am the founder of Divinity Corp and the creator of Divinity Online. You can simply address me as ''The Founder'' if you wish so. Oh, I do like being called ''The Dreamer'' too." He said with a small chuckle.


    Just like that, the entire theatre was submerged inplete and utter shock. A bombshell was just dropped on their heads so casually.


    "... Did he just say¡­"


    "Did I hear him correctly?"


    "The founder?"


    "What?"


    "That man is the founder of DO?"


    "Isn''t hepletely anonymous and doesn''t appear in public at all?"


    "... Considering the fact that he just introduced himself like that. It can only be the case¡­"


    "Wow! The Founder! I heard so many rumors about him!"


    "Isn''t he some kind of alien?"


    All kinds ofments erupted everywhere. Nobody could contain themselves from voicing their thoughts. After all, if what he said was true, then they were witnessing something historical. The legendary man behind Divinity Corp and the genius behind Divinity Online, the game that changed the entire world, was standing right in front of them.


    "The founder¡­" Arthur muttered with a deep frown as he gripped his chair arm. "So that''s the man himself¡­"


    "..." I remainedpletely silent while holding her chin. She was inspecting the man thoroughly, trying to find any small details she could gather about him.


    "Now, please, I know this is sudden and very much unannounced. But, for such a great day, I cannot simply leave the entrance ceremony for someone else to do. Divinity Online and this academy were my dreams that I worked on for decades and I needed to be here today, to speak about it."


    "..."


    ''He had chosen the perfect moment to show himself. Not only did he keep himselfpletely anonymous from us. He also appeared on a technically remote ind. We can''t outside the world unless under supervision so nobody can reveal his location or anything about him.'' I thought to herself. ''He''s a cunning man¡­''


    Even though The Founder seemed like a very polite and calm man. I could easily read through such a facade. She had met many people who acted that way. But, none left this deep of an impression on her from the very start.


    "Now, what was I about to say? Oh right, I''m supposed to announce the official start of the school year here in the academy." Opening his arms, he said. "Well, Let''s begin shall we?"


    A//N: I''m going to be updating the third tier of the story tomorrow and the day after so you won''t be able to read the chapters till all the updates are done. It''s going to be 10 new chapters so stay tuned and don''t forget to check the story when the tier is fully updated :)

 Chapter 139: Chapter 139- First Day (Part 6)

    The moment The Founder said that, a giant screen started going down from the ceiling right behind him. Chapter Continue:


    "As Theodore had told you. We have gathered data about every single student here. Your performance in school, your lifestyle, achievements, and how you spent your first days in Divinity Online. Then, we converted that data into points. The higher your points, the better ss you''re going to be assigned to."


    "..."


    "Fuck, this is nerve-wracking."


    "I hope I''m in a good ss¡­"


    "They better put me in the best ss or I''m rioting!"


    The atmosphere grew tense after The Founder finished speaking. Everyone was worried that they were going to be put into the lowest sses. All the students there were rich and influential individuals from rich families and they simply could not ept being put in a lower position than their peers. After all, not everyone can afford to y DO. But, that was not the only criterion.


    ''It seems they did an entire investigation on everyone here. I wonder what more do they know about us?'' I frowned.


    Only a few people noticed that particrly worrying detail that The Founder glossed over casually. The fact that he knew that much about them was akin to a hidden message he sent to those who noticed.


    ''We know everything.'' She thought to herself. ''Is he threatening us?'' The girl didn''t know what to think of that. Clenching her fists a little, she looked over her shoulder at Arthur. ''Did he notice that too? He had been acting off ever since this man appeared on stage. I wonder why.''


    Arthur was eerily silent as he watched the show with a cold expression. He didn''t even seem to react to this man''s identity.


    "Now, when I say that you''re going to be assigned to different sses based on your points, that does not mean that the low sses are bad. Don''t forget, every single one of you was hand-picked from millions of people. Even those at the bottom of the rankings have proved to be exceptional in their own way. With that being said¡­ Here is the table."


    At the same time, the massive screenpletely took over the stage behind him. Then, it turned on, revealing arge table filled with names. These names were separated into tens of different sections.


    "As you can see, at the very top here are the ''S-sses''. They''re for the best students that we found. They have exceptional talent and endless potential even amongst all the students." The Founder said. "The ''A-sses'' are a little less exceptional than S-sses but they''re still very talented with a promising future. B, C, and D-sses are gradually less exceptional but nevertheless, all of you are very important to us and we can''t really spare any of you."


    As the students stared at the tables, trying to find their names, they heard their Bluelinks ringing. Curiously, they all pulled their devices out to check.


    "We have sent you the table just so you don''t have to look hard. Your schedule has been updated too." The Founder continued.


    Arthur snapped out of his daze as he pulled his device out. Opening the app, he found the new table with all the names in it.


    ''Where was I put? A-B ss? Maybe S? Though, that will be so ridiculous because apart from the good start I have in Divinity Online, I''m not good at anything else.'' He thought to himself. ''If it was only Divinity Online, then maybe I deserve S-ss. But, I''m not¡­''


    As he was trying to convince himself that he wasn''t worthy of the highest section, he finally found his name on the table. Then, he checked the section.


    ''And I''m in S-ss 2¡­ Wow, I''m so very surprised right now.'' He mused with a deadpan look on his face. Somehow, even though it should''ve not been the case, Arthur had a hunch that he wasn''t going to be put where he truly belonged.


    Everything to this point was already against logic, so there was really no reason for him to be all surprised that another illogical thing happened.


    "What ss did you get?" I asked him.


    "Uh, ss S-2 from what I can see. What about you?"


    "... Same." She replied.


    Arthur looked up and smiled faintly at her. "At least we''re together. Are the others there too?"


    "It seems Emmy and Herculia are in ss S-1. Danny is in ss S-3." I said as she scrolled through the table.


    "Damn, we were separated," Arthur muttered. "That was expected. At least we''re all in the S-ss section."


    Arthur was a little sad that the entire group wasn''t in the same ss but he was fine with it. It wasn''t as if they were going to getpletely separated forever.


    Looking up, Arthur heard numerous murmurs and talks going around him. Some were displeased and some were happy. People who got the lowest sses were cursing their bad luck while those who had the better sses were boasting arrogantly, as he expected.


    However, that was not what bothered Arthur. What truly bothered him was the slow tear happening right in front of his eyes between the higher-ranked students and the lower-ranked ones. He could see in real time how the better students were mocking the lower ones.


    The lower students could not retort and that only pushed the others to mock them even more.


    ''Here ites, the discrimination. It won''t be easy on them. Unless the academy somehow contains it. But, I doubt they will truly stop the bullying that was going to ensue in the next several months.'' Arthur squinted his eyes with a sigh.


    There was really nothing he could do about it. While he really hated bullying as he was a target of it basically his entire life, he wasn''t a fool to think he could really make a change. Arrogance was ingrained into the very character of almost every single student in that theatre.


    There was simply no way that could be changed that quickly or that effectively. At least not by someone like Arthur.


    ''Good luck to everyone who will suffer from this. You have my prayers.'' He sped his hands together and gave a moment of silence to the fallenrades.


    "Did you check your positions? I can see that some of you are not satisfied so let me rify. This position you''re in right now is not permanent. Throughout your school years, you shall go through physical and academic tests, and depending on your scores on them, you can either get demoted or promoted. So, don''t lose hope. Divinity Corp doesn''t want to break you. It wants to create a goal for those who are truly ambitious."


    The students went silent again as they stared at the Founder. Those who had been given the worst cements felt a slight hopeing back to them. Meanwhile, those who were already in a good ce were a little alerted.


    ''If I don''t get good results¡­''


    ''I will get demoted¡­''


    ''Which means I need to keep my performance high¡­''


    Such thoughts crossed their minds at the same time. It was very clear to all of them. Their position was not guaranteed at all. If they think aboutzing around, then they are bound to regret that choice.


    A war has no breaks.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 140: Chapter 140- First Update!

    "Now, what was I supposed to say? Oh right, onest thing to all of you. The academy, as you all might''ve expected, is going to be very demanding with your performance and attendance. It will take most of your day and energy. But, Divinity Online is still a priority to all of you. The game had begun recently, but its true start hadn''t been announced yet." The Founder said in a calm tone.


    "True beginning?"


    "What does he mean?"


    The students were a little confused by what he said. They thought that the game had already begun, so why would its true start not be announced yet? That made no sense.


    ''Wait¡­'' I and Arthur were confused at first, but then they got a hunch on what he was talking about.


    "Yes, I can see some of you have figured out what I''m talking about." The Founder added in an almost amused tone. Then, he snapped his fingers and the screen behind him changed to somethingpletely different.


    What was before arge table filled with names, turned intoplete darkness. The entire ce went silent. Then, the ck screen started lighting up, revealing a bright sky-blue color.


    The scene spanned down, revealing distant white objects floating in the distance. It was the clouds. Then, the camera slowly moved down, revealing the vastnds beneath it. Large green ins, rocky mountains, icy regions,rgekes and seas. A calm music fused with the natural sounds around it.


    In the heart of this picture was one single ce. An unbelievablyrge city, stretching in all directions. The horrifying area it took over spanned entire regions, from the south to the north and from the east to the west. All these different regions mixed together into this city as if it were the center of the entire world. It''s magnificence and the overbearing feeling it invoked in people was instantaneous.


    Then, the camera moved down, descending into the bustling city, moving through its streets, giving a glimpse of the endless masses of people moving through it. The music that started with the video slowly picked up pace, turning far more rhythmic than ever before.


    The camera continued traveling through the city, getting closer and closer to its center. There, a looming structure cast its shadow upon the world. The camera then slowly shifted up, revealing the shrouded structure, hidden behind a veil of darkness as if it was engulfed in the night while the rest of the city was in the light.


    It was eerie, yet also mysterious. It was iprehensibly huge, yet also seemingly within reach. The Divine Tower was right there, in the heart of it all.


    Then, slowly, out of the shrowding darkness, three single words appeared ominously as the music came to a screeching halt and were reced by distant howls and cries of agony, giving the entire atmosphere anotheryer of mystery. Chapter Find:


    The words said "New Update: Guilds And Wealth" inrge, gray lines. Then, the showcase came to an end.


    "Yes, the update everyone had been waiting for. ''Guilds and Wealth''! The update had taken some time. But, we are finally here."


    "WOOOOAH!!!"


    Instantly, cheering erupted in the stands as students pped their hands. The announced first update! It had been circting on the inte that the first update was but a few days away. People didn''t know when since there were no official announcements.


    "In this update, we are finally unlocking the new Guild System and the conversion systems. I know that all of you have waited for these two particr functions ever since the game was released. We had to make sure we released them at the perfect time." The Founder said. "And that moment had just happened yesterday."


    "Huh?"


    "What moment?"


    "I don''t understand."


    "Yesterday, at night, a few yers had done a great achievement. They were the first to reach the Capital Of Glory in the human territory which is the first stop in your journeys in the Divine Realm."


    "Wait, what?!"


    "Some yers reached the capital, already?! I thought that would take a long time!"


    Exmations of shock echoed across the entire ce. This waspletely news to them. After all, everyone was too focused on getting stronger to actually contemte traveling to the capital. That was a journey that required immense strength and luck. It was in and out of itself a colossal achievement. Then, the most obvious question came. ''Who are these yers who did this?''


    "Could it be¡­?"


    "Yeah¡­ It could be¡­"


    The first name that came to their heads was naturally one single name¡­ ''Persona''.


    "Persona¡­ He''s the only one that could pull off such a feat."


    "Yeah, he''s the strongest yer in the world! He must''ve been the one that did it!"


    "Now that I think about it, his points had been explosively increasing for the past several days! That makes sense!"


    "He must''ve gone through one hell of a journey for his points to increase that much in the rankings!"


    "But, he said ''yers'' so it''s not only Persona."


    "The others must be very high-ranking yers. It could''ve not been anyone else."


    The discussions that ensued between the students were all basically the same thing. Persona was the yer that did that with the help of some other stronger yers.


    "Look at them being surprisingly urate about their predictions," I said in an almost amused tone.


    "... Yeah, I''m so very happy they''re talking about me like I''m some godly being." Arthur facepalmed.


    "They are not wrong. I have witnessed it with my own eyes. You have done some things even I cannot exin." I replied.


    "It''s not like I''m going around trying to do that. It just happens, ok?" Arthur frowned. He understood why I was saying that. Even he was shocked at the stuff he had done on the journey.


    From their fight with the child of the azure mes to the forest ident and everything in between. Arthur was put in situations where he had to do more and more exceedingly ridiculous things just to survive and emerge victorious.


    ''This game rewards those who are clinically insane like me.'' He mused.


    "Now, now, I know you''re eager to know who those people are. But, we cannot disclose that information unless those same yers are willing to reveal themselves." The Founder said as he for a split second, he stared at I and Arthur.


    The two felt a chill run down their spines at that fleeting glimpse. They had felt as if an icy storm had swept them and vanished quickly.


    ''He knows.'' The two thought at the same time. It was very much within the realm of possibility that the Founder knew about their journey and what they went through. Still, that look he gave them from behind the mask was truly terrifying. The man was a pure threat and they could only fear that threat.


    "Now, with that done and said. I can officially say that the ceremony is over. I''m sure you expected something grandiose andvish as a ceremony for this historic day. But, we decided on something simple and effective. That way, what will happen next will blow your mind. With that being said, good luck to all of you, and may your journey be fruitful."


    The moment he finished those words, the curtains slowly moved over, closing the stage. The light in the room was turned on again and the pleasant music resumed ying in the background as if nothing happened, leaving the students in a dazed state.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 141: Chapter 141- Class S-2 (Part 1)

    For the first few seconds, nobody really moved as they were still taking everything in. After all, what they heard during that ceremony was simply a lot. The major thing was naturally the new update, but also meeting The Founder and learning about their sses was huge too.


    "So¡­ We can leave now?"


    "... I think so¡­"


    "Uh, yeah, the schedule says we''re going to start our first lesson in 10 minutes."


    Slowly, the students started standing up and walking out of the theatre while inspecting their maps to find the location of their sses.


    "We should go too," I said as she slowly stood up.


    "Mmm¡­" While still staring at the closed stage, Arthur hummed.


    "Arthur?" I called his name again.


    "Hm? Oh yeah, I''ming." After giving it onest nce, the boy stood up and walked after I.


    At the entrance, they found Herculia, Danny, and Emmy waiting for them.


    "Dammit, we were separated!" Herculia eximed as he clenched his fists.


    "Hey, at least we are all in ss S! I''m d that is the case!" Emmy said.


    "..."


    The only one who seemed rather devastated by the results was Danny who remained silent. He was staring at the table with a frown.


    "Is there a way for me to change sses?"


    "Hm? Did you say something, Danny?" Herculia asked him.


    "Ehem, no. I''m just bbering nonsense." Danny closed the device with a sigh. ''Why did that bastard end up in the same ss as I¡­ Tsk! I hate that!''


    Seeing the two standing next to each other made him feel really annoyed. But, there was really nothing he could do about it.


    ''Dammit, I shouldn''t be focusing on this. But it''s on my mind the entire time.''


    Even though Arthur seemed like he had zero interest in I romantically, it didn''t mean that would be the case forever. Danny wasn''t stupid and he knew that I has countless admirers from every corner of the world. With her unimaginable beauty and status, any sane man would want her unless they''repletely crazy.


    ''I thought I already had enough bastards to worry about. But¡­ This idiot doesn''t seem like he cares for now. That''s good.'' He mused.


    "Well, I guess we should get going. The sses will start soon." Arthurmented as he walked through the door. "Hmm, the map says that we''re all in the same section on the fifth floor right above us."


    "This map is so goddamnplicated. I know I''m gonna get lost soon." Herculia.


    "Just use the navigation feature and you should be fine."


    As the group talked, they moved out of the theatre toward the stairs and started climbing them. The floor above them had the lowest ss of them all, the D-ss section which was basically a long hall that stretched for at least a few hundred meters. It had the same design as the floors beneath, and it had the same theme.


    Then, they moved to the floor above it which was the ss C section. The students on that floor looked a little less miserable than the ones on the lower floor but not by much.


    The B and A sections were gradually better than the ones beneath them. The design and halls were the same but Arthur and the others noticed something.


    "Am I imagining things does each floor feel¡­ better than the one beneath it?" Danny asked as he stopped mid-stairs.


    "..."


    Everyone stared at him and then at the floor they were at. They have indeed felt it too. It was a very subtle feeling, but nheless very much there. The higher they went, the morefortable they felt. They didn''t know if it was the atmosphere or simply their imagination but they were feeling a little more invigorated and energetic than before.


    "Did they add something into the air we''re breathing?" Emmy sniffed a few times to make sure. But, there was really nothing she could notice.


    "..." Arthur looked around him, feeling a little confused yet also curious. "Something is definitely happening."


    Students passed them as they moved up the floors, unaware of this weird feeling.


    ''They aren''t aware of this¡­ It''s¡­ Is it even there?''


    "Let''s move. We are blocking the way." I said.


    "But, what about¡­"


    "We can all feel it, but they don''t. Or they''re simply too upied to do so. We will figure out what it is sooner orter." I added.


    The group nodded faintly. She had a point. Whatever that was, they will figure it out at some point. There was no point in standing there. Not to mention that the feeling was quite positive.


    So, they resumed their walking, until they finally reached thest floor.


    "The view from here is¡­" Arthur stopped again and looked through the giant ss windows. This was simply a magnificent ce, and no amount of sightseeing could give it justice. On the third floor, there were considerably fewer students than the floors beneath.


    However, every single student there stood out like a sore thumb. Nobody entered the sses yet as they explored the ce. Seeing Arthur and the others arrive, they nced at them.


    "Isn''t that¡­"


    "..."


    Almost instantly, the students recognized I and the others. After all, everyone there was from the upper echelons of society and they had met before at weddings, funerals, and parties.


    Without saying a single word, the group moved onto the floor.


    "I think it''s here where we will separate. My ss is right there." Danny said.


    "I should be moving too. Let''s go, Herculia." Emmy said as she grabbed Herculia''s arm and dragged him.


    "Go on, big man. Good luck." Arthur tapped his friend''s shoulder as he turned to I. "We should go too."


    The girl nodded her head. "The ss S-2 is over there." When she stared at their destination, she noticed several people standing outside in a circle talking to each other. ''Are those?''


    Before she could even recognize those people, they got close enough for the group to notice their presence. Looking up, they turned around and made eye contact with I.


    "... *Sigh*..." The girl exhaled a small breath that Arthur noticed.


    "Are you ok, Is-"


    "It''s actually Miss I!"


    Before he could even finish the sentence, the students standing in front of them called for I with excited looks on their faces. Then, they quickly grouped around her.


    "I''m happy to see you here."


    "I didn''t believe my eyes when I saw your name on the list."


    "It''s an honor for me to share the same ss with you."


    All of them, girls and boys surrounded I from all angles as they talked to her excitedly. All these students looked very wealthy and good-looking yet when they saw I, they became almost like fans seeing their celebrity crush.


    ''Wow¡­ Talk about influence. She has endless aura.'' Arthur thought to himself with a smile. At that moment, Arthur noticed the rather difficult expression on his friend''s face. He even could swear that she nced at him asking for help.


    ''Yet, I guess even I isn''t immune to this kind of situation.'' Heughed inwardly. ''I should probably help her before she gets angry.''


    Since Arthur didn''t know any of these people, he wasn''t nervous around them at all.


    "Hey now, if you would excuse us, we just arrived and we want to go inside." Arthur pped his hands as he stepped next to I.


    "Huh?"


    "Hm?"


    Arthur heard the bewildered sounds of the students as they finally noticed his presence for the first time.


    "Who are you?"


    "I didn''t notice him at all."


    ''You shouldn''t say that loudly, bastard.'' Arthur felt a vein about to pop in his head. But, he took a deep breath and said.


    "I''m her friend." He said.


    "... WHAT?!!"


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 142: Chapter 142- Class S-2 (Part 2)

    "F-Friends?"


    The group looked at Arthur as if he was some kind of alien. Their eyes then shifted to I, waiting for her to deny those ims or at least look as confused as they were. Yet, she still had that same nk expression as before with no reaction at all.


    ''Friends? I''m pretty sure the only friends she imed to have were¡­''


    Everyone there knew I very well so they knew who she likes to be around and those people have been the only people she ever dered as her friends. Many tried to befriend I and join that group, but she never let them in. Befriending I was a goal their families had put on their shoulders as such a rtionship meant endless benefits to the family from one of the future''s strongest individuals in the world.


    They have kept their eyes on her, and especially those she''s linked to. But, out of nowhere, another boy appeared and imed he was her friend. Someone they had never met before and had never seen around I.


    "Let''s go." Arthur didn''t care about their bewildered looks and simply dragged I away from them.


    "Hey, wa-"


    But, before they could even say anything, the two walked into the ssroom. Inside, they found themselves in apletely different world. If the hall outside was majestic and grandiose, then the ssroom was apact yet amazingly luxurious ce. To begin with, the walls were lined with shimmering panels that were idly changing color in a slow rhythmic manner.


    Elegant ss tables and ergonomic chairs were arranged in clusters, looking as if they were floating above ground with theirfortable yet intriguing design. The floor beneath them mimicked a starry night sky with small white dots everywhere, giving the ce an ethereal sensation unlike anything before.


    Facing all of this was arge interactive board of thin white ss near arge ss table that looked like it belonged to the professor.


    "They really went far and beyond in everything¡­" Arthur muttered. ''So this is where I''m going to spend the next year, huh? Well, I''m fine with that. This is gorgeous.''


    I nodded her head faintly in agreement. This ssroom was certainly far more eye-catching than any other ssroom she ever stepped in and she had been to the most prestigious institutions in the world before.


    The two then walked inside, going around the tables. As they expected, their names and numbers were assigned to each table.


    Arthur walked to the other side of the ssroom where he found his seat, right in the middle to the left. Meanwhile, I sat on the opposite right side, not that far away from Arthur.


    ''Yeah, I guess this is where our luck ends. If we actually ended up next to each other, that would''ve been stupid.'' Arthur thought to himself.


    A few secondster, the students walked inside and sat down in their seats. The ones who ended up next to I couldn''t contain their excitement. Fate had given them a chance to show a good image of themselves to the queen herself in hopes of catching her attention.


    However, before they could even speak, the door to the ssroom opened slowly and a man walked inside. Everyone immediately turned to look at the neer, only to realize that it was a familiar face.


    ''Wait, isn''t that the guy we just met earlier? Theodore?'' Arthur squinted his eyes.


    Nobody uttered a word until the man finally stopped in front of the board and faced everyone with his usual calm expression. Theodore was an older man with a well-trimmed white beard and white hair, and a strong look on his face that invoked respect without him uttering a word.


    "Good morning, everyone." He said. "I''m your new professor for this year."


    "..."


    "Before we begin, do you have any questions?" He asked.


    "... Mmm." One student lifted their hand.


    "Yes?"


    "Didn''t you say that you''re one of the administration members?"


    "Of course. But, that is only a part of my job. I was also tasked with teaching one of the S-sses. Do not worry, I have been trained to be the best instructor for this ss. As long as you follow my words and do notmit any bad behavior, I believe our year together will be very fruitful. Any other questions?"


    "..."


    "Good. Now, we shall go over some things before we begin our first lesson. The first thing is, in every single lesson, I need your undivided attention. Not only in normal subjects but also in subjects rted to the Divine Realm and the game. This is something all the students are required to do, but there is an emphasis on the S-ss because you are the best students we could ever find. You have a lot more responsibility keeping this position as it is your key in the future for greater things."


    All the students listened to Theodor''s words attentively. They understood the giant task on their shoulders to stay in this position. They still didn''t know what being an S-ss meant, but they knew the institution wouldn''t put so much emphasis on them if they didn''t see something truly great in them.


    "Hmph, those beneath me are nowhere near my level. They can only dream." One scoffed coldly.


    "And that is precisely why you are going to be the first to fall from grace," Theodore said as he pointed at the student. "That attitude is precisely what will cause your downfall. Here, hard work and humility are what will bring you to sess. Keep your eyes focused on the goal, nothing else."


    "..."


    "If you believe that your status outside this ind matter, you are far from right. The Middle Ind does not care about any other nation, n, or family. Here, everyone is equal and the only thing that puts one student above the other is their performance. The better you do individually and as a ss, the better your position be and the better results you will get."


    The professor''s voice didn''t falter at all the entire time he was saying that. He truly didn''t care who these people were and what they did outside this ind. The moment they stepped into that ce, all their achievements were put aside.


    "Just like what you might''ve witnessed in Divinity Online. Status isn''t important¡­ Power is. The more power you have, the better position you will find yourself in and the better position you get¡­ The greater your ambitions shall reach."


    "..." The student being addressed clenched his teeth and didn''t say a single word. He didn''t like what he heard, but something told him not to even think about retorting orshing out at the professor or he would regret it very quickly.


    "The second thing I wanted to mention is about tests. Although we are only starting lessons today, our system is different from what most of you are ustomed to. There will be several tests across your normal schedule in a random matter. These tests can either be for individuals against other individuals, for groups against other groups, or for sses against other sses."


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 143: Chapter 143- Curiosity

    ''Random tests? Oh no, that doesn''t sound good.'' Arthur gulped down a mouthful of saliva. This waspletely bad news to him. ''If it was something not rted to normal subjects, I might have a chance. But, I doubt that''s the only thing they will focus on. They will definitely test us in the normal subjects too.''


    Arthur was by no means a bad student, but he wasn''t good either. He used to get average or sometimes below average scores which was enough for him to move from one ss to the next. Considering how this ce looked, he doubted what they would be learning was simple math and science.


    ''Oh man, I''m definitely falling faster than anyone else. What should I do? Can I even find time to study?'' A million thoughts gued his mind with no apparent solution. He was truly lost.


    Looking up, he stared at I who looked very calm and collected as if this didn''t bother her. The others had varying degrees of reaction to the news but most of them looked unbothered too.


    ''They''re all exceptional individuals, no wonder this won''t bother them. Hell, they look very excited now. Perverts!'' Arthur rubbed his hair as he looked down. "Fuck me¡­"


    "Is that clear?" He asked.


    One student immediately lifted their hands.


    "Yes?"


    "What does it mean ''ss versus ss'' tests?"


    "It is as the name implies. You will be going through tests where two or more sses work together to win against other sses. This can be in normal subjects, DO subjects, and also practical training. We also have ns to involve Divinity Online in it. But, that is another topic for another day."


    ''Ok! Now that''s what I wanna hear! Tests inside the game?! Count me in! I will ace them all!'' Immediately, Arthur saw a glimpse of hope in his dark tunnel. If there was one thing he was confident about, it was his abilities in the game. That he was the best in the world in and nobody could question that, not even him.


    "Any more questions?"


    Seeing no one lifting their hand to ask questions, Theodore nodded his head and finally put his hands on the table.


    "If that''s the case, we shall begin then. If you all look down at your tables, there are small square slots in there. Put your blue link in there." He instructed them.


    Curiously everyone looked down at the table and as he said, craved into the ss table was a square slot that perfectly fit the Bluelink device. It had no real wires linked to it, at least no wires they could see.


    Arthur slowly pressed his device into the slot curiously. Almost immediately, the Bluelink turned on, shining with a beautiful blue light. Then, in a magical moment of technology, the entire ss table lit up with the same blue light.


    "Woah¡­"


    A momentter, a holographic rectangle window appeared floating above the table right in front of his eyes. It looked very simr to the holographic rectangle he saw in the game. The boy stared at it and then slowly tried to touch it, yet his hand moved through it as expected.


    "How¡­ Did they pull this off? I''m not even¡­" Arthur found himself speechless. He was truly captivated by this level of technological advancement Divinity Corp had achieved. This was truly nothing normal.


    Gasps of amazement echoed around the entire ssroom.


    "Holographic image¡­"


    "Is this what we''re using as our study device?"


    "Seems so¡­"


    "How is this even real? I can draw with my hands on the board."


    "Quiet," Theodore said, turning the entire ssroom silent again. "We shall begin our first lesson."


    As he said that, the nk holograph in front of them changed again, revealing the title of the first lesson.


    ''Interesting.''


    ***


    The first lesson they had was math and it was as one would expect, pretty normal. Theodore went through the normal curriculum with no real additions to it. Yet, the students still tried to focus as much as they could.


    They did not want toze around from the beginning. Perhaps it was their fear of what could happen in the next few days or perhaps it was simply their excitement and desire to do great, either way, everyone was taking the lesson seriously.


    The holographic images also proved to be very useful. Not only did they make seeing the information being presented right in front of them. The students also can write modify, and get more exnations about every single thing the professor talks about.


    Even Arthur was able to understand everything using these features and he was able to more or less keep up with the lesson. However, since this was barely the first lesson in math, he knew it wasn''t supposed to beplicated.


    ''Tsk, I have to somehow keep my scores above a certain level.''


    With that, two hours passed quickly and before anyone realized it, the first lesson was over. The professor gave them a 10-minute break before they started the second lesson. Then, they have an hour break for lunch before resuming the second half of the day.


    Theodore left the ssroom, letting the students finally move from their seats.


    "AAGH! Focusing for two hours straight is really hard after a long summer break." Arthur murmured with a groan as he stretched his limbs. Looking to the side, students had already surrounded I the moment the professor left the room.


    "How have you been, Miss I? We haven''t met in a long time."


    "Do you remember me, Miss I?"


    "Can I please shake your hand?"


    Such questions were thrown at her from all angles. But, I was able to stayposed as she tried to answer all the questions to the best of her ability. It was certainly overwhelming. But, I''s ability to keep things in order was astonishing.


    Arthur shook his head and walked out of the ssroom. Some other students also left to move around. The boy looked left and right before he got close to the giant windows.


    Peeking outside, he stood there, admiring the view silently. His eyes moved from the city to the huge forest surrounding it. Then, he remembered one of the rules he saw in the book.


    "I wonder what could be in that forest¡­ Hmm, maybe some wild animals. But¡­ It still makes me wonder." He muttered.


    Arthur''s curiosity was telling him that going there might be really worth it. But, the risk of doing that was simply too much for him.


    "Yeah, not this time, Arthur. You cannot go there." He shook his head with a smile.


    "Ehem!"


    At that moment, Arthur heard a loud cough right behind him. Snapping out of his thoughts, he looked over his shoulder, only to see three people. Two girls and one boy standing not that far away from him.


    The two girls stood around the tall boy and they all had the same smile on their faces.


    "Hello~" One of the girls waved at him with a soft tone.


    "..." Arthur squinted for a moment before he turned around. "Can I help you?"


    "Well, we have seen you earlier and we just wanted to get to know you. Right?"


    "Yes~"


    "Totally~"


    ''... What the hell are these dipshits saying?'' Arthur blinked.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 144: Chapter 144- Who Is He?!

    Arthur could see the weird smiles on their faces. He wasn''t a fool to really think that these three were somehow interested in him. He wasn''t the tallest nor the most good-looking person in that ssroom. If anything, he was a little below everyone else in those departments. Yet for some reason, these three were interested in him.


    ''Yeah, sure, I''m totally buying that nonsense.'' He thought to himself. ''They probably got curious because I said I''m friends with I.''


    Arthur had seen these three surround I with the others and so everything clicked together perfectly.


    ''Well, let''s see what they''re going to say.'' He thought to himself.


    "Sure, I''m Arthur. What are your names?"


    "Charlotte~"


    "Lucia~"


    "Ethan."


    They responded casually.


    "I see, well nice to meet you. Anything else?" He asked as he rested his back against the ss.


    "Well, we just want to be friends. We''re new here and there are so many new faces. What''s better than to get to know each other?" Ethan said as he tried to wrap his arms around Arthur''s neck. However, for some reason, he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine and he stopped immediately.


    ''Huh?'' He looked down with a dazed expression.


    "Friends, you say?"


    "Yes, friends. I see that you''re alone."


    "Wait, didn''t he say that he''s friends with Miss I?"


    "Oh right! You did say that, didn''t you?"


    ''Here we go.'' Arthur struggled to hold back hisughter after seeing their horrible acting. ''They couldn''t even hold the conversation for a few minutes before their true intentions surfaced. Are these really the best of the best here? Come on.''


    Arthur was a little disappointed in their surprisingly dumb trick. After all, seeing how they''re S-ss students, he expected far more intelligence and cunningness. But, that wasn''t the case with these people.


    "Yeah, I did say that," Arthur replied.


    "That''s really cool¡­ How did you meet her?"


    "Let''s see, hmm, if I recall correctly, I almost killed her friends and then I insulted her." Arthur thought for a moment before he replied. "Then we became good friends!" He eximed with a smile.


    "... What?"


    The three werepletely confused beyond words. They did not understand what Arthur was saying at all.


    "Don''t worry about it. It''s quiteplicated." Arthur tapped his shoulder before he added. "In any case, it was nice meeting you the three of you. Have a nice life and also, yeah, never talk to me again or you will regret it heavily~" Arthur waved at them before he walked inside the ssroom again.


    The trio stood there, bewildered and speechless. "This guy¡­"


    "Is he insane?"


    ***


    The second lesson began a whileter and it was also a normal subject: Physics. This was ironically one of Arthur''s favorite subjects even though it was a veryplicated one. He wasn''t particrly good at it, but he was fascinated with thews of the world and how they merge and mix so perfectly together to create magnificent things.


    So, another two hours passed like a breeze to him. He didn''t feel the time at all as he put his heart and soul into the lesson, trying to understand everything. He was sessful most of the time which made the lessons fruitful to him.


    Another thing Arthur noticed very clearly was that his intelligence had surprisingly increased. He had a suspicion at first when the first lesson rolled in but now he was certain of it¡­ His brain was working considerably better.


    He was able to absorb information faster and understandplex concepts with far more ease. He didn''t know if that meant he was smarter, but he was certainly mentally better than before.


    *RING*


    With that, the students heard the sound of the bell ringing and looked up.


    "That is the end of our second lesson. After the lunch break, we shall begin your very first DO lesson." Theodore said as he picked up his device and left again.


    When that happened, Arthur finally exhaled and looked at the surprising amount of notes he had taken throughout the lesson.


    ''Damn, I really outdone myself today. I can understand almost everything written here.'' He thought to himself as he closed the holographic image and picked up his device.


    As he was about to stand up, he heard gasps of surpriseing from the students around him. Arthur was confused for a second before he realized that someone was standing right in front of his table.


    "Let''s go," I said coldly as she stared at him.


    "... I''m after you," Arthur replied and stood up and left the ssroom with I, under the weird gazes of the students.


    "Those two¡­"


    "Yeah, she seems to really see him as a friend¡­"


    "To think she had found another person to add to her group!"


    "I wish I was in his ce! Goddamit!"


    "What does he even have that she is willing to befriend him?"


    "I don''t know what that guy is. I need to ask around."


    Their curiosity about Arthur''s identity started eating away at their minds and they couldn''t get rid of the idea at all. Theck of information they had about him made them almost frustrated, especially knowing he captured the attention of someone of I''s caliber.


    Something about him must''ve been truly special and they had to discover that sooner orter.


    Unbeknownst to them, there was simply no way for them to find anything about Arthur because he was simply another average person just a few weeks ago.


    ***


    "I! Arthur!"


    As the two walked through the hall, they found Emmy and Danny waiting. They had also just finished their morning lessons and were heading to the cafeteria.


    "How were your lessons, guys?" Arthur asked.


    "Not bad. Our teacher is actually one of those administration members."


    "Ours is the same. It''s Theodore actually." I replied.


    "Wait, really?! Oh my, that is really weird. I wonder if all the S-sses are the same case." Emmy rubbed her chin thoughtfully.


    "Most likely the case. Those administration members are no normal people. No wonder they were tasked with teaching us. They are almost robotic with how precise they are." Dannymented casually.


    ''Robots huh¡­ He isn''t wrong. That Theodore was moving as if he didn''t want to waste a single ounce of energy in anything useless. His words were also precise and wless.'' Arthur squinted his eyes. ''He actually made no mistake this entire morning.''


    Arthur didn''t know if that was pure coincidence or if there was something behind it, but it emphasized his curiosity about these mysterious people. They had the same veil that shrouded them just like The Founder. The only difference was The Founder sounded like a real human which in a sense was way more eerie.


    "Where is Herculia?" I asked while looking around her.


    "He said he had to check some stuff in his device and told us to go ahead first," Emmy said. "We should go. Haven''t eaten anything since earlier this morning. I''m starving."


    With that, the group left the highest floor and headed to apletely uncharted section of the institution¡­ The cafeteria.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 145: Chapter 145- Wild Entrance

    The map led them down the stairs to the main hall and then through another path that connected two different sections of the institution. The design of the ce used long tunnels to connect all the areas of the institution. They were built out of fortified ss and iron and then covered in tiles.


    The 180% view these tunnels presented was naturally amazing. They felt as if they were floating in the air above the ind rather than standing on the ground.


    At the end of the tunnel, the group found themselves inside arge ce, stretching at least several hundred meters in all directions.


    Countless tables were set across the entire area of the ce. On the other side, a long buffet was set spanning the circumference of the entire room.


    "So this is the cafeteria¡­ Looks pretty over the top. In theme with everything else." Arthurmented.


    Many students had already arrived before them and filled the entire ce. The delicious smell of food instantly hit Arthur''s nose and he felt his stomach cry.


    ''This smell¡­'' He licked his lips. Looking over his shoulders, he could see that they had the same reactions as he did.


    "Ehem, I don''t know about you. But, I''m going." Arthur said as he quickly stormed away.


    "Hey, wait!" Emmy eximed as she rushed after him.


    "... Those two¡­" Danny sighed while facepalming. "At least wait till everyone is here."


    "I''m also hungry," Imented in aically cold tone. "I think I''m going to follow them."


    "..." Danny stared up at her. "O-Of course. By all means, go ahead."


    ''I have never seen her like this¡­ It''s¡­ adorable!'' Danny bit his lip in frustration. He didn''t even realize that his cheeks were a little more red than usual.


    "Ehem! What am I even thinking about?" Shaking his head, Danny moved after the group. However, in his peripheral vision, he suddenly noticed something that made him haltpletely.


    The other three moved toward the buffet, picked up their tes, and started getting their food. There were endless types of vegetables, meats, sauces, dressings, and desserts. There were dishes from every single ce in the world cooked to perfection. The smell was simply heavenly.


    Arthur took a moment to admire the food before he started scooping portions of everything he found inviting. His te quickly filled up to the brim with food.


    "Damn it, I will take another te after this one."


    Meanwhile, Emmy and I watched him with astonished looks on their faces.


    ''How is he eating all of that¡­? Does his stomach have no end?''


    With that, Arthur finally carried his te to one of the free tables before he sat down. There were plenty of free areas that it was almost impossible to fill this entire ce with the number of students present in the academy.


    ''I and Emmy will take some time to choose their own food. I should probably wait for them.'' Arthur thought to himself as he put the spoon down to wait.


    *nk*


    However, the spoon slipped from his hand and fell to the ground. "Hm¡­" Arthur slowly bent down and picked up the spoon. Upon rising up, Arthur was about to put it down again when he heard a noiseing from an awfully close distance from him.


    "These chicken tenders are quite good. Perfectly cooked and the batter is vorful."


    ''What?!''


    His eyes widened as he looked to the side only to realize that someone had sat down next to him.


    ''When did he¡­?'' Arthur didn''t know how to react at all. A split second ago, there was no one sitting next to him, and then out of nowhere, someone appeared there. What made it even more shocking for Arthur was that he didn''t feel the boy''s presence at all. He simply wasn''t there and then was there.


    "You should try the chicken tenders, I rmend them." The boy said as he bit into the piece of meat and stared at Arthur, giving him a full look at his face.


    The boy was strikingly handsome, with reddish hair and blue eyes. He had a very decent build and a calm aura around him. However, that aura gave Arthur the chills. He didn''t even need to think about it¡­ This wasn''t someone he wanted to be around.


    "I already have chicken tenders on my te," Arthur replied coldly.


    "Oh my, is that so? Well, it seems we have a simr taste."


    "... Who are you?"


    "Ah, you know, just another student trying to make it in this academy. First days are always tough, aren''t they?"


    "..."


    ''Why is he having a conversation with me? Fuck, he''s giving me the creeps.'' Arthur mused as he grabbed his spoon.


    Then, Arthur heard another voice. But, this time, he had felt the two people approaching them beforehand. Looking up, he noticed that I and Emmy had stopped midway and stared directly at the boy sitting next to him.


    "What are you doing here?" I asked coldly as she red daggers at the boy.


    Seeing the deep frown on I''s face, Arthur was taken aback. ''Huh? She knows him?''


    The boy stopped eating and looked back at I. "I found an empty seat and simply sat down." Then, he resumed eating as if nothing happened.


    "Leave." Putting her te on the table, I ordered him coldly. Her aura was as threatening as ever.


    ''I have never seen her this angry. Who is this guy?'' Arthur kept staring back and forth between I and this anonymous person. Calling the situation tense was an understatement. Something told him that given a better ce, a fight would''ve broken out.


    "..." The boy stopped eating again and sighed. "Again? What have I done? I''m simply eating."


    "There are other empty ces." She replied.


    "But why not this one?"


    "Since when did you enjoy sitting next to strangers?"


    "I''m trying to be social. Knowing how you see me, I''m going on a journey to better myself." The boy shrugged. "So I can be better."


    "..." I stared at him silently.


    "I wonder when you will stop being this angry, I. It ruins your pretty face." The boy said as he picked up his te and turned to look at Arthur. "It was nice having a chat with you. Let''s have a cup of coffee together in the future."


    After saying that, the boy walked away casually, leaving Arthur a little stunned. He didn''t even understand how that guy had that muchposure even though he was in the most tense situation possible.


    "So that guy is here¡­" Emmy muttered under her breath with a frown. "I was surprised I didn''t see him this entire time¡­"


    "... Sigh¡­" I simply sighed and sat down.


    "Mm, guys? Who was that dude?" Arthur asked.


    "..." Emmy gave Arthur a meaningful nce as if she was telling him not to ask.


    "It is nothing. Whatever happens, don''t associate yourself with him, Arthur. He is not a good person." I replied as she started eating.


    "... Yeah, he gave me the creeps. I don''t intend to talk to him ever again."


    ''However, that doesn''t mean I''m not going to investigate this bastard. I don''t like how he did that ''I can appear out of nowhere and avoid your senses'' type of entrance into my life. Tsk!''


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 146: Chapter 146- Griefing Name

    The atmosphere around the table remained tense and awkward for a minute or so. Nobody seemed to want to talk as they ate their food silently. Then, one person approached the table.


    Danny looked quite disturbed as he sat down and looked at I. He had a very deep frown on his face.


    "I¡­ I saw that¡­"


    "I saw him too," I replied as she took another spoonful of food and put it in her mouth.


    "..." Danny blinked in shock. "What happened?"


    "He sat down next to me and tried to strike a conversation for some reason." Arthur shrugged. "But, I didn''t entertain him. He was too annoying."


    "... Did you say anything to him?" Danny asked in a hurry.


    "No, I didn''t say anything. But, the fact that he knows me is quite weird."


    "Now that I think about it. How did he know that you''re with us?" Emmy rubbed her chin with a thoughtful expression. "He isn''t someone that randomly tries to strike conversations with others. So, the fact that he tried to approach means that he knows something."


    "What could he even know?" Arthur asked.


    ''I have been anonymous this entire time. I barely even interacted with I and the others. Besides, what is he going to win from trying to approach me? If his target is I, then I''m the most useless person he might target. I barely know anything about her.''


    Arthur was a little disturbed by his first interaction with this boy but he wasn''t too worried about him. Arthur wasn''t a pushover either and he will only be less and less of a pushover with time.


    "..." That entire time, I herself waspletely silent as if the matter wasn''t rted to her. However, everyone can see that she wasn''t in a good mood.


    "Stay away from him as far as possible. Don''t talk to him or he will flip you on your head and make you spill everything you know without realizing it."


    "I''m not that stupid, ok? I know how to not spill stuff out."


    "No, you do not seem to understand. That person isn''t someone you can deal with. Now that he has his eyes on you, you better not talk to him even if he tries to talk to you." Danny facepalmed. "Even I wouldn''t dare to try and face him."


    "Again, who is he? I want to know."


    "His name is Lamenter Ferrin." I finally opened her mouth and spoke.


    "Lamenter? That''s his name?" Arthur frowned weirdly. "What kind of stupid name is that?"


    Never in his life did Arthur hear such a name for a person. ''Did his parents feel a lot of grief when he was born so they named him Lamenter? I feel bad for him.''


    "His name isn''t the problem. It''s his identity. When ites to influence, he is second to only I. His family, the Ferrin family owns 60% of allputer chip manufacturers in the world. They can easily topple down entire countries if they wished to." Danny replied.


    "What?! That much?!" Arthur blurted out.


    ''I never heard that name before. But, the fact that they have such a monopoly on theputer chip market¡­ That is¡­'' Arthur''s view of Lamenter instantly changed when he heard that piece of information. It wasn''t an understatement to say that Lamenter was as influential or slightly less influential than I.


    "He''s also¡­" Then, Emmy tried to speak, only to hear a spoon drop to the table.


    Everyone looked at I with a confused expression. The only one who understood the hint was Emmy.


    "Ehem, anyway¡­ As we said, stay away from him and tell us whenever he tries to approach you in the future. He isn''t someone that gives up easily¡­ He never gives up easily." Emmy muttered with a mysterious tone.


    "..."


    A gloomy, almost depressing atmosphere loomed over the entire table. The entire lunch waspletely ruined in a few seconds by that boy. The solemn silence was the only thing left there.


    "Hey, guys!!"


    At that moment, Herculia appeared near the table with a wide smile on his face. "Sorry! That took longer than I expected. Huh? Why does everyone look gloomy?"


    "..."


    "..."


    The group stared at Herculia weirdly, not knowing what to say.


    "You''rete¡­"


    ***


    With that, an hour swiftly passed and the lunch time was done so the group headed back to their sses for the second half of the day.


    The schedule told them that the first lesson was ''Divinity Online'' history. That was perhaps the thing Arthur was looking forward to the most. After all, he waspletely fascinated by DO''s history and lore, especially after seeing bits and pieces of it across his journey through memory gates and the bits and pieces of storytelling riddling every encounter he had.


    ''I''m sure I will get a lot of useful information that could help me in the future. There is too much I don''t know and too much I want to know. I usually wouldn''t want spoilers like this, but this world is simply too big to discover everything alone. It is simply impossible.''


    Learning history through school was the best tool if Arthur didn''t want to waste time traveling everywhere just to piece things together.


    He sat down and the professor walked back into the ssroom carrying his device.


    "Wee back." He said as he put the device down. "This lesson we are going to begin our deep study of the world of Divinity Online. I know most of you are very much new to such a thing. But, to rify, the Divine Realm is an extremely rich world filled with tales of the past, the present, and even the future. There are things that you might be able to discover on your own, but there are also things you could never see unless you study every single aspect of it. And that''s where this particr subjectes in." He said as he tapped the table gently.


    "We are going to take particr parts of the history of the divine realm that do not coincide with what you shall see across your journey. However, even these side stories of sorts are going to benefit you in understanding the world, how it works, and how the different races that live in it behave and act."


    "Mm, question." A student lifted her hand nervously.


    "Yes?"


    "Are we going to learn about how the Gods died?"


    "No. As I said, we aren''t going to learn about the main events and more about the culmination of events surrounding the main things to give you an idea of how the world was during certain periods of time in the Divine Realm. In fact, our first lesson today is going to be the perfect example to exin that."


    As he said those words, the title of the lesson appeared right in front of everyone''s eyes and it was a few words. ''Arcania''s Desert.'' written in a sandy color.


    "Arcania''s Desert?" Arthur raised an eyebrow. ''Wait, that name is familiar isn''t that where¡­ Yes! That''s where I fought that Ethereal creature a while ago!''


    Arthur didn''t forget that brutal battle with the monster in that memory gate and the ce where it happened. Arcania''s Desert was a name embedded into his memory and now¡­ He was about to learn more about that ce.


    ''Wait, this is actually pretty good. I am curious about that ce.''


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 147: Chapter 147- Arcania’s Desert

    "Does anyone know of that ce? Did youe across it by any chance?" Theodore asked as he rested his arms on his ss table.


    "..."


    For a few seconds, nobody spoke as they stared at one another. The only one who remained motionless was Arthur. He was contemting whether he should reveal that he knew the name or remain silent instead.


    ''No, I shouldn''t do anything stupid. I will just keep it a secret to myself.'' Arthur thought to himself as he looked up. Immediately, he noticed I''s eyes on him. The girl had a contemtive look but he could see that she was reading him with ease.


    ''I know, I know, I won''t say anything.'' He shook him faintly, which made I finally turn around. ''Am I that easy to read? She didn''t even need a second to know.''


    "It seems no one knows what Arcania Desert is. Well, in that case, we shall start from the very beginning." He said as he tapped the holographic image in front of him. Immediately, the title shifted to an image of arge map on the screen.


    The map showed what seemed to be a giant desert, stretching far and wide. Its color was dark greyish like the color of ashes rather than sand.


    "Arcania Desert or the ''Desert Of Ashes'' as many call it is a region in the northwest of the Divine Realm. It spans 5 million kilometers. The Arcania desert was apletely empty, savage ce filled with monsters. The temperature there is extremely high during the day and below zero during the night. As you can see, it isn''t a good environment for a poption of people to live and thrive in and that remained the case for thousands of years. Until¡­"


    Saying that, the map on their screen suddenly updated and a big red dot appeared in the center of the map.


    "When the Gods died and the shards spread across the divine realm. One of the shards ended up in the heart of the Arcania Desert. That led different races to quickly try and travel there to acquire the shard before their enemies. This naturally split the desert into several regions, each controlled by a different race. The conflict this led to was so brutal that this desert which was an empty stretch of golden sand turned into a burnt world with nothing but the corpses of the warriors that died there. It is said that the number of casualties was so high that the entire desert was covered in the ashes of the dead and turned into this grey color you see."


    "..."


    Gasps of shock echoed across the entire room as the students looked at the map again. Thosest words truly gave them a p in the face.


    ''The ashes of the dead turned the entire desert grey?... How many died?'' They asked themselves. With how big this region was, the fact that it changed color from such an event told them that a horrific number of beings died in these wars.''


    Meanwhile, Arthur waspletely lost in his own thoughts, remembering the events he went through in the Battle Of The Ethereals.


    ''If I remember correctly, the desert was still yellow when I was sent there. It was covered in a lot of blood, but no ashes.'' He rubbed his chin. ''Those corpses must''ve turned into ashes in the future. I can definitely see that¡­ There were simply an iprehensible number of dead bodies there.''


    The scene of the battlefield was something that was etched into Arthur''s memory forever. That was his very first look at what the shard wars truly leave behind. An imaginable amount of blood and pain all for the greed of those above.


    ''Greed truly does wonders in causing chaos.'' Heughed inwardly.


    "However, our matter isn''t with those wars but with what happened to the desert itself."


    As he said those words, the map zoomed in. "Precisely, in this ce." And a new red spot appeared on the map.


    "After the end of the war, the desert remained under the upation of several different nations. However, the biggest chunk of it was under human territory for a long time¡­"


    ***


    Theodore then dived deeper into the human territory of the Arcania Desert. From the conditions people who lived there had to adapt to, to the effects of this desert on them and everything in between. They learned about the economic state of that ce, and the various riches found under the dunes of sand which benefitted the Empire very much.


    Slowly, he built up a perfect image of that region in the students'' heads. With his precise words, they could easily imagine that ce, how it was a long time ago, and what made it such an interesting ce.


    However, by far, the most intriguing detail was the weird phenomenon that kept happening in that desert. Aside from the harsh environment, the humans suffered from weird urrences like sudden disappearances, instances where people drowned in the sand itself, and weird creatures that attacked the areas under human control at night and disappeared quickly.


    Those events were not only unexinable, but even Theodore didn''t seem to know the cause of such things. The only two who instantly got an idea were Arthur and I.


    After all, they themselves had experienced something simr in the misty forest. The cause of all of that was the broken divine shard they found in the heart of the forest. But, that still didn''t exin to them why these shards have such an effect on their environment.


    ''Their powers could certainly be the cause. But¡­ Why would the shard want to kill whatever is around it? It tried to kill me using memories and illusions in that forest¡­ Is it simply to keep itself from being captured?'' Arthur thought to himself. ''Could be¡­ But, I don''t know why it feels like that''s not the full truth. Something is amiss.''


    Arthur was certain these shards carried far more mystery than what he knew.


    ''I have a broken part of one of the shards in my hand, I need to learn more about it. It will definitely be useful for me in the future.'' He nodded.


    With that, the lesson eventually came to an end. When the bell rang, they all snapped out of the imaginary world they created in their heads and some even sighed because they enjoyed the lesson a lot. The Divine Realm was truly a world of wonders and mystery.


    But, when they remembered what they were about to do next, everyone immediately rejoiced. After all, the next lesson wasn''t merely theoretical but instead practical.


    After all, the next lesson was ''Weapon Practice.''


    This particr lesson had been in Arthur''s mind ever since he received his Bluelink. After all, this was one of the few things he wascking. Even till this point, Arthur was not good at using his sword and that truly affected his power. Just swinging the sword made his extremely high stats a little less impressive.


    What hecked in technique, hepensated for in raw power. But, he knew that when he acquired technique too¡­ He will be a different beast.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 148: Chapter 148- Training Realm

    Leaving the ssroom, Arthur, I, and the rest of the ss headed toward the ce where their first practical lesson was going to happen.


    From the main building, they headed down to a lower area built right next to it right above one of the mountain''s smaller peaks. This building was considerably smaller but as eye-pleasing as every other area of the institution. However, the main difference between the two areas was the design.


    The entire building was simply separated into several floors, each floor filled with ssrooms.


    ''Wait, ssrooms?'' Arthur frowned while looking around him. ''This ce lookspletely different yet at the same time¡­ Looks the same?'' He thought to himself. ''But¡­ Why are we here? Aren''t we going to practice weapons?''


    The students around him had the same confused looks. But, they still walked through the ce, heading to the highest floor where their ss was. There, upon opening the door, they were met with a surprising sight.


    The ssroom, while having the same design, did not have seats or tables. Instead, there were rows and rows of FICs lined up perfectly.


    "FICs? Wait¡­" Arthur frowned.


    "It seems we are not going to practice in the real world." I finished his sentence, confirming his suspicion.


    "Practicing inside the game¡­ Actually, that makes a lot of sense." Arthur nodded. ''Training with weapons in the real world is very dangerous and could cause more harm than good. In the virtual world, there was no worry about being harmed or injured. But¡­ These don''t look like the FICs we have.''


    The first thing he noticed about these capsules was that they had no actual shy colors or designs like normal FICs. Instead, they were grey and identical to one another as if they were mass manufactured together.


    "Wait, aren''t we going to use our FICs?"


    "They''re giving us new ones."


    "But, I won''t use mine? My character is super strong!"


    The other students shared Arthur''s sentiment in that regard. They didn''t want to use other FICs.


    "Please, take your spots."


    At that moment, the professor walked into the ssroom with the usual look on his face. Everyone stared at him immediately.


    "Professor, can you exin what is happening?"


    "First, each one take your spot, I will exin once we''re inside the capsules." He said as he opened his capsule and sat inside. The students were confused but nobody dared to question him as they walked to their spots and opened their capsules.


    ''Who thought I would ever get into one FIC? Now I got into two. Truly fate can be unexpected.'' Arthur thought to himself as he sat inside and activated the capsule. He was d that the system was basically the same as his FIC so he didn''t have to search for the way to activate it.


    The ss door slowly closed and his eyes closed along with it. A few secondster, the darkness in his mind lit up and he found himself inside apletely different world. Looking around him curiously, Arthur was quite taken aback by what he saw.


    The ce could only be described as a massive, square chamber, at least several hundred meters in length and width. Its walls werepletely white yet also divided into squares with blue lines like a chessboard. There were no real defining features of this ce. Apletely nk and empty area.


    "What is this ce?" He muttered. ''It does look like some kind of sandbox area. Hm, actually, that does exin what this is.''


    Sandbox areas were amon thing in games. A ce where the yer has full control and can do whatever they want with no limits that the usual game puts on them. In other words, it was the perfect ce to experiment, practice, and learn without worrying about threats or consequences of failure.


    Slowly, his eyes shifted to his body. He was d that he had the same body as the real world after the changes. But, he did not see his usual items. Instead, he was wearing a white shirt, brown pants, and brown boots, simr to the attire he had uponnding in the Divine Realm.


    "Wow, to the beginning we go back again." He muttered as he moved his hands a little to get ustomed to the ce. Slowly, students started appearing all around him.


    "Woah!"


    "What the hell?!"


    "Where are we?"


    Confused voices echoed across the entire chamber as the students looked around. Then, right in front of them, Theodore appeared, d in simr clothes that didn''t seem to diminish his aura at all.


    "Wee to the ''Training Realm''. This is a special ce designed by Divinity Corp for students to practice their skills and abilities. This shall be the ce where everyone will practice their technique."


    "What about our characters? Aren''t we going to use them?"


    "There is no need for them. You''re simply to train. So, you are given basic items and basic stats so that you canpletely focus on technique and smaller details. DO is a game that requires the yer to execute countless micro-actions sessively rather than one single action to emerge victorious. In the Divine Realm, you wille across endless types of monsters and many of them are going to be the exact counter to your abilities. What would you do in such a situation?" He asked as he looked at every single student there.


    Many of them immediately had a difficult expression as they realized the w in their logic. It was indeed true that the enemies in this world are endless and their abilities are endless. Coming across a monster that counters you is way more probable than one would expect.


    That is when techniquees into y. Having a perfect technique could turn the battle into a battle of wits rather than pure power, something that gives the yer a much higher chance of winning in an otherwise lost battle.


    "I see that you understand what I''m saying. Good. Now, if you try to open the menu, you will be able to see that you have more options than usual." He said.


    Instinctively, the students opened the menu. There, they found the usual options they knew and two new ones they had never seen before.


    [Basic Weapons]


    [Basic Armor]


    Tapping on one of them, Arthur found himself looking at a very long menu of weapons, from swords to hammers to cleavers and even more niche weapons like pickaxes. They came in all kinds of shapes and types, fitting basically every single battle style there is.


    "Wow¡­There are even shovels." Arthur muttered as he skimmed through it. Then, he closed that option and opened the other one.


    There, he found light armor, heavy armor, medium armor, helmets, boots, chesttes, and even knee guards.


    "There you will find every single weapon and armor you might think of. They are all basic level 1s weapons to make sure nothing can affect the assessment of the student''s abilities. Now, please find the weapon you are mostfortable with. You have a few minutes to choose freely."


    A//N: Sorry, it took me way more than 2 days to upload all 10 chapters. Have been really busy. In any case, the updates will continue normally. Have a nice day.

 Chapter 149: Chapter 149- Sword Slash (Part 1)

    Immediately, all the students started excitedly looking through the menu for their favorite weapon. Each one was ustomed to something different. Some went with the typical long swords, some wanted speed so light swords were their choice, and others wanted heavy-hitting weapons like hammers and greatswords.


    Since everyone there was more or less the best of the best when ites to Divinity Online, they didn''t take long to find what they were looking for. Upon clicking on the option, the weapon would manifest in their hands.


    Arthur chose the type of sword he used which was the normal sword. Although his sanguine de was a little different from normal long swords, this was the closest thing he could imagine to what he was using.


    ''Hmm, this is almost exactly what I''m ustomed to. Maybe a little light for my liking but it should do the job.'' Moving his arm around for a moment, he finally looked up. I had picked up a weapon close to hers.


    ''I is already really good at using swords. I don''t think this lesson is going to benefit her much.'' Arthur thought to himself. ''I''ve seen her fight and I''m almost sure she had received professional training and not for a short period of time either.''


    I''s fighting style was arguably far more dangerous than her raw power. Her sword technique and her ability to overpower the enemy through sheer skill made her a horrifying enemy. Arthur, on the other hand, used his stats to crush his enemies without having any real technique with the sword.


    Seeing I''s amazing abilities made him even more eager to actually learn and be like her.


    "It seems everyone has chosen their weapons. Now, please, spread across the entire ce. Each one of you should leave a minimum of 20 meters between one another. The ones who use ranged weapons like bows should be at the first row while those who use closebat weapons stand behind them." Theodore ordered them.


    Without much questioning, the students quickly did what he asked. Standing in wide rows, they held into their weapons and waited for the professor.


    "Good." Saying that, Theodore opened his menu and tapped on several things before suddenly, things started appearing in front of every single student.


    The object was a wooden figure that looked like a training dummy except the wood looked far more sturdy than normal wood.


    Arthur curiously approached the one in front of him and touched it. ''What kind of wood even is this? It almost feels like I''m touching iron not wood. It must be indestructible considering it''s inside a sandbox realm.'' He thought to himself.


    Then, his eyes shifted up, the students carrying bows didn''t get a training dummy and instead, they were given circr targets that were floating mid-air a good distance away from them.


    "Now, as you can see, we are going to start with very simple things. For those with swords of any type, we are going to begin with simple horizontal shes¡­"


    Then, Theodore proceeded to give instructions to every single student there. They were ordered to start with the basic movements of each weapon.


    Everyone understood that basics were the very first step when it came to sword training. However, some of them were naturally displeased since most of them had already received training beforehand when the game was announced and they knew how to do the basics well.


    That was why Theodore continued. "I shall be watching every single one of you and what you''re capable of. Then, based on your level, we shall move to moreplicated techniques." He said.


    "Great! I was worried I might waste time just swinging the sword like a rookie."


    "I''m good at archery so I''m not going to just learn how to handle a bow."


    ''I''m so screwed. I have no basics at all.'' Arthur facepalmed. ''Everyone here seems to have some level of knowledge unlike me.''


    Arthur wasn''t ashamed of hisck of knowledge, but he was certainly not a fan of being the only clueless person there. After all, everyone there was the best of the best.


    Unbeknownst to him, I was seeing the change in his expression and she squinted her eyes. She understood what was going through his head.


    "Don''t even think about it." She said calmly.


    "Huh?"


    "You''re already above everyone here. Focus on learning and nobody will shame you¡­ I will make sure they don''t."


    "... Thank you." Arthur waspletely stunned as he stared at his friend. Seeing theposed look on her face and her unwavering voice, he could only think of one thing.


    ''So cool!'' He mused. ''She''s right¡­ I shouldn''t be focused on my shorings. I just need to work hard and do my best to get better. I don''t need to feel like I''m inferior¡­ Well, notpletely at least.''


    With that, the students took their positions and waited for Theodore to give them the signal to begin.


    "Begin."


    The training began.


    ***


    ''A sword swing¡­ How hard could that be? I just need to swing the sword and hit the target.'' Arthur thought to himself as he grabbed the weapon with two hands and then focused on his target. Without realizing it, he entered a state of deep focus almost instantly. All the world around him and the noise the other students were making vanished, leaving only him and the target.


    Taking a deep breath, he exhaled. His brain imagined the wooden dummy to be a real monster that he was fighting. That surprisingly helped him get into the usual fighting state that he was ustomed to.


    Then, out of nowhere, he swung the sword horizontally, shing down toward the dummy. His speed was way less than usual and so was his power. All the stats he had in his normal character were not present there. But, Arthur still felt it¡­


    *BANG*


    The sword hit the dummy''s head, making a loud ringing sound. But, Arthur didn''t stop there and retracted his weapon to start again. He swung the sword with all his power. He used every piece of knowledge and experience he garnered into his swings.


    He didn''t know if he was doing things right, but he didn''t care. His mind focused on the rhythmic swings. One after the other, he hit the dummy in the head, shoulders, and neck.


    ''I haven''t actually trained on using the sword before¡­ This is actually pretty fun.'' Arthur thought to himself. Before, he had the idea that simply practicing the same thing again and again and again was insanely boring. After all, what merit would one gain from repeating the same action countless times?


    But, now, standing in front of this dummy, he found himselfpletely focused on this simple task he was given. A simple task that proved to be way harder than he expected.


    ''Maybe if I do it a thousand times, I will get better. I need to just swing.''


    *BANG*


    ''Swing.''


    *BANG*


    ''Swing!''


    *BANG*


    Each time he moved his arms, he heard the sound of the hit through his ears and through his bones as the impact reverberated across his entire body. Arthur felt like he was truly learning with each swing.


    ''I might be getting good at this actually. This might not be too ba-''


    At that very moment, he suddenly felt a tap on his shoulder thatpletely broke the world he created around himself. Looking up, he blinked as he realized that someone had just approached him. That person was Theodore.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 150: Chapter 150- Sword Slash (Part 2)

    The man stared at Arthur silently without uttering a word for a few seconds. His cold expression hid his thoughts and made Arthur a little confused.


    "Mm, am I doing something wrong?" He asked hesitantly. Arthur was so engrossed in his training that hepletely forgot about everyone around him, including Theodore. But, that simple touch snapped him back to reality.


    "What are you doing?" Theodore opened his mouth and responded with a question of his own.


    "... Huh?"


    Theodore stared him up and down before he replied. "Your form ispletely off." He said. That made the boy look down at himself. He inspected the way he was standing but couldn''t really see what the teacher meant.


    ''Off? Isn''t this the stance I should be taking when fighting?'' He asked himself. This was the way Arthur fought the entire time and it proved to be good enough. He knew it wasn''t optimal, but to say that it waspletely off¡­ It was rming, to say the least.


    "Your center of bnce ispletely off. You''re using your feet alone to carry momentum when it should be your entire body. You aren''t using your energy optimally to deliver a decisive strike."


    Slowly, Theodore started listing all the wrong things Arthur was doing. The boy listened quietly as he stared at every single part Theodore pointed at. His head almost started spanning from the sheer number of mistakes.


    ''Goddamn, I did all of that wrong?! I might as well not even use a sword then!'' He thought to himself.


    "Uh¡­ I wasn''t aware of that. I never learned how to use a sword." Arthur replied awkwardly.


    "I can see that."


    ''Screw you, old man! I don''t need to get roasted alive!'' Arthur sucked in a small breath to keep his calm.


    "Look here," Theodore said as he put his hand on his shoulder. "You don''t seem to realize the meaning behind what I''m saying. A sword sh, while sounding inherently very simple, is still by far the hardest thing to master when ites to swordsmanship."


    "The hardest? How?" Arthur raised an eyebrow.


    "Because it is the very foundation of every single thing you might learn as a swordsman. No matter what techniques you learn,plex or simple, the sword sh is at the heart of all of them. So, to be able to learn all of that, you must have a perfect foundation you can build on." He said.


    "What am I supposed to do?"


    "The very first step is to know how to stand first," Theodore said as he stood next to Arthur and then slowly took a fighting stance far more different than Arthur''s. "Try to stand like this."


    Arthur stared at the man for a second before he nodded and tried to replicate what he was seeing.


    "No, push your leg more forward. Your torso should be upright and your arms should be at chest level." The professor quickly started adjusting Arthur''s position. Moving him small inches forward and backward.


    "Your biggest problem is the momentum. Your attack loses a lot of its strength before it hits the target due to these ws."


    ''What is even happening? Is this really the optimal position?'' Arthur didn''t resist and did everything the professor told him to do. He wasn''t arrogant enough to oppose him. But, he couldn''t deny that he wasn''t really feeling any difference than before.


    In fact, the position he was getting put into felt like it was making him way weaker and less effective. Arthur couldn''t feel like he could truly put all his strength into moving the sword as he wished.


    A minute or soter, Theodore stopped speaking and took a look at Arthur.


    "Good. Keep that exact stance." He said.


    "Mm, are you sure this is how it should be?" Arthur asked confusedly.


    "You will understand in a moment. Now, I want you to take one single step forward and swing the sword down while keeping your torso upright. Try to use your legs to create more momentum but use the muscles in your body to actually deliver the hit. Not just your arms and legs, but the entire body." He exined.


    "... Ok¡­ I will try." Arthur nodded and focused on the dummy in front of him. Quickly, his entire aura changedpletely as he instantly got into battle mode.


    "Hm." Theodore noticed that. ''Interesting.'' He thought to himself.


    A few secondster, Arthur took a deep breath before he stepped forward and shed down with all his power. He tried to follow every single instruction he was given. What happened nextpletely shattered his expectations.


    *BANNNNG*


    The sword hit the target''s head with immense power. The noise it created echoed across the entire ce, making the students look up curiously. The sound drowned everything else in an instant.


    "..." Arthur blinked as he stared at the sword in silence. He waspletely speechless.


    ''What?... That was¡­ Way stronger than any attack I have done so far¡­'' He thought to himself. It wasn''t merely the noise, Arthur''s entire body felt that hit. It felt like his arms had just gained a strength booster out of nowhere.


    "Did you notice the difference?" Theodore asked.


    "... Yes."


    "That is what good technique can do. It doesn''t require you to be stronger. You simply have to use the cards you have in the right way and the results will be something you could never expect. But¡­ This is still not your full potential. You didn''t do everything I asked perfectly." Theodore said. "Take the same stance and start again."


    ''So that''s what he meant. I don''t know how this is far better. But, I''m feeling! Goddamit! If I can perform such an attack with my normal character¡­ The result will be ridiculous.'' Arthur thought to himself.


    "Understood!"


    With that, the boy quickly shook those thoughts away and focused on the exercise again. ''I''m definitely going to master this!''


    ***


    For the next two hours, the ss trained intensely on the basics. Nobody was given anyplex techniques to practice as Theodore kept finding ws with every single student and made them repeat the training again and again and again without any sign of stopping.


    Many felt frustrated as the professor kept stopping them and adjusting many things. But nobody spoke out about their frustration with each small change; they felt the improvement very clearly. Theodore was making them better slowly.


    The one who benefited the most from that was by far Arthur. During those two hours, Arthur underwent a change that rivals the change he went through in DO. His sword technique, while still verycking, had taken a huge leap forward.


    The way he used the sword and the way he shed became way faster, stronger, more lethal, and less taxing on his body. Before, swinging the sword around wildly would use a lot of stamina and make his longevity in battles way worse than it could''ve been. Now, even with a way weaker body, he was able to easily train for two hours with no problems at all.


    His sword sh had evolved.


    *BANG*


    Hitting the dummy with his sword, Arthur stopped for a moment as he heaved up and down audibly.


    ''My technique has improved a lot. But, it seems I''m still nowhere near mastering the sword sh. Theodore doesn''t seem to be satisfied yet either.'' He thought to himself as he looked at the professor.


    The man had roamed the entire ce for two hours straight, helping every student in their task. He didn''t spare a moment to rest or watch. His ability to know the mistake instantly and fix it was horrifying. He almost behaved like a machine.


    When the ss came to an end, he finally made everyone stop.


    "Good work today. You have worked very hard. But, there is still a lot to do. Most of youck a lot and need to work harder. Try to practice inside the game on your own time too and improve what I told you to improve. You''re excused."


    Hearing that, the students felt a relief wash over them. Everyone was exhausted after training arduously for two hours straight. With their basic characters, the stamina was a problem again unlike with their high level characters.


    "We can finally leave¡­"


    "Ah, I''m beat, man."


    "Just let me out of here."


    Quickly, students started logging out of the Training Realm one after the other. This was the end of the first day so they were eager to go home, take a shower and rest. However, as Arthur was about to leave too, he was suddenly approached by Theodore.


    "Mister Arthur, can you stay for a moment? I have something to talk about with you." He said.


    "Uh¡­ Sure." Arthur frowned as he nced at I for a moment. ''He has something to talk about with me? What is it?''


    I noticed that and waited for a moment. But, Arthur signaled for her to leave first. She stared at Theodore for a moment before she nodded and logged out herself. She knew it was pointless to wait there when something was happening.


    ''Arthur will take care of it.''


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 151: Chapter 151- Threat

    Leaving her FIC, I looked around her silently. Everyone seemed rather exhausted after a long day of school. The very first day had indeede to an end and its effects were certainly clear on the students.


    "Ugh, I just want to go to sleep."


    "Me too¡­ I''m hungry¡­"


    "Do you want to go eat out?"


    "No. I''m going home."


    Even I herself was feeling a little tired after an entire day. But, she wasn''t as affected as everyone else. She was ustomed to intense work rate and constant stress physical and mental. So, as much as she wanted to go home, she wasn''t as eager as everyone else.


    ''I wonder what he wants with Arthur.'' She looked at the only unopened FIC in the ss with a calm expression. She was very curious as to what Theodore wanted to talk about but she knew he would not let her listen to them.


    ''I will ask him when hees out.'' Resting her back against the FIC, she closed her eyes as she waited patiently. At that moment, a few students approached I slowly.


    "Mmm, excuse us¡­ Miss I."


    "What?" I opened her eyes and looked up at the group. They immediately flinched when they made eye contact with her. "Can I help you?"


    "Well¡­ Ehem, we are going to celebrate our first day in the academy and we thought umm¡­ Do you want to go with us?"


    "Go with you?"


    "..." I eyed everyone there for a moment, giving them an awfully awkward few seconds of silence. She could see some hope and excitement in their eyes, wishing for her to ept their offer.


    If they could get her to join them in their celebration, they would be able to create some kind of connection with her that they could use for their own benefit. However, it didn''t take long for their hopes to getpletely crushed.


    "No, I have some other things to do. Thank you for your invitation." I shook her head.


    "... Is that so?" Their hopeful looks immediately vanished. They couldn''t hide their disappointment at all. Then, one of them suddenly said.


    "Does it have to do with that guy?" He asked with an almost mocking tone. He was one of the students that saw them together earlier that day and since then, he had kept an eye on Arthur. The boy didn''t stand out at all amongst the other students.


    In fact, he was quite mediocre and their training session proved that. He wascking a lotpared to other students. He lookedpletely clueless while swinging the sword like an idiot with no technique at all.


    Those who saw it werepletely confused. ''Why is she friends with him? He''s clearly not that good at anything. I could be a better friend to her than that person!''


    They were very jealous of Arthur''s privileged position and they wanted to snatch it from him one way or another. But, to do that, they had to somehow catch I''s attention, something that Arthur had somehow done.


    However, he didn''t realize the disaster he had just done. I''s attitude shifted instantly as she looked at him coldly. "I believe it isn''t something that concerns you."


    The boy felt a chill run down his spine as his bravado crumbled instantly.


    "No, he meant¡­ We were just curious about your rtionship with that guy. Are you really friends?" His friend instantly tried to save the situation with any excuse he cane up with.


    "..." I stared at the boy coldly before she replied. "As I said, whether we are friends or not is none of your business. For your own sake, I believe you should stay away from this matter and especially from him. I''m just giving you some advice for your own good." I''s tone was t, but the threat was as clear as day and the message was even clearer.


    ''Do not even try to mess with Arthur or you will bear the consequences.''


    At that moment, Arthur''s capsule started opening as the boy emerged from it. So, I picked herself up and moved away from the group toward him. Then, the two walked out of the ssroom, leaving a stunned group of students behind them.


    ''What is even their rtionship?''


    ***


    "What did he tell you?" I asked.


    "... Well, it''s a littleplicated. But, don''t worry about it, it''s not something serious." Arthur replied with augh.


    "Is that so?"


    "Yeah, he just wanted to talk about training." Arthur rubbed the back of his head.


    I squinted her eyes and stared at Arthur silently. Something told her that it wasn''t as simple as Arthur was trying to make it, but she couldn''t really see what it was. She also didn''t want to push Arthur to tell her when he didn''t want to.


    ''If it isn''t a problem, then it is none of my business.'' She thought to herself.


    "I! Arthur!! We''re here!" A good distance away from them, Herculia threw his hand up, waving at them with a smile.


    "Let''s go, I. They''re calling for us." Arthur said as he nudged her.


    "... Yeah."


    Gathering with the group, they all left the building and headed back to the main hall where they went down the elevator along with everyone else. The time was almost 6 pm and the sun was setting in the distance.


    "AAAGH! Freedom! I can finally breathe some fresh air." Arthur stretched his limbs.


    "Do you guys want to go out for dinner? We have to celebrate the first day like everyone else!" Emmy pped her hand excitedly.


    "Hmm, maybe two hours from now. I want to take a shower and take a nap." Danny replied.


    "That''s fine. That''s around the time I eat dinner myself. What about you I?"


    "... I do not mind."


    "Great! That''s a done deal!"


    "Mmm, can you guys go without me?"


    However, surprisingly, Arthur refused the offer. Knowing his personality, Arthur was usually the one to ask such questions.


    "Why?"


    "Mm, yeah, I have to do some stuff," Arthur said with an apologetic look on his face.


    "Ohe on, man. It''s not as fun without you!" Herculia tapped his shoulder roughly.


    "Hahaha, I''m really sorry. Let''s go tomorrow, ok?" Arthur said.


    "..." I squinted her eyes for a moment. ''He''s definitely hiding something.


    "Ok, man, if you''re busy, nothing can be done about it. But, you better keep your promise tomorrow."


    "Yeah, I promise we will go tomorrow. Now, I''m gonna excuse myself. See youter guys!"


    Before anyone could even say anything, Arthur stormed away in a hurry. They watched his silhouette vanish into the academy city.


    "I wonder what he has to do."


    "Knowing Arthur, probably something weird," Emmy replied.


    "... Good riddance."


    "Hey, don''t be mean, Danny!" Emmy smacked her friend''s shoulder.


    "Tsk, I don''t care. Let''s go."


    With that, the group started walking again, going back to their dormitories. However, unbeknownst to them, Arthur didn''t go too far after he took a turn. Standing near the wall, he waited for them to vanish. Resting against the wall, he heaved a sigh of relief before he looked up.


    "You have got to be kidding me¡­" He muttered as he rubbed his face. "The joke is not funny, man."


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 152: Chapter 152- Born Out Of The Womb Of Mediocrity

    Arthur exhaled the breath as he waited there for a while. The sun slowly set in the distance as he stood there, all alone. When the darkness finally engulfed the ind and the lights turned on, illuminating the world around him.


    "... I think it''s time." He muttered as he finally pushed himself off the wall and walked out of his hiding spot, heading straight back toward the academy.


    Since it had been a while, everyone had already left and gone back home so the ce was very empty and quiet. The wind blew on his face gently, making him shudder slightly. It was a cold night.


    Reaching the elevator, Arthur looked behind him. There was no one there, and he couldn''t feel any eyes on him. So, he got inside the elevator before it carried him up to the institution again.


    When the door opened, Arthur stepped inside the hall, only for him to notice that someone stood on the other side of the empty, dark hall.


    "..." Arthur squinted his eyes as he stopped moving immediately. The man waspletely shrouded in darkness so he couldn''t really see him. But, Arthur instantly recognized the man. The two stared at each other for a few seconds before the stranger turned around and started walking away.


    Arthur raised an eyebrow and then slowly started walking after him. No words needed to be said. The two walked in silence, their steps echoing across the entire massive hall.


    They moved through the stairs up to the S-ss section where the man entered Arthur''s ss and left the door open behind him. The boy stopped for a moment and stared at the open door before he slowly walked inside too.


    "Close the door." The man said as he sat where Arthur was sitting.


    "..." Arthur squinted his eyes before he did what the man asked. Then, he walked into the ssroom and sat down at the professor''s table as if he didn''t care at all. "So, what is the all-so-great Founder want with me?"


    He said as he stared up at the man. Through the lighting from the window, the ck mask revealed itself in its full glory.


    "Hahaha!" Hearing that clearly sarcastic remark, the manughed heartily. "I appreciate thepliment, Arthur. I have heard that you have a great sense of humor and I''m already seeing it."


    "I try to be funny. Humor helps me cope with ridiculous shit." Arthur shrugged.


    "That¡­ Exactly, I''m just like you in that regard. They sayughing robs your enemy of the pleasure of their victory."


    "In this case, I''m making my enemyugh. What would you call that?" The boy asked back, clearly jabbing at The Founder without any hesitation. He didn''t care if this man was the strongest man in the world, Arthur was already disturbed by the fact they were sitting in that ssroom talking in the first ce.


    "Hahaha! I already like you, Arthur! I knew we were going to get along when I wanted to meet you."


    "And why did you want to meet me? Theodore had told me you''re "eager" to talk to me."


    It was indeed the truth, when Theodore asked Arthur to stay after the hours, he told him one thing.


    "The Founder wants to meet you."


    That simple sentence shook Arthur and he instantly started asking questions. For instance, why the hell would The Founder want to meet him?


    But, Theodore didn''t reply and simply told him to wait for 30 minutes and thene back inside the academy and that he must not tell anyone else about this meeting no matter what. Especially those people he befriended. Then, the man left him alone in the Training Realm to think about those words.


    It took him several minutes to calm downpletely and then pretend as if nothing happened. He didn''t know what The Founder wanted with him, but Arthur certainly wasn''t going to turn down the invitation.


    Ever since he saw that man for the first time, something told him that he had to know who that person was. He didn''t know why, but he certainly found him intriguing. Now, here he was, talking to him in person.


    "Of course, I wanted to talk to you, Arthur. I wanted to talk to the Rank 1 yer in my game. The person that seems to understand the game more than anyone else in this whole world."


    "Huh? What do you mean?"


    "I mean, you are the only person who has found the true purpose I created Divinity Online for. The reason I spent all my life perfecting that world and everything in it. I worked day and night, just so that someone could truly see what I wanted." The way The Founder was speaking made Arthur frown. There was endless excitement in his voice that almost sounded¡­ maniacal.


    "And¡­ What is it that you want?" Arthur asked. ''What does he mean by that? I''m simply ying the game to enjoy myself.''


    "When I first announced the game, all the world looked at it as if it was some kind of myth¡­ Like a fugazi of sorts. They said it was a lie and a pipe dream that would quickly shatter. But, as more and more of it was revealed, that started to change quickly. Those who attacked us began hailing praises at us and our historical achievement. Then¡­ The world started taking the game seriously." He said.


    "..." Arthur listened attentively to his story. He was already aware of all of that and had seen it happen live in front of his eyes. He knew the insane bacsh thepany received for their ridiculous ims. A full-immersion game of that scale was simply impossible. Yet, against all odds, they were able to actually deliver their promises and more.


    "All the nations of the world started working to establish their presence in this new world. But, if I have to be honest, I wasn''t happy to see that."


    "... Why? Isn''t that what you were looking for? Recognition?"


    However, the man shook his head slowly. "I wasn''t looking for any of that. What I was looking for was to see people enjoy the dream I worked hard to achieve. I wanted to see people like you discover the Divine Realm. I had never been in such a privileged position before in my life. I had been drawing the image of the Divine Realm in my head for my entire life and everyone that heard about it mocked me and bullied me."


    "..."


    ''Sounds really tough. Dreams are never to be mocked.''


    "But, I never gave up. Deep down, I knew one day I was going to see people eager to y my game and that day had finallye. The very first person that found the essence of my dream. It was you, Arthur." He pointed at Arthur slowly. "That freedom to explore every nook and cranny of the world. Going and doing whatever you want. That is what I was looking for my entire life¡­ I wanted that~"


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 153: Chapter 153- Follow Your Heart

    "..." Arthur looked silently at The Founder. His tone almost sounded euphoric when he said those words. Something was definitely off with it and he could feel it instantly.


    ''... Is he even sane?'' Arthur asked himself secretly. The way the man was talking about his purpose, it almost made Arthur question whether this game was truly a game or not. The Founder certainly didn''t seem like he saw it as a mere game. He saw it as something far more important.


    What made it even more eerie was that it seemed Arthur had truly captured the essence of this world. It was true that he sought the freedom of doing whatever he wanted, going wherever he wanted, and exploring the Divine Realm without a worry in his head.


    He was truly seeking fun. But, one question immediately appeared in his head at that moment.


    "Why is that the essence you''re looking for? Everyone sees DO as a world filled with endless opportunities and a lot of gains. You lot even advertised as ''Second Earth''." Arthur asked.


    If The Founder was truly looking for people who would enjoy the game and y it for the sake of ying it because they''re having fun, then why did he advertise it as something clearly opposite to that?


    "One single word, Arthur: Test."


    "Test?"


    "Yes, it is a very simple test. I want to see for myself who are those who will reach the very top and those who will simply look for gains¡­ For money, maybe even some fame¡­ But never the glory of bing one of the greats in the Divine Realm."


    "..."


    "So far, you''re the only person to truly capture what I imagined this world is all about. That is why you''re where you are now."


    "Wait, so I became the best yer in the world because¡­ I yed for fun?" Arthur blinked confusedly. "Now that''s news to me. How does that even make sense? The other yers are clearly trying way harder than I''m doing."


    "Because they didn''t capture the essence. They take DO as some kind of upation where they must perform well or they will fall behind. They aren''t having fun like you''re doing. I made sure my game rewards those who love to explore and simply live that world."


    That was when it hit Arthur. The Founder was indeed right, DO was a game that rewarded exploration heavily. There was a secret in every nook and cranny of that world. If you''re curious and courageous enough, the game will give you as much as you give it.


    ''So, that''s why I''m at this position¡­''


    Arthur was indeed a maniac when ites to ying the game. He doesn''t care where he is going, if he finds it intriguing or fun, then he was going to do it no matter what. That was why he was given a lot of valuable items and strong abilities.


    "..."


    "It seems you have realized why you''re the number 1. Your free spirit is doing way more than you think, boy."


    "But¡­" The boy couldn''t really find any way to refute those ims.


    "Well, that was what I wanted to say. Whether you want to believe it or not, is up to you. But, remember one thing for me, would you?"


    "... What is it?"


    "Don''t lose this spirit of yours, Arthur. The Divine Realm is a beautiful ce, but it is equally terrifying. In the future, you will find yourself in situations where your beliefs will sh with your reality. You will find yourself forced to choose between two things that will change your whole life. When that timees¡­ Just follow your heart, would you?"


    "What are you eve-"


    "Oh well, I have some stuff to do now. It was hard to spare these few minutes to talk to you but it was definitely worth it. Keep this conversation a secret between us." The Founder stood up and walked to the door.


    "..."


    Looking back at Arthur, the man said. "I know we are going to meet again soon. I will be watching your progress with a keen eye, my friend."


    Walking out, he left Arthur alone inside the ssroom, staring at the open door with a nk expression. He remained frozen for several minutes before he finally moved.


    "Follow your heart, huh?..." He muttered as he rubbed the back of his head. "Don''t drop those generic quotes on my head so swiftly¡­ Bastard."


    Even when he muttered those words, Arthur knew that he would never forget those words. The Founder certainly knew things that Arthur didn''t know and he was trying to advice him.


    ''What could it be I wonder? Do my beliefs crash with reality? I can''t even see that happen. Oh well¡­ No reason to overthink it. I will see for myself when that timees.''


    Finally, Arthur stood up and left the ssroom. The meeting was brief, but the insight it gave Arthur was invaluable. He had learned more about The Founder himself, about the world of DO, and about its purpose. Now, he felt rather happy.


    "So he wants me to have fun, huh? Oh, I''m going to have so much fun you wouldn''t even know. I''m going to turn that damn world upside down if I can. Just wait and see."


    ***


    After that, Arthur left the institution again, all alone this time. The city waspletely lit up now, shining brightly like a pearl in a sea of darkness. Standing in the elevator, Arthur admired the night scenery silently. He truly adored this ind and the city built on it.


    He had been here only for less than two weeks and he was already in love with everything here.


    "It''s certainly better than the city I lived in beforehand."


    Knowing that he would spend years in this ce made him a little excited. This was his home now. A lot of stuff is going to happen and a lot of hardships wille his way but Arthur is ready for them mentally and physically.


    Reaching the foot of the mountain, he left the institution and headed back to the dormitory on the Sonic Board. Reaching his home, Arthur entered inside and turned on the light. The ce was quiet and empty.


    "I''m finally home¡­" He muttered as he finally felt the exhaustion wash over his body. Taking a deep breath, he walked into his bedroom and threw himself on the bed as he exhaled that breath. "What a long fucking day."


    *DING*


    "Hm?"


    At that moment, Arthur felt his Bluelink buzz with a small notification sound next to him. Turning around, he grabbed the device and checked it. There, he saw several notifications.


    [A student had sent you a friend request.]


    [A student had sent you a friend request.]


    [A student had sent you a friend request.]


    Then, several secondster, thest one appeared.


    [A student had sent you a friend request.]


    "Friend requests?"


    Opening the app, Arthur saw the names of the people sending him a request. Immediately, he knew who it was. I and the others had sent him a friend request.


    "..." Arthur blinked before a small smile appeared on his face, and then he epted the request. Immediately, he received a message from Herculia.


    [Is that you, brother?! DID I GET THE WRONG NUMBER?!!]


    "... Hahaha, this guy." The boyughed heartily.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 154: Chapter 154- Back In The Game

    After that, Arthur put the device down and finally stood up and stretched his limbs. "Ok, let''s get ready to get inside the game. It''s still pretty early, but I have a lot to do inside. I can''t ck."


    Although Arthur was very exhausted, he was equally motivated. He wanted to get back in the game and finally start his exploration of the city. The Capital Of Glory was awaiting and calling for him with all its secrets and adventures.


    ''Less than a month for my meeting with Nina and Miro. During this time, I will have to get as strong as possible. With practice, and leveling up¡­ Who knows how I will be in a few weeks.'' Arthur thought to himself as he walked into the bathroom to take a shower.


    After that, he made a simple dinner before he finally approached his FIC. Looking at the time on his device, it was almost 8 PM. Looking through the window at the clear dark sky, Arthur took a deep breath.


    "Ok, here we go."


    Then, he sat inside the capsule and closed his eyes. Everything turned dark again and Arthur found himself in apletely different ce. But, it wasn''t the city or any other ce he was familiar with.


    Instead, it was apletely dark world.


    "Huh? Where am I?"


    The moment he asked that question, a notification appeared in front of him.


    [Update detected!]


    [Please wait a moment as the game finishes updating.]


    Then, a loading bar appeared at the end, slowly ticking up as it downloaded all the important files.


    "Oh, so this is ''Guild And Wealth'' update?" He muttered as he watched the loading bar go up faster and faster. A minute or soter, it reached the end and then another notification appeared.


    [Downloadpleted!]


    [Wee back, yer Arthur.]


    [Please, fill up your bank details to apply the Conversion System.]


    "Bank details, huh? Ok, sure."


    Although Arthur was a little hesitant, he still trusted that the game wouldn''t rob him. ''There is nothing to rob to begin with.'' He shrugged as he tapped on the list and started filling in the information. He luckily memorized all his bank details just in case a long time ago. His grandma was very persistent about it.


    After making sure that he put everything correctly, he clicked on confirm.


    [Ding!]


    [Information has been updated!]


    [Conversion System has been activated.]


    [You can ess the conversion option through your settings.]


    [All money converted shall be sent to your ount immediately.]


    [Guild option has been added to the main menu.]


    "Ok, that''s good," Arthur muttered. "I don''t think I will need this Guild system any time soon. But, it will definitely be interesting to see what people are going to do."


    The Guild system was indeed the true beginning of conflict among students. All the powerhouses in the world will certainly create guilds and scout top yers to start dominating the Divine Realm.


    ''The capital might be empty still, but when everyone arrives, this will be a goodman battlefield.'' He smiled. At the same time, the dark world he was in slowly vanished as Arthur''s eyes closed again.


    When he opened them this time, Arthur found himself in a more familiar ce. The white color of the capital''s snowy region weed him with a gentle embrace. The time was night just like the outside world.


    The city was as bustling as ever with humans going about their night. The shops opened everywhere and filled his eyes, the orbs of light floating in the air lit up the streets. The noise all around him made Arthur freeze for a moment.


    There was simply a lot to take in, and with that giant structure looming in the distance, Arthur was unable to snap out of it quickly.


    "... Ok, what should I do first?" He muttered as he started walking through the street. His feet left behind a deep trail in the thickyers of snow. He kept looking around him, stopping to check every interesting shop he saw.


    He found weird food of all kinds. Clothing shops selling thick leather coats for the cold weather in the region, weapon shops, spell shops, and many more. Arthur found himself eager to buy many things, but he decided not to do that yet. He had to first map the city and discover everything about it.


    For instance, Arthur realized that people were using weird-looking creatures that appeared like a mix of horses and lizards. They were massive in size, towering over him with ease. They carried goods through the snow with ease as if it didn''t feel cold in the weather.


    ''They look so majestic for some reason¡­ What are they even called?'' Arthur thought to himself as he watched another one pass by casually. He was certain there were more creatures he had never seen before roaming this city.


    ''There are several other regions. Each one must have its culture and unique things. I can''t wait to see them all.''


    As Arthur continued wandering through the city, he found himself a little far away from the main street. He was following his instincts and moving toward every single interesting thing he found.


    "Hm, hm¡­ Where am I even? I definitely moved far away from the main street." He muttered as he looked around him. There were still people roaming the streets, but it was less active than the main street.


    "Hey, youngd! Do you want to try our special grilled ribs?!" Hearing one man calling for him, Arthur looked at him.


    *Sniff*


    Smelling the vorful grilled meat, Arthur was immediately enticed to try it. "How much is it?"


    "Three copper coins, my friend!"


    "... Give me two!" Arthur said as he approached the man and gave him the money and was handed two skewers of meat.


    ''This looks really good.'' Arthur gulped as he was about to take a bite from it. However, at that moment, Arthur suddenly sensed something behind him. Quickly, he turned around, only to get pushed back as someone ran past him. For a second, he lost his bnce as he stepped back.


    Then, he felt one of his skewers getting snatched from his hand before the person vanished as fast as they appeared.


    "Huh?! Hey, wa-"


    "Get her!"


    "Don''t let her run away!"


    Before he could even react, a group of men rushed past him, following the small boy or girl.


    "... What the hell is going on?" He muttered. "That bastard stole my food!"


    "Hey, youngd, it''s ok, I will give you another one."


    "What?! No! That bastard stole my food!" Arthur yelled as he turned to look at the merchant. However, he was shocked to see the pale look of fear on his face.


    "Trust me, man. Just buy another one. It''s better." The man said. "Don''t mess with those people."


    "... Who are they?" Arthur felt something click in his head. ''The tingle¡­ This is very interesting.''


    Arthur didn''t even need to think twice to realize that this was a potential quest or something else that could be very valuable. He knew that doing the opposite of what this man was telling him was dumb, but Arthur didn''t forget what The Founder had told him.


    ''Follow your heart.''


    "It''s ok, I know what I''m doing, old man. I''m going to get my skewer back." Arthur tapped the man''s shoulder before he ran away.


    "Hey, wait!" The man tried to call for him, but the boy had already vanished before he could even finish the sentence. "God¡­ How foolish he is!"


    ***


    "Hah¡­ Hah¡­ Hah¡­"


    She ran, her breathing was subtle but very exhausted. Her feet were bleeding and cold from the snow. Her frail body was shuddering from the freezing wind. She didn''t know how she was still conscious, but she was running.


    The adrenaline in her body didn''t stop pumping as she heard the echo of people yelling behind her. The voices of those people were chasing her, getting closer and closer.


    She was scared. Terrified. She knew that if they caught her this time again, she would be tortured brutally. They won''t spare her this time and she was aware of that risk. But, what else could she do? She didn''t want to stay there, getting killed slowly.


    That was not life, and she was not ready to spend the rest of her short lifespan in that ce. She would rather try to escape, again and again and again till they give up or she dies. There was simply no way for her to let them win.


    She passed beside countless people, people who looked at her with disgust. Her attire was dirty and her hair was messy and bloody. She didn''t care about their scorning gazes.


    Taking a turn, left and right, she tried to lose her pursuers, only to be faced with a horrible reality. A dead end. She had taken a wrong turn and ended up in a closed alley. Quickly, she tried to turn around and escape, only to realize that the men had reached her and closed the path.


    "There she is!"


    "You aren''t running anywhere!"


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 155: Chapter 155- The Shell Of a Princess (Part 1)

    "We finally got you, you little shit!" One of the men said as he red at the little girl with a furious look on his face.


    "Make sure she doesn''t escape again. Close this goddamn alley!" Another said to the other two with a cold tone. "We will take care of capturing her."


    "..." The small girl''s face paled as she took a few steps back while the others took a few steps forward, closing the distance between them.


    "This is thest time we will treat you nicely! We have tried to be reasonable but you keep running away again and again and again! It seems you will never understand your current position." One of the two men said with an angry tone, intimidating the girl even more. She felt the wrath carried in his voice.


    ''I''m done for¡­'' She thought to herself. This was truly the worst situation she could''ve found herself in.


    When she tried to escape this time, she thought that she might find a good hiding spot before they could find her and then try to leave the capital tomorrow after mixing with the countless humans living behind the city walls.


    But, she had made one single mistake¡­ Just one single mistake and that settled everything.


    "Now, don''t resist or we will make it painful." The distance became mere meters as the girl found herself against the wall, with nowhere else to go.


    "Stay away¡­" She said in a quiet tone.


    "There is no life for you outside where you''re put, girl. Stop pretending like you''re a human. They had already decided on your fate a long time ago." The other man replied. "Just be useful and stop resisting."


    "..."


    His words were like a knife stabbing into her chest. She had heard it countless times before, that she wasn''t a human, and that she should do what they asked from her. She didn''t want to believe that, yet when everyone says those words, how can she really refute it?


    ''No¡­''


    Their hands stretched forward as they were almost about to catch her. However, at that moment, she heard a loud noiseing from behind her.


    "UGH!"


    *SMACK*


    "UGH!!"


    The two men were alerted as they quickly looked up, only to see that their friends were on the ground, unconscious. Their eyes then moved to the boy dusting his hands as he stood there, looking at them.


    "One smack each? Really? so weak." He muttered with a disappointed tone as he finished thest piece of meat on his skewer.


    "Who the hell are you?!" The two men immediately took a fighting stance.


    "Hm? Oh, don''t mind me, I''m just here to get back my meat skewer that she stole." Arthur said.


    "... Get him."


    *Swish*


    Without wasting any time, the two men rushed toward Arthur at full speed. They didn''t bother to even talk or try to identify who this man was. They simply knew that he was a threat that needed to be eliminated.


    Skilfully, the two moved in opposite directions, attacking Arthur from different angles.


    "Man, I just want my food back." Arthur sighed as he snapped his finger. Instantly, several arrows formed around him before theyunched forward like bullets.


    "What?!"


    Instantly, the two tried to dodge the attack. But, the arrows were simply too fast and too abrupt.


    "Ice wall!"


    Thest option left was to use abilities. Quickly, a wall of ice formed in front of the two men. The arrows smashed into the ice wall, breaking into pieces. Cracks appeared in the thin sheet of ice, instantly shattering it.


    The moment the ice shards fell to the ground, Arthur emerged from behind the ice wall with his fist clenched tightly.


    ''Fast!!''


    Their hearts dropped as they realized that the arrows were simply a decoy and the real attack was way closer. Arthur was monstrously fast. With almost 50 points in agility, Arthur was simply inhumanely quick, with an even quicker reaction. There was simply no stopping him if he decided to use his full speed and that reality was taught to the two men in the harshest way.


    *BANG*


    Arthur''s fist carved the first man''s face in as it sent him flying. Then, Arthur quickly spun around to kick the second one. Unfortunately, he underestimated how strong these people are.


    "I got you, bastard!!"


    At thest moment, he guarded his face with his arms, stopping the crushing kick. Still, it pushed him back, sliding on the slippery snow.


    ''Ugh! My arm! How strong is this bastard?!'' Feeling a horrible numb feeling in his bones, the man tried to regain his bnce, only to find Arthur rushing back at him.


    *BANG*


    Immediately, he engaged in a brutal rain of punches. The man covered his face and neck as he tried to defend against the crushing force. But, the pain he felt with each hit cracked through his defense. He couldn''t find a way to defend or even attack.


    Meanwhile, in the background, the girl watched with an astonished look on her face. She couldn''t believe her eyes. A weird boy had just appeared out of nowhere and beat three out of the four men chasing her.


    ''Who is he?... Wait, meat skewer?'' Immediately, the girl remembered the thing she was holding in her hand.


    "Dammit¡­ Fuck!"


    At that moment, she saw the second man slowly get up from the ground, clearly struggling to even carry his weight. Blood dripped from his face as he spat a saliva mixed with teeth.


    "That¡­ bastard!!" Looking up, his eyes made contact with the girl.


    Immediately, the girl felt a shudder run down her spine. She was almost paralyzed for a moment there. She didn''t know what to do, the boy was upied with the other man and she was all alone again.


    ''What should I do? What should I do?!'' She was terrified to the core. Everything she went through came rushing back to her mind.


    "You¡­ will pay¡­" The man started dragging himself toward the girl with a horrifying expression on his face, akin to a demon.


    "..." She bit her lower lip before she looked down. That was when she received an idea. A very weird idea. She hesitated for a moment but then, she clenched her teeth and red at the man.


    He noticed the sudden change in her expression. Then, he saw her slowly pull all the meat out of the skewer, leaving behind the metal, sharp spike.


    "...!!" His heart dropped. "Don''t¡­ you dare to even think about it¡­"


    ''Fuck¡­ That punch gave me a concussion¡­ I can''t move properly!!'' The world around the man was twisting and turning wildly and all he could do was move his arms and drag himself on the snow. He needed to get that girl first and foremost.


    But, he forgot that he waspletely open and vulnerable and in front of him, the girl''s fearful look had turned into that of deep hatred¡­ And a desire for revenge.


    "Don''t you dare¡­!!"


    But, his words fell on deaf ears as the girl took a step toward him with her hand holding the skewer tightly. She wasn''t going to spare him¡­ She cannot spare him.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 156: Chapter 156- The Shell Of a Princess (Part 2)

    "You little¡­!" Seeing her approach him, the man clenched his teeth as he tried to forcefully stand up, even though his head was still spinning heavily and his vision waspletely blurry. But, his survival instincts were telling him that he was in huge trouble if he didn''t.


    The girl flinched, then she quickly rushed toward the man and with a loud yell, she pushed him, making the man fall again on his back with a thud. His head hit the ground again as everything cked out for a second.


    ''I need to do it now!'' The girl thought to herself and jumped on the man. Then, she aimed the skewer at him. She had never thought she would find herself in such a situation, aiming a weapon at someone.


    But, all that adrenaline coursing through her veins, and the pain she went through for a very long time, they made her snap. She didn''t care anymore, everything didn''t really matter. What mattered at that moment was survival¡­ She wanted to live and to do that, she had to end another life.


    "HAAAAAAH!!!" With a scream, she stabbed down without even looking at where she was aiming. The skewer stabbed through the man''s skin, making him shriek loudly. The girl then pulled the bloody skewer out and stabbed him again, then again, and again, and again.


    She kept stabbing ruthlessly, without wasting a single moment. She felt the warm blood on her hands and face.


    "STOP!! UGH! STOP!!"


    Out of fear for his life, the man started fighting back. Smacking the girl in the face, he threw her off bnce and tried to quickly yank the skewer out of her arm. Blood was gushing out of his body like a fountain. His clothes were dyed red and he was struggling to breathe.


    ''Fuck! She hit me in the chest!'' Putting his hand against the stabbed spots, he felt his hand getting covered in the red liquid.


    "You!!!" Then, he stretched his hand and almost caught the skewer only for the girl to quickly pull herself away and then, she stabbed with it again. The man tried to grab it again, only for the sharp spike to stab his hand.


    "AGH!!" He groaned as he grabbed his hand painfully. He felt a hellish throbbing feeling that numbed his entire hand.


    ''I can do it!''


    Taking that opportunity, the girl lunged at him and stabbed him again. A hail of stabs fell on the man again, filling his chest and neck with holes, gushing out blood endlessly. The man started losing strength and energy as he bled profusely. His body felt way colder than before.


    At the same time, the girl herself was starting to feel exhausted. Throwing her arms wildly exhausted her greatly. Not to mention the fact that she hadn''t eaten food in ages, and had been running for minutes without stopping in a freezing temperature with no clothes. Her hands and feet were blue and swollen.


    Her condition was horrible if not outright life-threatening.


    "Die!"


    "Die!"


    "DIE!!"


    But, even through that pain, she continued stabbing him relentlessly. Until, one of the stabs hit one of his jugr veins. Instantly, blood exploded everywhere as the man''s eyes widened in shock. He grabbed his neck as he started struggling to breathe. He made pained sounds of suffocation.


    The girl stared at his dying face with a shocked expression. She didn''t know how to react when she realized that this man¡­ was about to die.


    "You¡­ will regret¡­ this!... Monster¡­" He muttered with a difficult tone before he exhaled onest breath and his hand finally fell to the ground after struggling against her. The girl''s bloodied face filled with bruises and scratches froze. The skewer fell from her hand.


    "..." She breathed. But, she didn''t know what to think. She had killed him. This was the very first time she killed someone.


    ''I¡­ Killed him¡­'' She mused as she dropped to the ground, barely keeping her bnce with her arms. Then, she remembered that her hands werepletely covered in blood. The warm liquid stuck to her skin, refusing to vanish.


    "Damn, you really ruined him."


    Suddenly, she heard someone speak behind her. She flinched visibly as she turned to look at Arthur with a terrified look on her face. Quickly, she dragged herself back, hitting the wall.


    "... S-Stay away!"


    "Hey, don''t be scared now. I''m not going to harm you." Arthur shrugged.


    ''She''s still in shock. I can''t do anything too abrupt or she might break down. Why the hell is a child being chased by these idiots? Are they some kind of criminals? That could be the case with how terrified the merchant looked when he told me that.''


    Arthur heard some bits and pieces of their conversation before he attacked and he was certain that the girl wasn''t the bad guy in the situation. So, he decided to barge in and deal with them even though they seemed a little tough to beat.


    "... W-Who are you?" The girl stared at Arthur warily and asked.


    "I''m the guy that you stole that skewer from," Arthur replied.


    "..."


    "Now, don''t look at me like that. I was a little curious as to why those men were chasing you." Arthur said.


    "..." The girl stared at him without blinking. Arthur''s smile slowly turned into an awkward expression as the silence prolonged.


    "Ehem, this is the moment where you tell me what happened." Arthur coughed awkwardly.


    ''You should know your role, little girl!'' Heughed to himself.


    "... I don''t trust you." She said.


    "Oh. Well, that makes sense, we''re still basically strangers. But, there is really no reason to be afraid of me. If I wanted to harm you, I would''ve already done that. I''m really just a peaceful person who just arrived in the city and was looking for anything interesting to spend time."


    "..."


    ''Damn, she really doesn''t trust me at all. She must''ve been through hell to be like this¡­ Poor girl.''


    Seeing the condition she was in, Arthur felt really bad for her. She was clearly malnourished, tortured, and injured. Even her skin was almost blue due to the cold weather. Arthur was smiling, but inside, he was feeling really bad for this innocent child.


    "... How about this." Suddenly, he received an idea. Quickly, he opened his inventory and rummaged through. Eventually, he found what he was looking for. A fur coat and a few health potions.


    "Here, take these. A few potions to heal yourself a little and a coat for this cold weather." He threw them at her to make sure she didn''t get terrified again.


    The girl looked at the coat silently for a few moments before she stared at Arthur again, clearly contemting whether she should really trust him or not. Eventually, her exhausted body beat her logic and she hesitantly wore the coat. Then, she took the potions and sniffed them.


    ''These are really health potions. He isn''t lying.'' She thought to herself as she quickly started drinking them, one after the other eagerly. Slowly, her body started recovering visibly with each potion drunk.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 157: Chapter 157- The Shell Of a Princess (Part 3)

    After finishing thest potion, she wiped her mouth and looked up at Arthur with a satisfied look on her face. Her aching body recovered a good chunk of energy back and closed many of her small scratches and bruises. She wasn''t fully back to normal, but the girl felt a lot better.


    "... Thank you." She finally said after much contemtion.


    "Don''t worry about it. Now, do you trust me a little bit more?" Arthurughed jovially.


    "... Maybe."


    "Maybe?" He raised an eyebrow as he asked.


    "... I still don''t fully trust you. I don''t know your intentions." She shook her head. Although she was grateful to Arthur for helping her, she still couldn''t simply trust this boy that easily. After all, she had already tasted the bitterness of trusting someone who wanted to harm her. She was not ready to make the same mistake again with another person¡­ At least not until she was fully convinced that he was indeed a good person.


    Arthur noticed those subtle emotions and he was even more confused. ''I wonder what she went through to be this skeptical. Well, it''s not like I would instantly trust someone if they gave me clothes and potions¡­ She has a good point.''


    "Ok, can I at least know your name? I''m Arthur, by the way." He said as he tapped his chest.


    "... Sora." She replied.


    "Sora? That''s an interesting name. So, why were those people chasing you, Sora?"


    His question made the girl look down at the dead corpse of the man with a deep frown on her face. The sheer depth of her hatred towards that man was apparent in her eyes. She definitely despised them to the bone.


    "I was imprisoned by these people¡­ And I escaped. They were going to capture me if you didn''t appear."


    "Why were you captured?"


    "... Because I''m useless."


    "Useless?" Arthur''s eyes widened slightly. From all the potential reasons he thought of, this was not one of them. "What do you mean?"


    "My family got rid of me because I''m useless¡­ And these people captured me." She replied as she slowly stood up. "I tried to run away several times but they would capture me every single time."


    "Wait, hold on a second. Your family got rid of you? What kind of ridiculous reason is this?"


    ''Her family threw her away because she''s useless? What does that even mean?''


    "It doesn''t really matter and it''s none of your business. Thank you very much for helping me, I will never forget this." Saying that, the girl turned around and started walking away.


    "Hey, wait." Arthur snapped out of it as he called for her. "Do you have a ce to go to?"


    "... I''m leaving the city. I don''t want to stay here or they might search for me." She replied.


    "Outside the city is a death sentence in your current condition," Arthur replied. He didn''t know why, but Arthur couldn''t just move on and forget about this girl. Something about her was very weird and yet he couldn''t really find what it is.


    ''I rarely feel this way about someone. Who did Ie across?'' Arthur muttered.


    "A death sentence?" The girl stopped and looked at him.


    "The world outside is very dangerous. You would be attacked by monsters or die due to extreme weather. I don''t rmend that unless you know where you''re going, which doesn''t seem like you do."


    "..." Sora pursed her lips. She already had a hunch that the world outside the city was dangerous. She had never left the city herself, but she had heard a lot about it and how threatening it was. Still, that didn''t make her hesitate too much.


    "I have no other choice. If I stay here, I will be caught sooner orter. I would rather die outside than get captured again."


    "..."


    ''She would choose death over getting caught¡­'' Arthur didn''t know whether tough or cry at that simple yet profound statement. It told him a tale about how horrible it must''ve been for the girl for death to be the better oue.


    ''Should I even stop her at this point? There is really no reason for me to do that.'' He thought to himself.


    But, still, his heart didn''t agree with that at all. He should''ve been unbothered, but he wasn''t and he didn''t know why.


    "If you don''t have anything else, if you will excuse me," Sora said and turned around to leave.


    "Wa-"


    [Ding!]


    At that moment, Arthur received a notification.


    [Darkmoon had sent you a message.]


    "Hmm, a message from I?" Arthur raised an eyebrow as he tapped on the notification.


    [Where are you? Meet me at the gate.]


    The brief message was through the game''s Direct Message function. Arthur recently discovered it in the settings option where he can also send friend requests to other yers. The function was quite useful in many cases so he made sure to connect with all the team just in case.


    "Hmm, at the gate huh? Hey, wait!" Arthur called for the girl again as he realized something.


    "Huh?"


    "I will get you to the gate. I''m already going there." He approached her.


    "... Really?"


    "Yeah, I have nothing to lose. My friends are waiting there, we might find a solution to your problem if we can." Arthur replied. "Now, let''s go. What are you waiting for?"


    He moved ahead, leaving the girl a little stunned. ''So weird¡­'' she thought to herself. Arthur was perhaps the weirdest person she had ever met. Nothing about him was normal and she had barely met him a few minutes ago.


    Yet, she couldn''t feel a single negative feeling against him. This was something she had never experienced with another person. She was wary, but her heart never told her to run away or to fight as there was no threat to begin with. Arthur was not a threat.


    ''... I can''t just let my head wander on its own. Let''s see what he''s talking about.''


    ***


    The two walked through the streets of the city in silence. Sora kept afortable distance between her and Arthur while making sure she wasn''t too far away in case someone finds her. Arthur understood that and decided to keep his senses alert and careful.


    A few minutester, they reached their destination where they found I and the others waiting patiently.


    "Where have you been, man? I thought you would get into the game a littleter." Herculia said.


    "Hahaha, yeah, I was exploring the city."


    "Hm? Who''s that little girl with you?" Emmy asked.


    "This one? Her name is Sora. She was being chased by a bunch of guys so I beat them up." He said.


    "What? Just like that?" Danny raised an eyebrow. "Do you even know the full context of the situation to barge into it?"


    "Hm, they seemed like scumbags so I just beat them up. It''s pretty simple, honestly."


    "... This guy¡­" Danny facepalmed as he struggled to keep his calm. He already knew that Arthur was that reckless but it still baffles him how he finds trouble so fast on his own. It was like he was a trouble ma that could never stop attracting disasters everywhere he went.


    "Arthur, can I have a moment with you?"


    "Hm?"


    Turning around, Arthur noticed that I had a serious look on her face.


    "Sure."


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 158: Chapter 158- Life’s Worth

    Arthur then moved away from the group a little. There, I turned around and looked at him. "What happened exactly?" She asked seriously.


    "... As I said, I''m just-"


    "I know you very well, Arthur. You might''ve helped the girl but the fact you brought her here means you noticed something." I shook her head. At this point, she knew Arthur enough to understand how he thinks and how he acts.


    Arthur, on the other hand, was quite shocked by I. He didn''t expect her to immediately pinpoint why he had that girl with him without thinking twice. Even he had to contemte it before doing it.


    ''... She really understands me so easily.'' He thought to himself. For some reason, the fact that I was that aware of Arthur''s nature made him a little delighted. Not many people truly understood him and his extremely weird behavior.


    "Well, I don''t know if my hunch is right or not. But, that girl is not normal. Something about her is very¡­ Odd." Looking over his shoulder at the timid girl, he spoke his thoughts.


    "Odd? What do you mean?"


    "Do you not feel it?"


    "No."


    "... I can''t really describe it in words. But, she''s just not normal. What made me even more sure of it was her backstory. She told me that her family had gotten rid of her because she''s useless and those men captured her for some reason." Arthur replied.


    I frowned visibly when she heard that. "Useless?" She asked.


    "Yes, I was confused just like you. Something is definitely off with the entire thing and that poor girl has been the victim of it from what I can see." He replied.


    "Throwing her away because she''s useless, huh? That kind of behavior¡­ Is far too familiar to me." I scratched her chin. This was not the first time she had heard of such a situation. In fact, she had heard of it several times. "Only arrogant, power-hungry parents would do such a thing."


    "Arrogant, power-hungry parents?" Arthur raised an eyebrow before he was suddenly hit with it. "Wait, do you mean that her background is not from amon family?"


    "... Could be. I will have to see for myself first." I replied. So far, she hadn''t said anything to the girl or even heard her speak.


    "Hm, well, she said she wants to leave the city and go somewhere where they can''t find her. I already told her that it''s dangerous but she doesn''t seem to want to listen."


    "..."


    "I don''t know what to do with her," Arthur said as he ran his hand through his hair.


    I remained silent as she stared at the girl for a few seconds. Then, she started walking. "I will deal with it."


    "How?"


    "..."


    Hearing no response, Arthur followed her curiously. He didn''t know how she would help the girl, but he was open to suggestions. When the two came back, Sora flinched as she took a step back. I approached her slowly and crouched down.


    "Arthur had told me what happened with you and I must say, I am truly sorry you have gone through such a harsh situation. I cannot imagine how hard it must''ve been." She said in a surprisingly sad and sympathetic tone. Even though her voice was still as cold and as calm as ever, everyone could feel the actual feelings within and so did Sora.


    "..." The girl pursed her lips. She didn''t know what to say at that moment. She had been indeed through hell and back several times and nobody was there to help her. She was on the verge of losing hope many times, and the pain didn''t help at all.


    The world didn''t spare her, even when she tried to escape and do everything she could to be free. It only dragged her back to hell without any hesitation. She hated every single moment of existence in this world. But, she didn''t want to die. She refused to do that and for some reason, even when everything was grim, her beating heart still fought for a moment of salvation.


    A miracle that mighte and save her when she was at her lowest point. But, it took too long¡­ Far too long.


    Sora felt her eyes tearing up at that moment but she didn''t let herself get too engrossed in her own feelings. She wasn''t going to let them see that. She had to be strong.


    "I''m fine. He said that you''re going to help me leave the city." She said.


    "... Well, not quite. I have another suggestion for you." I said. "How about youe with us?"


    "What?"


    "Huh?"


    "I?"


    The entire group was surprised by the weird suggestion, and they voiced it out loud without realizing it. But, I lifted her hand as a signal for them to wait.


    "We have a good spot to hide you from whoever is looking for you. Until you decide what you want to do. I believe leaving the city in such a state isn''t going to help you much, is it?"


    What I said was reasonable and Sora was aware of it very well. Initially, leaving the city was her only option because she trusted that she could somehow find a ce where she could hide until they forgot about her and then try to reach another city south or even north or wherever her feet brought her.


    But, that didn''t mean that she was all too for that idea. It was just the only avable option she had.


    "... Where are you going to hide me?" She asked.


    "Well, you will have to see yourself," I said. "What do you think? Do you want toe with us? I understand if you don''t want to since we''re strangers. But, your life isn''t worthless to throw it away that easily. Consider it carefully." Staring into the girl''s eyes, she conveyed all her thoughts through that look.


    The girl found herselfpletely captivated by I''s beautiful eyes. Those eyes were akin to hypnotizing pendants that worked to change anyone''s mind. It was simply magic. What hit Sora''s heart even more were those words.


    ''My life¡­ isn''t worthless?'' The girl repeated those words in her head with a dazed look. Nobody had ever told her that before in her life, not even as a joke. All she heard was that she was a failure, a disgusting defective piece of garbage, and apletely worthless daughter with no future or present.


    She could only ept those words as there was nothing else to see. She believed that she was indeed worthless. But, at the very least, she never wanted to throw her life away. She didn''t know why, but that was thest line she could never cross.


    Now, someone she didn''t know was telling her that she wasn''t a waste. She was far more precious than that.


    *Drip*


    Before she could even realize it, tears fell to the ground, melting the ice beneath her feet. She didn''t notice those tears until they started falling and when she did, she panicked and quickly tried to wipe them. But, they kept trickling down endlessly.


    "No¡­ I¡­ I can''t¡­" She fumbled the words she wanted to say as everyone watched her with solemn looks. They could see the pain in her eyes as clear as day. The little girl was broken¡­


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 159: Chapter 159- The Foundation (Part 1)

    It took several minutes before Sora finally calmed down a little and wiped her tears off. She couldn''t believe that she ended up crying in front of all these people without being able to stop herself. She felt embarrassed and more importantly afraid.


    She was afraid that they might hurt her just like everyone else did. But, unlike everyone else, these people didn''t seem bad. They didn''t give her any bad feelings at all. She couldn''t believe that she had met people who wanted to help her.


    "... Did you calm down?" I asked as she gently patted the girl''s shoulder.


    "Mm¡­" The girl nodded her head.


    "It must''ve been really tough on you. But, don''t worry, we will help you as much as we can. They won''t get you anymore." I nodded.


    Even though initially, I didn''t have the intention to bring this girl with them, seeing her condition and hearing about what she went through, she could only feel deep sympathy toward Sora. She could understand where the girl came from and her past as I was in a sense simr to that girl.


    ''I can''t ignore someone in need.'' She thought to herself as she stood up. ''Whatever trouble this might bring us, I do not mind.''


    "I suppose you agree to my offer?" I asked.


    "... I don''t know much about you all. But, I suppose I can at least see where you''re bringing me." Sora replied.


    "Great!" Arthur eximed. ''I has some amazing convincing abilities. She easily made her change her mind. No wonder she''s a leader, this is like a second nature to her.''


    A few words were more than enough for I to take things where she wanted them to go. She didn''t have to say anything grandiose or long. She simply showed sincere emotions and carefully gave Sora another option to save herself.


    "Wow¡­ Another person joined us just like that." Herculia muttered with an astonished look on his face. Their group had grownrger andrger in a short period of time. What was before only 4 people was now 8. It doubled.


    "Well, hi there, Sora. You can call me Emmy. This big man right here is Heruclia and that grumpy boy is Danny." Emmy introduced them with a friendly smile and extended her hand to Sora to shake it.


    The girl was hesitant at first but then slowly shook her hand. "Nice¡­ Nice to meet you."


    "Hehe, you''re so adorable."


    "Enough chit-chatting. We need to go. Fiy and Serko have been waiting." I pped her hands, taking everyone''s attention.


    "Where did you guys put them?" Arthur asked.


    "Oh, right, he doesn''t know!" Herculia snapped his fingers.


    "Huh? What do you mean?"


    "You will see for yourself," Danny replied as he started walking after I.


    "... Ok."


    Finally, the group left the gates and headed into the main street where the city was at its liveliest state. The capital was extremely massive to the point where seasons differentiated between one area and another.


    The number of people living in it was in the hundreds of millions or even billions. So, even during thete hours of the day, the city was still brimming with life as if it never sleeps. It was like a beacon of light in the darkness of the world around.


    A few minutester, the group took a turn and moved into the smaller streets and blocks of the city. The farther they walked, the less popted the ces became.


    Eventually, they stopped in front of one particr building. Away from most activity, this particr area was very quietpared to where they were a while ago. The sense of tranquility coupled with the snow falling from the sky endlessly gave it a veryforting albeit cold feeling.


    As for the building, it looked very seamless in its surroundings, blending well with everything else. It had nothing unique going for it except for the sign hanging in front of the door. ''Frozen Mead Hotel'' it said inrge letters.


    "A hotel?" He asked.


    "Yes, we have found hotels in here. So, we decided to book a room and keep Fiy and Serko there. They should be safe." Emmy replied.


    "I didn''t know hotels existed in this world. But, it does make sense." Arthur muttered. ''Though, I wonder if there are those fantasy taverns around. I must look into that.''


    "Hey, are youing, Arthur?"


    Looking down, Arthur realized that everyone had walked inside. So, he shook his head and followed them. The interior was very fantasy-like but also with some hints of modern simplicity. A few seats, a main desk, and stairs to the side that led to the floors above.


    There was only a receptionist at the main lounge who greeted them casually and went back to reading the book in her hands as if she didn''t care. So, they all headed to the floor above silently.


    ''Wow, thatdy looks very grumpy.'' Arthur thought to himself. ''She''s ring at me now. Don''t look¡­'' He averted his eyes quickly when he felt the strong re poring into his back.


    Reaching the second floor, they moved through the corridors and stopped in front of one of the rooms. I then used the key and opened the door. The interior of the room was very simple. One bedroom and a bathroom.


    "Hm? Who''s there?"


    Immediately, two kids emerged out of the room, peeking hesitantly. When they saw Arthur and the others, their eyes lit up in excitement.


    "Guys!"


    They rushed toward them in a hurry. One of them hugged Arthur and the other hugged I enthusiastically.


    "Hey there guys, hahaha!" Arthur smiled as he patted Fiy''s back gently. "Did you miss me?"


    "Yes! Where have you been?! We waited so long!"


    "We had work to do," I replied. A hint of softness could be seen in her eyes as she stared at Serko and Fiy. "Did anyonee here or knock on the door?"


    "No, we stayed here alone the entire time."


    "That''s good."


    "... This is the ce you talked about?" Sora asked. "I have never been to a hotel before."


    "It''s the temporary ce we''re using to stay hidden from the eyes of people," Danny replied. "We will have to move out somewhere else sooner orter. With the guild update avable now, we''re bound to need a ce of our own to establish the guild."


    "I wonder how much a building would cost us if we try to buy one. It must be quite expensive." Emmy replied.


    "Or we can just buynd and build our own headquarters there," Herculia suggested.


    As the group started discussing that, Arthur listened with a frozen expression.


    "Wait, wait, wait. Hold your horses, guys! You''re already making a guild?" He asked. It was not the fact that they were starting a guild that surprised him, it was the fact that they were going to start a guild this early.


    Not only does a guild require a lot of attention and work to establish and expand, but they were all still fairly early into the game even if they were the best yers in the world.


    "..."


    The group looked at Arthur confusedly. "Uh, of course we are. What''s so confusing about it? Of course, you''re going to join, Arthur."


    "No, that''s not what I''m saying. Isn''t it a little bit too early to start a guild?"


    "It''s not. We''re the very first people to arrive at the capital. We have to make use of that opportunity and establish our presence here before everyone else eventually arrives." Danny replied.


    ''... It seems they don''t understand how guilds work. Usually, starting a guild early is a very risky thing to do as it hinders the yers'' growth and makes them focus on other tasks instead of leveling up and getting stronger first.''


    Arthur was aware that I and the others were not into video games before they started ying DO so such small details would go right over their heads as they would approach things with real-life logic rather than in-game logic.


    "Is there a problem with that, Arthur?" I approached him slowly.


    ''Should I even stop them from starting the guild? Does game logic even apply in this world to make starting a guild now counter-intuitive?''


    The simple answer to that was¡­ He didn''t know. There were too many variables to simply follow his idea. Arthur didn''t want I and the others to do something risky so soon but at the same time, if it was a good opportunity, he didn''t wish to hinder them.


    ''It''s certainly a risky move but¡­ Is it worth taking?''


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 160: Chapter 160- The Foundation (Part 2)

    Everyone went silent for a good few seconds before Arthur looked up. "It''s just¡­ Well, it''s a little risky to start a guild now from what I know. It can take a lot of work to make it flourish and get stronger. There is still a lot of room for improvement individually so I thought it might harm your growth if you start a guild now." He said.


    "..."


    They all looked at each other for a moment before they looked at I. She was the one who made decisions for the team so if there was one single person to speak, it was her. The girl took some time to contemte before she asked.


    "Are you sure about that?"


    "Not really. It''s just what I know from other games. I can''t say for DO as it''spletely different from what I know."


    I nodded her head faintly.


    "Making a guild is the best way to establish our presence in the capital and expand very quickly. If we wait, it will only get harder and harder to do that. I understand that you see the risk in that." I said. "But, this has been our n from the moment we stepped into the game."


    "... That is fine. It''s simply a suggestion. As I told you before, I''m not going to get too involved with you guys or it will cause you trouble. If you need any help with the guild, I''m here." Heughed awkwardly.


    ''They''re far more determined than I am. It''s a little embarrassing that I''m the only one thinking about the risks as if it''s the end of the world. Everything has a degree of risk in this game.'' Arthur shook his head.


    It surprised him that he would be the most reckless person ever at times and be scared of doing other things at other times.


    ''I''m a walking talking contradiction if I ever seen one.'' He clicked his tongue.


    "We will definitely need your help building the foundation." I nodded.


    "What do we even need to start a guild?"


    "A headquarters and members to fill all the roles for the guild," Emmy replied. "Here, it says we need at least 6 members to start a guild."


    "Six members, huh? Let''s see¡­ Well, we''re eight here. More than enough." Herculia replied. "What else?"


    "Hmm, we also need a name for the Guild."


    "A name, huh? Do you guys have any suggestions?"


    "It''s not the time to think of the name yet," I said coldly. "We have far more important things to do. We still have at least a few days before the first batch of yers arrives in the city. We will create the guild after we secure our position."


    I''s n was very simple, to quickly and effectively spread their influence across the entire region. To do that, they need to create a name for themselves. She still didn''t know how they could do that since theycked information. The bits and pieces of info they gathered so far were simply not enough.


    But, her best hunch was something they learned upon meeting those royal mercenaries. ''The royal family is watching us currently. They are most definitely interested in us and will make contact in the future. If we y our cards right, we will be able to make them support us in creating our guild here.''


    However, that came with its own downsides. I didn''t even need to meet the royal family to know that their interest was purely out of greed for power. The yers are considered Gifted people with immense power. They are akin to weapons of mass destruction that are waiting to be nurtured.


    But, people in power weren''t going to let these yers simply reach their peak potential and threaten their position. Instead, they will opt for something far more effective.


    ''Controlling our growth to match what they want and then use our powers for their own purposes. If we fall into that trap, we are not escaping it.''


    I''s main mission was clear: Create the guild and keep the royal family or any other group of people in power in the capital away from them until they be a true powerhouse themselves. That was easier said than done considering how extremely dangerous these people are.


    Even if the capital looked like a safe haven for humans, I wasn''t hypnotized by that facade.


    ''Not at all dangeres in the form of hideous faces andrge fangs. It cane in the form of a friendly smile and a handshake.''


    "I?"


    Looking up, she said. "Our very first step is simple. We need to sell all the items we don''t need. We have gathered a lot of things across our journey and most of it isn''t going to be of use. After that, we need to buy new armor and weapons if necessary. Our equipment is getting old and weathered after all the battles we went through."


    Most of the armor they all had was already damaged beyond repair. Even as they were standing there, they all looked like they just came out of a brutal battle. Their weapons were also getting old and weakpared to their own strength.


    "Buy the best equipment you can find that fits you. We need to be at our peak for what''s about toe."


    "What about us?" Serko lifted his hand.


    "You two have a very important task to do. Can you design the building for our future guild?" She asked with a softer tone.


    "Yes! We would be happy to do that!"


    "Hahaha! We have the best builders this world has to offer! Fiy and Serko can make the best goddamn headquarters anyone can think of!" Herculiaughed heartily. They all knew the sheer talent the two dwarves possessed. Building their headquarters was a task only they could take.


    "Now, with that being said, what are you waiting for? We have a lot of work to do. Go!"


    "Yes, ma''am!"


    "Could you please get us some paper and pencils to draw on your way back here?"


    "Hmm, I will try to see if I can find some." Emmy nodded her head.


    Quickly, Herculia, Danny, and Emmy left the room and headed outside to get their tasks done. They needed some time to sell all their stuff and get their new equipment so they couldn''t waste any more time.


    "We will start nning the structure. If you would excuse us." Fiy and Serko then vanished somewhere.


    That left Arthur, I, and Sora alone. Sora was silent the entire time, listening to their conversations with a confused look on her face. She didn''t understand anything at all so she simply remained secluded and silent.


    "You," I said.


    "Y-Yes!" The girl flinched visibly as she straightened her posture.


    "You wille with me. You need to take a shower and get new clothes. I will help you." I exined.


    "A¡­ shower?" The girl asked.


    "Yes. A shower. Let''s get all that blood and dirt off you." I tapped her shoulder gently, leading her to the bathroom.


    Arthur watched the scene with a smile on his face. I was treating Sora like her own daughter in a way. Her tough front seemed to always melt when it came to people close to her.


    "I''m also going out to buy some stuff for myself."


    "Understood."


    "See youter then."


    Then, Arthur himself left the hotel and headed back to the main street. ''I wonder if there is any good armor here for a reasonable price. I will have to look and see.''


    Unbeknownst to him, something was about to happen that would change his nspletely.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 161: Chapter 161- Hide-And-Seek

    For the next hour or so, Arthur roamed the city, looking for any interesting weapon shops he might find. He knew that the ones on the main street were the safest option since they were considerably popr.


    But, Arthur knew that going for the safe options was not fun. He liked to find those hidden gems, those ces that nobody knew about that brought him the weirdest items possible. The same situation he found himself in when he found Nina''s shop.


    That shop waspletely deserted, but not only did he gain immensely powerful abilities from it, but he also gained perhaps the hardest quest this game had to offer and the rewards that woulde with that were naturally huge if he seeded.


    However, even after a long trip through the city and every corner he came across, Arthur couldn''t really find any good shops that caught his eye. The ce was simply too vast for him to easily stumble across something interesting that easily.


    ''I have mapped a good chunk of this area. Well, it''s probably not that big of an area. But, at least I have an idea of where to go from now on.'' Arthur thought to himself as he stopped in the middle of the street and checked his map.


    After walking for almost 2 hours across the entire day, Arthur had covered a fraction of the snow fall region of the city. It was nothingpared to the true size of the capital, but he knew that this was going to take a while either way.


    ''Tsk, I still haven''t found any good shops to buy new armor. I''m a little annoyed.'' He mused as he closed the map and looked around him. There were countless buildings around him in every direction and yet none of them was what he looked for.


    ''At this point, if I don''t find what I''m looking for today, I will have to resort to simply buying from one of these normal-looking shops.''


    Arthur''s n was to start practicing what he learned today from the academy. He had already seen one of those practicing areas on his way through the city. He didn''t want to waste the entire day just wandering around without doing anything productive.


    Sighing, the boy started walking again, heading deeper into the city. He wasn''t too focused on his steps as his eyes kept looking around, constantly searching for anything eye-catching.


    *Step*


    At that very moment, Arthur felt a chill run down his spine as he heard a weird ice-crunching sound behind him. Instantly, he turned around with wide eyes as he looked around him. The world had already returned to normal. People were walking around him, unbothered by his existence.


    Yet, this lively atmosphere had shiftedpletely for Arthur. That single step he heard was perhaps the weirdest thing he experienced here.


    ''... What was that? I felt something off for a split second there.'' He breathed slowly. After making sure nobody was there, Arthur turned around and started walking slowly. He hadpletely forgotten about his purpose and was now focused on his surroundings very carefully.


    His senses scanned the countless people passing beside him, going about their day. Nothing happened after that for several minutes.


    ''Was that just my imagination? I can''t really tell. Am I being overly paranoid for no reason?'' He thought to himself as he exhaled the breath he held the entire time.


    "Ok, let''s see¡­ I didn''t check that area ye-"


    *Step*


    Then, he felt it again closer than before. Arthur instantly stiffened as the hair on his body stood up. The goosebumps sent through his body from the cold look he received made him forget everything he was thinking of doing.


    Now, it was not paranoia anymore, he was certain that someone was following him and they were not that far away either.


    ''They just walked behind me¡­ about a few inches away and they somehow vanished so quickly again! Who am I dealing with?''


    Even though Arthur was having a mental crisis at that moment, he decided against showing it on his face. Instead, he started walking again in a normal manner, trying to keep his face as stoic as ever. He didn''t want to show fear on his face.


    ''What should I do?''


    What made the situation worse was that Arthur was now in a considerably less popted area of the city. He had walked off the main streets into the smaller paths that are still packed with people. However, his options were now very minimal.


    He can either try to head back to the main street where he would most likely still be followed or remain there and still be followed. He cannot go back to where the others are or he would put them at risk.


    ''Should I just try to make a run for it? But¡­ Where am I supposed to go?''


    Arthur''s mind raced through all his options as he felt the eyes looking at him get even closer than before. He kept looking over his shoulder, but with this many people walking past him, he really couldn''t tell who was looking and who wasn''t. Suddenly, every single face became a potential suspect.


    ''That? No, that person? No! Did that person just look at me?!'' He kept asking himself, growing more and more paranoid with each passing second. Meanwhile, his feet carried him through the street aimlessly.


    A few minutes passed awfully slow during which Arthur''sposure was tested more than ever before in his life. He knew he was being followed, and he knew these people were extremely dangerous. But, he didn''t know where or why they were chasing him.


    Arthur knew that he had to take some kind of decision anytime now. To either run away or to face these people.


    ''Ugh! I should just send it, shouldn''t I? I mean¡­ These eyes don''t feel hostile as I should expect.''


    As ironic as it was, the people following him didn''t seem like they intended to harm him. His reason for thinking that was simple. They were tantly leaving themselves easily detectable to his senses without trying to hide it. Normally, if they were intending to harm him, they would try to stay hidden and careful, the exact opposite of what they were doing at that time.


    Also, even though Arthur felt a chill down his spine from these looks, they were not technically ominous. They were simply terrifying because they were very sharp as if they wanted to pierce through his skin.


    ''Maybe they''re¡­ Not trying to pick a fight? It''s not like if they did, I would be able to beat them. Either way, I''m screwed.''


    Reaching that conclusion, Arthur sucked a deep breath. ''If you''re not going to show up in front of me¡­ Fine, I''m going straight to you.'' He thought to himself as he looked to the side.


    There, he saw a small, secluded alley that went somewhere deep into the residential areas of the city. Squinting his eyes, Arthur decided to change his direction and then walked straight into the alley.


    His hand slowly moved to his sword as he slowly channeled his mana, ready to engage in battle at any moment''s notice. The alley led him left and right before it divided into several other paths.


    Arthur took the widest one for the best possible space in case he was required to fight or do something physical. When he walked far enough from the main streets, he finally stopped and looked up.


    "Juste out and spare me this hide-and-seek game. I''m not a huge fan of that, you see." He dered loudly.


    For a few seconds, he didn''t receive any response. One would think Arthur was talking to his own demons. But, it didn''t take long for something to finally happen.


    Two silhouettes appeared right behind Arthur. The boy slowly turned around and looked at them with squinted eyes. The two people werepletely shrouded in blue, almost icey veils. They wore blue coats, and blue, ssy masks that covered their mouths, leaving only their eyes visible.


    If he had to describe them, they looked like soldiers of snow, blending well with the white world around them.


    ''... So these are the bastards that kept ying that horror game with me? They''re definitely¡­ Very strong. Way stronger than me.''


    Even with their aura very suppressed, Arthur was certain the two could easily kill him and he couldn''t be able to do anything about it. They were way too high-level for him.


    "Good evening, Gifted." One of them spoke in a cold voice as if he were some kind of a robot.


    ''They know that I''m Gifted, huh? Yeah, they aren''t simple.'' That detail confirmed his suspicion. These people were not some nobodies.


    "Good evening, my ass! You were trying to give me a heart attack, weren''t you?" Arthur asked with an angry look on his face.


    "..." The two individuals remained silent, looking almost confused.


    "Tsk. So, who are you? And why were you chasing me around?" He asked as he crossed his arms in front of his chest.


    "We have been awaiting your arrival to the capital." The man said. "It''s our honor to wee you here. His Highness had sent us specifically to meet you."


    "For what reason exactly?"


    ''His Highness? The king? Or another royal family member?''


    "You are invited to tomorrow''s main event at the ''Seraphica Coliseum'' at 8 PM." The man said as he pulled a letter out of his veil and then threw it to Arthur. The piece of paper flew gently until it rested on Arthur''s hand.


    "We wish to see you there."


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 162: Chapter 162- Invitation

    "Huh? Invitation? Colosseum? What the hell are you talking about?" Arthur asked as he looked at the envelope with a confused expression. He didn''t understand what the two were talking about at all.


    ''Are there Colosseums in the capital? I didn''t know of that.'' He thought to himself. Arthur had never really expected to hear about such a thing here. However, he wasn''tpletely shocked. With how massive the city was, for a Colosseum to exist was not an oundish idea. The problem was¡­ Why was he invited to the Colosseum?


    "Seraphica Colosseum. It is one of this city''s greatest monuments. It is an ancient structure built to host diator shows for people to watch." The man exined. "Each year, we host a long season where warriors of all ces of the worlde to fight,pete and win the prize."


    ''... Sounds just like the Colosseum I know of.'' Arthur thought to himself. "I see¡­ And why am I invited there?"


    "His Highness would love to meet you there. That invitation contains a VIP ticket to the main show that will begin tomorrow." The man exined.


    Hearing that, Arthur frowned visibly. He was anticipating that response and yet it still wasn''t something simple to take. ''Meeting one of the royal family so soon¡­ Shit, this sounds like a lot of fun.''


    In his head, he expected the royal family to take some time before making contact with them. But, it seemed he underestimated how eager they were to make contact with the Gifted yers.


    "We expect to see you tomorrow. Thank you for your cooperation."


    Hearing that, Arthur snapped out of his daze and looked up. "Wait, who said I''m going to ept?!"


    ''Nonsense, of course, I''m going. But, I need to pretend like I''m hard to please for certain purposes.'' He added in his head.


    "His Highness only wishes to talk. He isn''t going to harm you. In fact, he wishes to be of aid to you, Gifted people, so you can establish yourself in our capital and across the borders of the empire from the east to the west. It is an offer that will surely be of benefit to you."


    "..."


    ''Fuck, the sweet-talking is too good. They''re already making me curious. I know that if there is one person that might make me soar to the sky¡­ It''s one of those at the peak of power like the royal family. Meeting one of its members is going to be a goddamn festival.''


    In his current position, Arthur needed every single opportunity to get stronger or to acquire strong allies. The royal families were bound to be of great use to Arthur in his future ordeals.


    ''Well¡­ It''s true that I''m nning to infiltrate their bastion and perhaps ignite a war with the royal family. But, that''s a problem for my dear brother ''Future Arthur'' to take care of. I know it''s tough, but you have my prayers, good man.''


    "Ok, I will see if I can free my packed schedule and go there. This better be worth my time." Arthur scoffed coldly.


    "Understood. Now, if you will excuse us."


    Then, the two individuals turned around and left as quickly as they appeared akin to some kind of illusion, leaving Arthur alone standing there. He blinked a few times before he slowly looked down at the letter.


    Thinking for a moment, he decided to open it right there and read the content. However, the moment he opened the piece of paper, Arthur''s eyes widened.


    ***


    "Huff¡­ Huff¡­. Huff¡­"


    Arthur rushed back to the hotel as fast as he could. Even though he was an hour away, he ran back as fast as he could, crossing that distance in record time. Reaching the room, he knocked on the door in a hurry.


    "Hurry, hurry¡­" He muttered as he waited for someone to open the door for him. A few secondster, he finally heard the doorknob twist and open.


    "I!" Seeing the girl, Arthur''s eyes lit up. "You have no idea what I just re-"


    However, before he could even finish the sentence, I lifted her hand with a serious look, revealing a familiar piece of paper in her hand. It was the same letter Arthur received. Seeing that, the boy blinked before he looked at I.


    "... They found you too?"


    "And everyone else. They had given all of us an invitation." She replied as she let him walk in and closed the door before locking it to make sure nobody could overhear them talking. This matter was too important for unknown people to eavesdrop especially knowing that the royal family knows where they are and what they''re doing.


    Walking inside, Arthur found everyone sitting in the same room, looking very serious in a solemn atmosphere. He could understand what they were thinking of through their expressions.


    "They already know where we are. That''s fucking terrifying!" Herculia clenched his teeth. "How did they even figure out where we are so fast? We haven''t been here for a day."


    "This is their domain. It''s terrifying, but it''s not surprising." Emmy shook her head.


    "... They definitely knew that we arrived the moment we took our first step inside the city. No, perhaps even before that considering the fact those royal mercenaries were ready for our arrival¡­ Tsk, sneaky bastards." Danny added as he crossed his arms.


    "These royal family people are scary, Fiy."


    "That''s true, Serko."


    Everyone was sharing basically the same sentiment. The royal family had shown them as clear as day that they were a power to be reckoned with. The fact that they could find a group of people amongst hundreds of millions of humans so quickly was telling them that the capital waspletely under their control and they had eyes everywhere.


    The group had nowhere to hide even if they wished to hide.


    "Hey, on the bright side, they don''t seem to be hostile so far. I met two of them, and they were clearly not trying to attack me." Arthur replied with a shrug. "What''s more important than that is the goddamn map that came with the invitation. Did you see where the Colosseum is located?"


    "Hm? I was too surprised with the invitation to check the map."


    "Me too."


    "Same here."


    "Oh, man! Come on, guys! This is by far the most insane detail out of everything! Look!" Arthur pulled the piece of paper out and put it on the table before he pointed at the location. "That''s the Seraphica Colosseum and then not that far away from it."


    He dragged his hand across the map a little till he stopped on a giant gaping ck hole in the heart of the map. It was massive and eye-catching for anyone who checks the map. His eyes twinkled with excitement as he couldn''t contain it all. He had run back simply for this single detail.


    "That''s¡­" The others looked curiously.


    "The Divine Tower. That''s the Divine Tower!"


    "Oh¡­"


    "It seems the Colosseum is near the divine tower. We will be seeing the structure from up close!"


    Calling this an insane opportunity was an understatement. Ever since he stepped into this city Arthur had been seeing that massive shrouded structure in the distance. It stood there, towering menacingly over anything and everything. It looked terrifying, yet it also was beckoning him to unravel it.


    All his curiosity was directed at that tower and whatever was hidden inside of it. He wanted to see everything.


    Arthur knew that he would have to eventually go there but he didn''t know when. Surprisingly, that chance came sooner than he expected.


    His very first look at the Divine Tower¡­ was but a day away.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 163: Chapter 163- Seraphica Colosseum (Part 1)

    "So, it''s built next to the Divine Tower? That''s¡­ Surprising." Emmy muttered as she stared at the map with a thoughtful look. It slowly dawned on her that they were about to go to the heart of the capital, where the tower was.


    The mythical structure that caused the death of countless people and the suffering of many more. Nobody couldpletelyprehend how it would look from up close. All they could see of it through the window was its shrouded silhouette, standing like a divine pir that held the skies from falling.


    "Wow¡­ So that thing outside is this?" Fiy asked curiously as he peeked at the map. "That¡­ That is an impressive structure¡­ How did they build it, I wonder."


    "If you don''t know how, I doubt anyone does, Fiy." Arthurughed as he patted the boy''s head. The two dwarves were experts at architecture and engineering, and yet even they were quite impressed by the tower.


    "So, are we going or not?" Danny asked.


    "Is that even a question?" Arthur raised an eyebrow. "There is really no point in refusing now. They know where we are and what we are going to do. We might as well try to get some help from them."


    "What if their intentions are malicious?" Emmy asked. "We can''t just believe everything they say."


    "Emmy is right. I don''t trust those bastards." Herculia rubbed the back of his head. "Hostile or not, we''re still dealing with unknown people."


    "We are going." At that moment, I spoke coldly, making everyone turn around and look at her. "But¡­ We aren''t going there to get help. We are going to strike a deal. That is most likely what the royal family is looking for too."


    I could easily read what was going through the mind of the person who sent them the invitations simply because his mind worked just like the people she learned to deal with in real life. The greedy, power-hungry bastards who use every means possible to get what they want even if they resort to deception and lies.


    She understood those people perfectly and this man was most likely the same type. So, all she had to do was treat him just like how she treats the others and be very careful with every single word she says.


    "Strike a deal, huh?"


    "What kind of deal?"


    "Optimally, to keep them away from us as much as possible. They will most definitely try to drag us into their ns and make us work like pawns. But, they also know that we''re the ones at an advantage here. They cannot get rid of us even if they wish to. We are immortal in their eyes so even death threats cannot control us."


    yers were technically unkible in the eyes of the people in this world. No matter how many times they get stabbed, burnt, or decapitated, they would reappear again a whileter. It made controlling them almost possible. So, I''s hunch was that the royal family would resort to something way harder.


    "What are they going to do then?" Arthur asked.


    "Deception. He will probably try to make us believe that his offer is something that we can''t miss and that it''s out of goodwill. That way we will be under the illusion that we are free to do what we want while they''re leading us by the nose to where they want."


    "A carrot and a stick, huh?" The boy muttered. ''Yeah, that sounds very much within the realm of possibility.''


    "Well, that will be a tough nut to crack," Danny said. "But, if we y our cards right, we shouldn''t be dragged into anything stupid. Except of course if a certain person does something really stupid and ends up dragging us all with him." Saying that, Danny red at Arthur.


    "Hey! Don''t look at me like that. I''m not going to speak, you lot are better at negotiations than I am. Just do what you need to do." Arthur clicked his tongue with an offended look.


    ''I know how to pick the trouble I want to involve myself in. I''m a picky troublemaker.''


    "It''s not time for arguments now. Listen to me carefully." I said. "Here is the n for tomorrow."


    Immediately, the group surrounded the table as they listened carefully to what their leader was about to say. Unbeknownst to them, one person stood at the back, unable to listen to what she was about to say.


    ***


    *Unknown ce*


    Far away from where the group was situated on one of the high buildings of the capital. A silhouette stood alone on the roof of the building, watching the snow umted on the streets of the city.


    The world around him was dark, shrouding him inplete mystery as if he were a ghost of sorts. His body waspletely motionless except for the asional small steamy breaths he exhaled due to the cold weather. Nobody knew for how long he stood there. Minutes, hours, perhaps even days. It was unclear.


    "..."


    At a random point, he slowly opened his closed eyes as if he sensed something. His eyes were a shocking mix of blue and green. Heterochromatic eyes with a strong gaze that could make anyone shudder in terror.


    His suppressed aura appeared like a misty halo around him with how thick it was. Even the snow beneath his feet had melted, creating arge dry area around him.


    At that moment, several silhouettes appeared out of nowhere on top of the building, all aligned perfectly behind the man. Then, they all instantly kneeled on their feet.


    "We are back, Your Highness." They all said at the same time.


    The man didn''t reply as he stood there,pletely silent. They were ustomed to this attitude of his and so they didn''t really think much of it. Their master was indeed a very weird man with an entric personality.


    "So?" Finally, after what seemed like ages, he opened his mouth and asked.


    "... We have delivered the invitations, sir. We expect all of them to attend tomorrow."


    "..." Slowly, the man nodded his head. "Good. The night sky had told me of their arrival. Those stars... Uh, what a beautiful night. I know that tomorrow will be good too."


    "..."


    The man then turned around. "This snow is a blessing upon me. Those Gifted individuals are now within arms reach, after all these years. Hahaha¡­ Hahaha¡­"


    None of his followers dared to even speak or look up. The words their master was uttering were not new, but they were also cryptic and iprehensible.


    "Your Highness¡­"


    Out of nowhere, one of the followers spoke, surprising everyone else. It was rare for one of them to speak when they weren''t addressed. It was simply too risky to do that.


    "What?" The man stopped hisughter and looked coldly at who spoke.


    "... We¡­ Ehem, one of those Gifted yers we came across¡­ He was very odd." The man said.


    "Odd? In what way?"


    "... We have traced a faint aura on him¡­ That aura is simr to yours, your highness."


    "..." For a second, his Highness was confused. His eyes squinted slightly as he contemted those words. Then, slowly, they widened. "Tell me everything." He spoke after a second.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 164: Chapter 164- Seraphica Colosseum (Part 2)

    "Is everything clear?" I asked as she stood up.


    "Yes, seems simple enough," Herculia replied as he stretched his arms. I had exined everything they needed to do tomorrow and how they should go about doing it. She didn''t leave any possibilities behind, being as thorough as she could be.


    "It''s going to be a little tricky for sure. I don''t mind it, a little more thrill for me." Arthur smiled. He knew that even if they knew what their opponent wanted to do, actually guiding the conversation where they wanted it to go was going to be very hard. After all, they weren''t dealing with a nobody.


    "Hopefully things go well and we don''t end up in a bad situation," Emmy replied as she rubbed her hands together. "Something tells me we aren''t going to have it as smooth as we want."


    "We just need to get the best we can out of it. It doesn''t have to be the most optimal situation." Danny shook his head.


    "..."


    They all knew that they weren''t going to have it their own way the entire time. The other side certainly had their ways of trying to make the situation go in their favor. They were perhaps going to offer them things they couldn''t find anywhere else, financial support, a strong connection with the Last Empire, or even better things.


    Seeing the solemn looks on his group, Arthur sighed inwardly. He knew that they were deeply worried about what could happen tomorrow. After all, this step was sudden and extremely crucial for their ns of bing a strong power in the Divine Realm.


    Their entire families await these results and any mistakes could change the oue drastically in the favor of their enemies. In other words, they didn''t have that much leisure to make mistakes.


    ''I can''t understand how hard that is on their minds. But, I can''t let my guard down either.'' He thought to himself as he shifted his gaze away from the group to one particr person sitting on their own.


    Sora was silent the entire time they were there. She sat on a chair, holding her hands together tightly as she kept looking down. She seemed lost¡­ Almost terrified for some reason. Arthur frowned when he noticed that and decided to approach her.


    "Hey, are you ok?" Crouching down to her level, he asked.


    "Huh?" The girl was seemingly perturbed by the sudden voice and she flinched visibly.


    ''Why is she looking pale? Did something happen?'' Arthur asked himself. The girl hadn''t been particrlyfortable the entire time she was here, but she looked extra worried at that moment.


    "Are you good? Do you feel sick?" Arthur asked.


    "... No, no¡­ I, I''m fine¡­" She tried to y it normal and replied as if nothing bothered her. But, Sora wasn''t good at pretending.


    ''There is definitely something wrong with her. Is it rted to what we were talking about?''


    "Are you sure? You can tell me if there is something wrong. I can help you." He said.


    "... No, I''m really¡­ Fine." The girl pursed her lips and replied.


    "..."


    Arthur didn''t find the words to persuade her anymore. She seemed adamant about remaining silent. So, he looked at her for a few seconds before he stood up and walked to the table again.


    Then, secretly, he whispered in I''s ear.


    "Keep an eye on Sora. She''s hiding something." He said.


    The girl didn''t turn around or react to his words, but she still registered them quickly. She already had a hunch that the girl was hiding something and she was keeping an eye on her the entire time. Which is why I had helped her shower and buy some clothes herself.


    Apart from wanting to aid this small child, she also wanted to watch the girl, and how she acted and precisely see what could be hiding within her mind. She tried to strike a conversation with the girl on their trip, but she didn''t gather much information about her background.


    "Ok, this should be it for now. We will gather tomorrow before going to the Colosseum. For now, just focus on our previous tasks." I said. "Arthur, did you not find new armor for yourself?"


    "No¡­ I really looked around. Didn''t find anything eye-catching." He said.


    "You should get the best thing you can find."


    "I know, I know. I''m working on it. Anyway, I''m leaving now. I have stuff to do. See youter guys." Arthur said.


    It has been already a few hours since he logged in and he still didn''t do much of what he intended to do. He only had a few more hours before logging off and heading to the Academy.


    After bidding everyone farewell, he left the hotel and headed into the heart of the city. This time, he didn''t go looking for a weapon shop to buy new gear but instead headed straight toward one particr location.


    Near the area''s biggest za, there was one particr location he had put his eyes on the moment he found it.


    Stopping in front of the massive building, he read the sign. "Training Grounds."


    This was Arthur''s intention the entire time, to continue practicing what he learned with the sword that day. The information was still vivid in his head and his body was eager to engrave it forever.


    "It seems to be open even though it''s veryte at night," Arthur muttered as he noticed the doors open and the lighting from inside.


    So, he decided to walk in. The interior of the building was rather calm and rxing. There were some people inside but not too many. Most of them were sitting on the sofas, rxing after what seemed to be a very tough training session.


    Ignoring them all, Arthur walked straight toward the reception desk where he found a youngdy waiting.


    "Excuse me."


    "Hm?" The girl heard the voice and looked up. "Oh! Good evening, sir! Are you here to book a training room?"


    "... Yes, please." He said. "How much is that?"


    "Two silvers per 30 minutes."


    ''God! That''s expensive!'' Arthur almost blurted out. The fees were way above what he expected. Luckily, Arthur had sold all the items he didn''t need so he had hundreds of silvers he could spare with ease.


    ''I have no reason to convert these coins into real-life currency yet. Everything I need is taken care of by the academy.''


    Pulling out 12 silvers, he handed them to the girl. "3 hours."


    "Understood. Three hours¡­" She wrote down some things and then handed him a key. "The 30th room to your right."


    "Understood. Have a nice day."


    Then, Arthur walked away without looking back. However, the girl stared at his back silently. "He is cute. I''ve never seen him around." She muttered. Then, she realized what she just said and blushed visibly. "What am I even saying?"


    ***


    "30th¡­ This one!" Stopping in front of the room, Arthur opened it then walked inside and closed the door.


    Immediately, Arthur was met with a surprising sight. The room was quiterge in size. It''s not asrge as the Training Realm but still considerably vast. Its walls were thick and solid, looking unbreakable and the ground was smooth and yet also good for grip. On the farthest wall, he could see a few archery targets while many mannequins stood in the middle of the room.


    To the side, Arthur noticed a few long seats next to arge container filled with weapons of all kinds.


    "Hmm, very nice." After a few moments, he moved toward the weapons to check them. As he expected, they were all pretty average and normal with no special features to be mentioned.


    "Should I use the sanguine de or this one?" He muttered as he rubbed his chin. ''The sanguine de is the one I''m most familiar with but it''s very strong on its own. I want to focus on my technique first.''


    Eventually, he decided on the cheap sword. After adjusting his grip on the sword, Arthur walked to the training target and took his position. Then, he closed his eyes and recalled what Theodore taught him exactly.


    His improved memory was able to easily recall every single detail from a few hours ago. It didn''t take him long to find the correct stance. When he was certain of it, Arthur opened his eyes andunched forward, shing down powerfully.


    *BANG*


    The sword hit the doll''s head, shaking it visibly.


    "Not good enough." He muttered as he took a step back and got ready to try again.


    *BANG*


    "No, it''s not good enough. I''m not using my entire body as he said."


    Even though the hits were very precise and powerful, Arthur wasn''t satisfied at all. He kept shing and then repeating again and again and again. Hit after hit, sh after sh, he made small adjustments, trying to find the perfect bnce he was looking for.


    He didn''t care about each failure and simply focused on what he did wrong and tried to improve it in the next attempt. His immense focusing abilities made it possible for him to pinpoint the mistake and fix it.


    With that, minutes passed slowly as a lonesome figure continued swinging the sword in an empty room.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 165: Chapter 165- Seraphica Colosseum (Part 3)

    "Hah¡­ Hah¡­ Hah¡­" Arthur wiped his face before he swung his arm to the side. His face waspletely covered in sweat. His arms were exhausted and his stamina bar was very low.


    However, the fire in Arthur''s eyes was burning violently. He didn''t know how long he had been training for and he frankly didn''t care at all. He simply wanted to swing his sword one more time, try another stance, fix one of his ws, and perhaps¡­ get one step closer to mastering the sword.


    He knew that a few hours of training weren''t going to make him a master swordsman. But, he knew that each step he took got him closer to that goal. It was a ball of snow that he just pushed off the cliff and was about to roll down as it slowly grew.


    Even as he was standing there, very tired, he didn''t stop as there was still some time before he had to log out.


    ''Should I drink a stamina potion?...'' He asked himself as he breathed in and out heavily. Normally, Arthur wouldn''t hesitate to drink a potion as it was like a lifeline to him. They were very crucial in prolonging his powers and keeping him alive.


    But, this one particr time, he wasn''t so certain and the reason for that was something he saw an hour ago.


    [Ding!]


    [Training has been detected.]


    [+1 Stamina.]


    He was quite surprised by the sudden notification. Then, it quickly dawned on him. Training had given him an extra stat point. Naturally, that wasn''t much as he had 40 points of stamina and the growth was very marginal.


    But, that was more than enough for Arthur to contemte his actions. If his suspicion was right, then if he kept pushing himself beyond his current stamina, perhaps that would stimte more growth.


    ''That''s basically real-life logic¡­ Does it work in the game too? Well, I can''t tell till I try.''


    After deciding on his next action, he closed the menu and grabbed the sword again. A minute of rest was more than enough for him to regain energy to resume swinging the sword like an addicted maniac.


    ''Let''s see. I have improved a good amount from these two hours of training. I fixed some mistakes and I''m growing more and morefortable with the stance Theodore taught me. But¡­''


    Even though the training session was very positive, Arthur was still not satisfied and the reason for that was simple. His senses weren''t telling him that he had broken through yet. He was seeing progress, but there was no explosive revtion that pushed his technique up a notch.


    He didn''t know why, but every fiber of his being told him that he had his hand on a very important detail that could overhaul his entire battle style. But, he didn''t know what that thing was. It was within grasp yet also extremely far which frustrated him a little and made him even more eager to swing the sword in hopes of finding it.


    "I know I''m being a greedy bastard for wanting something like that so quickly. But goddammit, I am greedy! Sue me!" He clenched his teeth as he swung the sword violently, hitting the indestructible mannequin right in the shoulder.


    The hit was considerably stronger than before and could even be considered disastrously powerful, capable of slicing a target in two like a piece of butter. But, that wasn''t enough. Arthur has 46 strength points, he should be capable of way more. He didn''t forget what awaited him. The people he has to deal with in the near future.


    ''I''m better than this¡­ Way better!'' His eyes shed with a mysterious glint as he kept swinging the sword. The depth of his mind was like an endless abyss, absorbing every piece of information that mattered and throwing anything that wasn''t useful.


    He entered a zone where nothing could perturb him. Only his sword, the target, and his body. Each time he found himself in such a state, it only got more extreme as if some kind of demon inside of him was slowly taking over his warrior side and making him lose everything that made him¡­ Well, him.


    Arthur wasn''t really worried about that and he embraced that side with open arms. He felt amazing being that strong and that dominating. He liked crushing everyone with sheer power and overwhelming superiority.


    ''I''m a god in this game!'' He knew what he was thinking of was arrogant. But, he had a basis to be arrogant. He was the strongest in the game and that feeling only fueled his desire to be stronger, faster, and smarter.


    But, to do that, he had to go beyond, break whatever limits he had, and step up just like he had done so far in the game, time after time. He knew that to be better, you simply must try more than everyone else and if that wasn''t enough then you should try even more!


    *BANG*


    *BANG*


    *BANG*


    His hits rained down, faster and faster as if his body wasn''t already very exhausted. He didn''t even realize that he started taking the correct stance faster and faster each time. When he first started trying, he took at least a few seconds to adjust his position.


    But now, he could get into the stance in one or two seconds at most. The improvements were umting very slowly but effectively. ''Better¡­ I need to get better! You aren''t good enough yet!''


    The determination rising within his heart didn''t seem to be stopping. Like a raging tide, it swept everything in its way. Arthur didn''t know where all of that came from, but he didn''t care¡­ More determination was better.


    But, after a while, and against all his expectations, Arthur was pped with something that made him stop swinging his sword. Out of nowhere, his eyes widened as he felt an immensely powerful feeling surge through his body and through his brain like a shockwave.


    He instantly stopped swinging as he froze in his ce like a statue. His eyes fixated on one single thing.


    [Ding!]


    [Immense Improvement has been detected!]


    [You have activated a talent.]


    [You have acquired a new ability: Swift Swordsmanship!]


    "... What?" As if he was waking up from a trance, Arthur muttered. "... I gained a skill?"


    Arthur was quite taken aback by what happened. He had never been given a skill out of nowhere for no reason at all. He had been simply swinging his sword and somehow, the game decided that it was enough to give him a skill.


    "Swift Swordsmanship? I actually received an ability for Swordsmanship just like that?"


    Looking down at his body, Arthur could instantly feel the difference. He felt like he understood his sword better than before.


    ''... I feel like the sword is now an extension of me¡­'' He thought to himself as he gripped it tighter. The improvement was noticeable. ''Is this the breakthrough I was looking for?''


    The question excited Arthur for a moment but then he was pped back to reality. No, this was not it. The skill was a sudden boost that he did not expect. He had just been given an immensely important helping hand that would make him jump into mastery very quickly.


    "What does the skill say?"


    [Swift Swordsmanship: Your sword is your arm. Stretching it forward, it floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee. You are a crushing force that can''t be stopped, moving with immense grace and lethal precision.


    Ability: Improves swordsmanship by 15%. Improves growth by 15%.]


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 166: Chapter 166- Seraphica Colosseum (Part 4)

    Heaving up and down, Arthur read the description silently. He still didn''t getpletely rid of the state he was in a few moments ago so his brain wasn''t registering everything properly. Still, slowly, a smile bloomed on his face through the exhaustion.


    "... Hahaha¡­ Haha¡­ This is nice." He muttered as he stabbed the sword into the ground to help him keep standing up. He was very exhausted after almost three hours of nonstop swinging.


    His monstrous stamina and endless resolution had pushed him a lot. This was the longest he had actually swung the sword ever since he picked up one. Even he was shocked he could actually reach such a level of determination on his own.


    Now, all of that exhaustion and relentless training had given him a considerably good reward. It wasn''t the result he wanted, but it was nheless a great bonus. More importantly, that gave Arthur a strong p on the face that woke him uppletely.


    "What was I even doing¡­" He muttered. "This is already a good training session. My demons were really telling me to somehow master the sword in a few hours of practice."


    Without realizing it, Arthur fell to the ground. His legs had wobbled as all the exhaustion finally hit him. He had been so engrossed in the training that all sense of reason had been swiped under the rug.


    Staring at the target silently, Arthur recalled how he felt at that moment. How he waspletely unable to think properly. He had been turned into a maniacal warrior who couldn''t stop training for the life of him.


    That wasn''t him and he knew that. But, he also knew that this was a side of him he had ever since he stepped into the game and even before that.


    ''I don''t know what gets into me. But, whenever I''m extremely focused on something, it bes the sole thing I can think of. I had this for like how long? I think ever since I can remember.'' He rubbed the back of his head. ''I never really thought of it badly. But this¡­ It seems to be getting worse and worse with time somehow.''


    He didn''t know if this was a good thing or not, but so far, it was giving him results and amazing ones at that. He was the strongest yer in the world with a huge margin from second ce. But, was that at a cost? Was he losing his sanity every time he put everything on the line?


    The answer was harder than he expected. There was no proof of that so far, at least none that he could feel.


    Sitting there silently, he contemted everything. He recalled every moment he had been in such a trance or a zone state. Especially the time when his ss ''Berserker Of The New World'' triggered on its own and the result was simply monstrous.


    Breathing silently, Arthur sped his hands together. Unease mixed with lingering excitement and adrenaline shed inside of him. He was discovering something new about himself.


    ''For me to be this excited about something¡­ I guess it''s safe to say I''m really passionate about Divinity Online. I mean, it''s a lot of fun, I can''t deny that. But, the kick I get from it is not casual ying anymore¡­ I want more.''


    Arthur denied that idea for a while as he thought that he simply wished to casually y the game and perhaps get some money. But, slowly, as he realized that he was the perfect person to y this game, his ambitions started growing. From casual gaming to proiming first ce and keeping it, then to wishing to turn this world upside down through the hardest quest ever offered in this game. He was going up a notch every single time without realizing it.


    Now, at this instance, in a moment of self-reflection, he was perhaps not there for the casual fun time. The excitement he got from doing the craziest things was far better than being normal. Fighting iprehensible monsters in iprehensible ces and doing things that could be deemed quite maniacal.


    "Hahaha¡­ Hahahaha¡­ Hahahaha!" Arthur startedughing to himself. Hisughter kept growing louder and louder till he fell to the floor. "I''mpletely insane. Getting a kick from doing stupid things¡­ I''m not thinking right. But, screw that, I''m in."


    Maybe it was indeed time to ept that he had to actually aim higher. Perhaps it was time to be someone different. To be aplete monster and be aware of it.


    Unbeknownst to him, this particr idea was going to be his greatest decision¡­ And his worst mistake.


    ***


    With that, the three hours came to an end and Arthur''s rm rang, signaling the end of his day in the game. It was a weird day filled with weird encounters and new discoveries, but it was also a moment of reflection for Arthur and a new look at what he wanted to do.


    After putting everything back, he left the building and logged out in a good corner. When he left the capsule, it was morning. Without realizing it, he had been ying for 8 hours.


    "Hnnng! This is nice!" Feeling energized and slightly stronger than before, he walked into the bathroom, took a shower, had breakfast, and then sat down.


    There was still some time before school, so he decided to revise everything he studied that day. He knew that keeping his scores at least average was crucial if he wanted to remain inside the academy for long.


    ''I''m not imagining it! I''m really getting good at academics!'' He thought to himself. His mind was far more open to information andplicated concepts. He didn''t feel like he wascking in intelligence anymore as he expected.


    ''This serum is going to turn me into an A+ student! Hahaha! No more stupid Arthur! I''m going to be a scientist, mhm. Professor Arthur¡­ Has a good ring for sure.''


    As heughed to himself, Arthur studied for a good two hours before he finally finished and wore his uniform. Then, he left the apartment a little early as usual and took his sonic board to the institution.


    This was the second day of the academy and there were way more people heading to the same destination than yesterday. Everyone decided to start going early for one reason or another. Perhaps keeping in theme with the new disciplined versions of themselves they wanted to cultivate.


    "OI! Arthur!"


    On the way, he heard someone calling for him. Turning around, he saw Herculia and Danny approaching him.


    "Good morning."


    "Good morning! It''s nice to stumble upon you on the way. We should start heading to school together, man!" Herculia said.


    ''I don''t think your friend there likes the idea.'' Arthurughed inwardly as he stared at the silent Danny. He was as grumpy as always, never smiling whenever Arthur was around.


    "What do you think of today? Is it going to be as peaceful as yesterday?"


    "... I really want to believe it will be normal. But, I also think the academy doesn''t want us to get toofortable. So, just be ready for anything that might happen."


    Arthur said casually, unaware that his suspicion was just about to be fulfilled right upon their arrival.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 167: Chapter 167- Seraphica Colosseum (Part 5)

    The trio reached the parking lot where they parked their boards and headed up to the elevators. However, upon taking their first step into the academy, they all halted as they felt their devices ringing in their pockets.


    "Hm?"


    They instantly looked down and then at each other as they noticed that everyone had the same ringing notification at the same time. Not only Herculia and Danny but also every single student with them on the elevator.


    "What is this?" Arthur muttered as he pulled out his bluelink. There, he noticed that he had sent a message. But, that message wasn''t from anyone he knew and instead, it read ''Important Announcement''.


    Immediately, Arthur felt a cold sensation in his heart. ''Here we go again¡­ My gut feeling is always urate!''


    He didn''t even bother to open the message to know that it was going to be some kind of important news that would send a shockwave across the entire student body. Sighing, he tapped on the notification which opened a long message for him written in an eye-catching red color.


    [To all students,


    With the start of the second day in the academy, we would love to announce that we have added a new feature to your BlueLink devices. If you open your main menu, you will see a new icon. ''Scores''. The feature shall be your guide on how to be a good student. Based on the actions you do, the app will calcte your score, from studying, to how you perform in tests, to your way of conduct on the academy grounds.


    The higher your score, the better position you have. Each month, the scores will be counted and the people with the lowest scores will enter the ''Red Zone''. The ''Red Zone'' is a threatening position where any mistake you might make would lead to your expulsion from the academy permanently. If you have the lowest scores for two months back to back, you shall be expelled too.


    We have organized the points in a ranking system that you might ess through the app itself. It will also have many other additions for futurepetitions that require point-based systems.]


    Reading all of that, Arthur blinked as he slowly sucked in a small breath. Then, he uttered one single word.


    "... Fuck¡­"


    ''A ranking system? Are you kidding me? Another one?''


    Although Arthur was taken aback by it, he wasn''tpletely shocked. A ranking system seemed to be something Divinity Corp liked a lot as it used it in both of its biggest projects as a way to separate the best people from the worst.


    ''Why did they add it on the second day and not from the start? Were they waiting to gather information so that they could rank students?'' He asked himself.


    "A ranking system?"


    "Come on, man! We just started!"


    "They''re really putting all the pressure on our shoulders already!"


    "Didn''t they say the tests are going to determine who stays and who leaves?"


    "No, didn''t you hear what the Founder said yesterday? Tests are simply going to determine who gets promoted to a higher ss or gets demoted to a lower ss. It seems they want to slowly filter out the worst students and keep only the hard-working ones."


    Such conversations could be heard among the students. The reactions were mixed, some wereughing at the exciting news while others had dreadful expressions, feeling the disaster approaching them very quickly.


    ''This red zone thing is particrly really bad. Being put in a situation where any mistake will expel you is no joke. They''re definitely not intending to keep anyone they deem useless.''


    Arthur bit his lower lip as he exited the announcement and tapped on the score app. Immediately, he was met with a long list of names categorized in ''S-ss'', ''A-ss'' and the rest of the sses, and his name was highlighted out of them all.


    "..."


    That was when the second surprise hit Arthur. He was not number 1, nor 2, or three¡­ Or the top ten for that matter. Arthur was the 25th out of 30 students with 5 points on his name. Scrolling down with a stunned expression, he realized that he was one position away from the red zone.


    "..."


    Arthur wentpletely silent as he stared at his name, very confused. ''I''m that low?... You have got to be kidding me¡­''


    Arthur was aware that he didn''t particrly stand out on the first day, but he didn''t think he did badly either. He expected to at least be considerably far from the red zone. But, his expectations were crushed as he was in a very dangerous position.


    "Damn, I''m 5th in my ss. What about you, Danny?" Herculia asked.


    "3rd." Thetter replied. "This ranking is a very reckless idea. It will only cause even more chaos in the near future."


    The rankings in the game had already started showing effect on the yer base. People became far more aggressive, killing each other and doing everything to get stronger and gain more points. They wanted recognition from everyone and they were ready to do anything to get that.


    Now, this ranking has been implemented in the real world on a smaller scale. ''And here I thought being segregated into different sses was already bad enough. They aren''t holding back at all at this point.'' Danny frowned visibly.


    "What about you, Arthur?"


    "Huh?" The boy snapped out of his daze and looked a little flustered.


    "What ranking did you get? Wait, let me guess, you''re number 1 hahaha! As usual!" Herculiaughed as he tapped his friend''s shoulder jokingly. However, his smile vanished quickly when he heard the response.


    "No¡­ 25th¡­ I''m one position away from the red zone in my ss." Arthur said in a nd tone.


    "... What?" Herculia stopped tapping his shoulder. "25th?!"


    "Yeah." Arthur nodded. "Well, I guess I need to push myself more and be better or I will be in danger."


    "..."


    Danny and Herculia stared at Arthur silently as if they were looking at some kind of alien. They didn''t know how to react to the news at all. Arthur, the best yer in the world, was not the rank 1 in his ss.


    "What kind of nonsense is that?! How are you 25th?! You''re the best go-"


    "Shush! Don''t yell loudly, man." Arthur quickly silenced his friend as there were many students around them that noticed the ruckus.


    "Oops, ehem, as I was saying, this is ridiculous. You''re the best yer in the world."


    "But, I''m not the best when ites to academics or actual proper training. I was mediocre yesterday so this is actually fair, I suppose." Arthur replied.


    He would be lying if he said that he wasn''t a little annoyed that he didn''t get a good position, but this was also a wake-up call for him to snap back to reality. Even if he excelled in the game, in the real world, he was still far from good. Hecked too many things and needed to work harder in order to cut the gap between him and his peers.


    "..." Danny stared at the calm Arthur with a weird expression. As much as he didn''t like that boy, he wasn''t dumb enough not to admit the truth. Arthur was very clever and attentive, he could''ve not been stupid.


    ''Maybe he didn''t work hard before arriving here. That could be the reason. He isn''t stupid at all, unfortunately.''


    "In any case, let''s go. There is no reason to keep standing here. What happened had happened, I will deal with it." Arthur exhaled a small breath. There was no reason to linger on this problem. He simply had to put in extra work and be better in order to avoid disaster.


    "That''s the spirit, Arthur. I know you will get back to the highest position soon. You''re a goddamn monster." Herculia nodded his head with a wide grin. He had no doubt Arthur was going to be number one soon. This boy was the most outstanding person he had ever met next to I. Both shared a very special aspect about them that he never saw in anyone else.


    They were something unique on every single front.


    With that, the trio left the main hall and headed to their sses. The shock slowly disappeared and the rest of the students moved too. The atmosphere was way more tense than usual with this new ranking and people discovering their positions.


    Some were determined even more to work harder and be better while others had their egos hit hard and their insecurities surfacing. It didn''t take long for them to start picking up on others in the lower sses to try and feed their damaged confidence. But, unaware of it, those above them were eyeing the weaklings already.


    However, the conflicts would get quickly diffused by the guards moving around the ce. Nobody dared to defy them for fear of losing even more points. They could not afford to lose anymore.


    With that, the second day of the academy started.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 168 Chapter 168- Seraphica Colosseum (Part 6)

    When they reached their floor, Arthur parted ways with Herculia and Danny. This was the very first time they had been alone without I and Emmy around who seemed to have gone to buy some stuff.


    Reaching the ssroom, Arthur noticed that a good number of people were there. They looked rather tense with some looking very grim as they sat in their own chairs. Some of them were scrolling through their devices or admiring the scenery outside.


    But, upon entering, everyone with no exceptions, stared up at Arthur. Their expressions were iprehensible and it took Arthur aback.


    ''What''s up with them?'' He asked himself as he stopped for a second, looked around and then slowly walked in.


    They all followed him with their eyes as if they were staring at some kind of alien. Calling it ufortable was an understatement but Arthur was able to keep his face straight with sheer will. Reaching his seat, he sat down and tried to ignore the stares.


    ''Why the hell are you guys looking at me? Do I have something on my face?''


    Then, he started hearing their whispers between themselves.


    "He''s 25th?"


    "Yeah, that''s the guy Miss I is friends with."


    "He''s so mediocre."


    "He is getting into the red zone soon. So pathetic."


    "I''m sure he probably just tricked Miss I into bing friends somehow. What''s his trick?"


    Suchments spread across the entire ssroom as everyone kept talking about Arthur, mostly with disdain and disappointment. They all shared almost the same sentiment. ''How is this guy a friend with the most influential person on the campus?''


    Ever since they discovered that the two were friends, they simply could not understand for the life of them why they were friends. He didn''t seem like he was even trying to approach I and talk with her.


    They had tried that before, on every single opportunity they got and they failed miserably. And yet, this nobody who is seemingly average at everything, still somehow made it where he did. It made no sense and when that made no sense, their egos started thinking instead of their brains.


    ''I can hear you, idiots. They really hate the fact that I''m friends with I.'' Arthur didn''t know whether tough or cry at this situation. He seemed to have be the most hated person in the ss for no reason at all. It was all just their greedy ego-talking.


    As he was like that, the students suddenly went silent all at the same time. Arthur opened his eyes and looked up, only to meet her eyes. I had arrived. She stopped at the door and looked around, sensing something very off about the atmosphere.


    She had already seen the rankings upon getting off the elevator. But, she noticed that the atmosphere wasn''t that of confused or worried people. She also noticed that some eyes kept staring between her and Arthur.


    After a few seconds, she walked inside as everyone watched every move she made. She headed straight toward her seat as if nothing happened and sat down.


    Arthur watched her for a moment before he turned away with a small smile on his face. ''The fact she understood the entire situation this quickly¡­ Yeah, she''s in a different league of her own.''


    As he said those words, he opened the app and looked at the number 1 rank in the entire ss and perhaps the entire academy.


    ''I Goldsmith.''


    She was there, at the very top. Arthur had seen it the moment he opened the leaderboard and he wasn''t surprised. I was the most outstanding in everything among all the students he had seen.


    ''I wonder what she thinks of me being this low in the rankings. Probably a little disappointed considering the fact that I''m still number one in the game''s leaderboard. She probably expected way more of me.'' He sighed inwardly as he tapped his finger on the ss table.


    He would be lying if he said he didn''t feel ashamed of it but there was nothing that could be done. He simply must work harder to ensure that he doesn''t end up in the red zone. What I thought of it was¡­ Was¡­


    ''Yeah, I can''t really say it''s irrelevant. It is very annoying that I''m not up to her expectations.'' He clicked his tongue.


    He wanted to pretend like it was no big deal, but deep down, he knew that it was. I was one of his friends and his rival andpanion in the game. They had been secretly pushing each other higher and higher as they shared the first two positions solely for themselves.


    Find more chapters on empire


    They were above and beyond most other yers and so Arthur naturally felt like he was truly rivaling someone outstanding. Now, reality had hit him hard and he had to somehow ept it.


    As he was like that, the door opened and the professor walked in as usual. Stopping in front of his table he said.


    "Good morning everyone. Let''s begin our lesson."


    ***


    The first two hours passed very peacefully. Even though the day started with explosive news, the lesson regained everyone''s focus and made them forget their worries. There was no time to waste on worries.


    When the bell finally rang and the professor left the room, the first to stand up was I, catching everyone''s attention as she walked toward the exit.


    Before leaving, and for a split second, she made eye contact with Arthur. Something that only he noticed and he understood the hint almost immediately. So, he also stood up and left the ssroom after her.


    Looking around, he noticed that I had stood in a corner away from the other students and waited for him.


    ''Shit, here we go.'' Feeling worried, he took a deep breath and walked toward her. He tried to muster a smile as he greeted the girl.


    "Hey! I! Didn''t see you since earlier this morning." He said.


    I stared at him for a second before she nodded. "I had to buy some things with Emmy. How are you?" She asked.


    "Good, good, noints as you see."


    "Noints, you say? What about the rankings?" She asked. "They have put you in a low position early on."


    "..."


    ''Of course, she''s going straight to the topic.'' He screamed in his mind. "I know, right? But as I said, I''m nothing unique so it''s expected."


    Even as he was saying those words, he felt a little bitter. But, he kept his face straight not to look weird. He braced himself for the inevitable. Unbeknownst to him, I was about topletely shatter his expectations with one single sentence.


    "Tomorrow. Let''s go to the library and study together." She said.


    "..." Arthur blinked in surprise,pletely speechless. "Wait, what?"


    "From now on, whenever we have free time, I will help you with anything you''re struggling with."


    "Hold on a second. Why? You would be wasting your time."


    "It''s my time and I know how to manage it. Besides, I''m studying daily, you aren''t hindering me at all."


    The way I was so casual about it made Arthur even more confused. She was probably aware that Arthur was considerably behind in terms of academics so it will take some work to put him up on pace with everyone else. Yet, she didn''t hesitate to give him a helping hand.


    As if it was the most obvious thing to do.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 169 Chapter 169- Seraphica Colosseum (Part 7)

    Experience tales with empire


    "Now that it''s settled, let''s go back, the second lesson is about to start." Seeing that Arthur didn''t argue back anymore, I tapped his shoulder and walked away.


    However, at that moment, she heard Arthur speak. "Thank you, I¡­ For everything." He said in a quiet yet sincere tone. Those words came from his deepest heart. He truly felt grateful to I for everything she had done for him so far. Inside and outside the game, she had been very helpful when he needed help the most.


    ''How am I supposed to repay her back? This is really hard.'' He thought to himself. He didn''t want to rely on I too much. He knew that she had enough problems on her shoulders that she needed to deal with in the future and he didn''t want to be another problem.


    That was one of the main reasons why he decided not to join her fully yet because it would only cause her more trouble in the future. Yet, she kept extending her hand to help him whenever he needed help. That kind of personality was something Arthur had never met before.


    I stared at his eyes silently for a few seconds before nodding. "You''ve already thanked me before. You don''t need to do it again."


    "Haha, did I? I don''t know how to repay you so I can only thank you." He replied with a smallugh.


    "You don''t need to repay me. I''m the one repaying you here." She replied. "I don''t think I will be able to do that anytime soon." She added with a whisper under her breath that Arthur didn''t hear.


    "Huh?"


    "It is nothing. Look, the professor has arrived, we need to go back."


    Cutting the conversations quickly, she moved toward the ssroom, leaving Arthur a little stunned.


    "What does she mean by repaying me? What did I even do?" He asked himself. Arthur couldn''t tell what I was thinking about. This was not the first time she mentioned something simr and yet she never exined what she meant with it.


    ''Tsk, she really likes to maintain mystery, huh?''


    With a little dissatisfaction, Arthur returned to the ssroom and the second lesson began swiftly after that.


    ***


    Hours passed peacefully after that and the group finished their lessons and their weapon practice lessons. With everything going very swiftly, Arthur was able to focuspletely on the lessons. He tried his best to stay attentive and memorize everything he can memorize.


    As for the weapon practice, Arthur''s improvement was simply mindblowing. So much so that Theodore seemed a little taken aback by it. After all, Arthur had quite clearly evolved not only technique-wise but also speed and uracy-wise, and in less than a day that is.


    Theodore was almost certain it would take at least a few weeks for him to start showing results even if he trained religiously every single day. Yet, he was far from right. Arthur had somehow shattered his expectations.


    ''What did he do?'' As he watched Arthur silently, he kept asking himself. Something didn''t make sense about all of this and he couldn''t figure out what it was.


    The entire two hours of the lesson, he dedicated a good chunk of his focus on Arthur, trying to understand what was happening. But, the best conclusion he could reach was¡­ Arthur must''ve gained a new ability.


    ''Considering the boost an ability can give¡­ That could be the reason. But, what kind of sword ability did he get?'' Theodore squinted his eyes. ''I cannot ask any question.''


    As he heard the bell ring, announcing the end of the lesson, Theodore exhaled a small breath and looked up. He had never thought something like this could upy his mind yet it did.


    Meanwhile, the target of that curiosity waspletely oblivious to all of that as he stopped swinging the sword and looked up. ''I was able to make some decent progress today too. But, it''s far from enough. I have to work harder.''


    Wiping the sweat off his face, Arthur logged out of the training realm along with everyone else and then left the academy along with his friends. Now that he was done for the day, his mind went to the next big thing on his list.


    "It''s time, huh?"


    The Seraphica Colosseum invitation was in exactly 3 hours. Everyone was on the edge but also feeling rather excited. After all, this was a very pivotal moment for them. Whether they emerged victorious or not¡­ was up to fate.


    "Let''s meet in the game in an hour''s time." Stopping in front of her sonic board, I faced her friends. "We will go through the n again. This is going to be a very tricky meeting, but I know we will be able to get what we want as we always do."


    Her words were calm but the sheer energy it sent through the group was massive. They were the best yers in the world and they had no intention of giving away such a title to anyone else.


    Meeting the royalty would cement their position and basically open the entire Empire wide in front of them.


    "You''re goddamn right we are!"


    "Let''s do our best!"


    "Hmph, we will pull it off as usual."


    Seeing the determination in his friends'' eyes, Arthur nodded with a smile. "That''s the spirit. Well, let''s go. There is no time to waste."


    With that, the group quickly dispersed as they headed back to their dorm room as fast as they could. They only had one hour to get ready and then enter the game so they wanted to make use of it as much as they could.


    A few minutester, Arthur walked into his room, changed his clothes, and then quickly made a quick dinner to eat before he took a shower to clean himself off.


    Finally, he sat in the capsule and logged into the game. Immediately, Arthur opened his eyes in the capital. The snow was still falling endlessly as if it had no intention of ever stopping. The weather was cold but pleasant and the sky was dark. Everything was the same. But, there was one single difference.


    "The city is a little less active than usual¡­" Arthur muttered as he walked into the main street. He immediately noticed the considerably smaller crowds of people walking about their day. Usually, Arthur wouldn''t be able to see an empty area of the main street. But now, he could see multiple ones.


    It took him a second to understand what was happening as when he looked up, he saw huge signs basically across the entire city.


    [The diatorial season begins! Get your tickets now!]


    The signs showed several individuals d in armor fightingrge, iprehensible monsters bravely. Their aura was basically oozing out of the images, sending a chill down Arthur''s spine.


    "This is actually pretty huge¡­ Everyone is going to the Colosseum today." Arthur muttered with a small smile. "This is exciting! I want to see these diators like in movies!"


    Without wasting any time, Arthur moved toward the hotel to meet with the others. The showdown was going to be unbelievable.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 170 Chapter 170- Seraphica Colosseum (Part 8)

    Reaching the hotel room, Arthur realized that he was the first to arrive at the destination. There, he found Fiy, Serko, and Sora waiting for them patiently.


    "Arthur!"


    "It''s Arthur!"


    The two dwarves greeted him with happy smiles as they jumped on him at the same time. Arthur felt warmth in his heart seeing the two kids being as energetic as ever. Hugging them back lightly, he asked.


    "How are you two doing today?"


    "Great! We were waiting for you guys!"


    "Hahaha, sorry for making you wait. We had some stuff to do." He apologized before he shifted his gaze to the silent girl in the corner of the room. Sora was as quite as usual, staying in her own corner, detached from everyone else.


    Arthur already knew that she didn''t really trust thempletely but the girl was also very shy and reserved. He had no intention of pushing her out of her cocoon yet. The girl was traumatized and she needed time to heal.


    So, he looked down at the two dwarves and whispered to them. "How is she doing?"


    "... Oh, that girl? I don''t know¡­ She is very weird." Fiy replied with a raised eyebrow.


    "She has been silent the entire time. We gave her food but she didn''t want to eat. We tried to talk to her but she doesn''t speak at all."


    The two dwarves looked very lost and confused about the girl. Even though they had spent the entire day together, the girl didn''t speak a single word to them except for one-word replies. She didn''t even bother to move to a morefortable couch to sleep.


    She waspletely stuck in her own world and the two dwarves could not get her out of it. Seeing that troubled look on their faces, Arthur sighed and then walked toward the girl.


    "Hey there, Sora." He crouched down to her level and said in a soft tone. "How are you feeling?"


    "..." The girl flinched slightly as she looked up. When she realized that it was Arthur, her eyes widened a little before she visibly calmed down.


    "I''m¡­ I''m fine."


    ''She seems to be morefortable with me than with Fiy and Serko. But, why? The two are harmless.''


    "Do you want to eat? You must be hungry." He said.


    "... No, I don''t want foo-"


    *GRUMBLE*


    At that moment, the girl''s stomach made a loud sound that echoed across the entire room. The trio wentpletely silent as they stared at her, a little stunned. Sora took a second to realize what happened before her face exploded with redness.


    "Pfft! Haha, see? You''re hungry. Hey, Fiy, can you get her something to eat?"


    "Of course!"


    "Thank you."


    Then, the dwarf rushed to the kitchen where he picked up a few fruits, a sandwich, and a cup of water before he brought them to the girl. Seeing that food, Sora gulped down a mouthful of saliva without realizing it.


    "Don''t hesitate and dig in." Arthur put the tray in front of her and stood up "Let''s give her some privacy boys."


    Dragging his friends out of the bedroom, they all sat on the couch.


    "Do you think she will get better, Arthur?" Serko asked curiously.


    "... *Sigh* let''s give her some time, ok? She had been through a lot and she needs to slowly get out of that state on her own. We can only keep her safe."


    "Yes!"


    ''I hope she doesn''t rpse or they end up finding her if they''re still looking for her. She had enough of all of that.'' Arthur thought to himself as he shook his head.


    At that moment, the door to the room opened. Arthur had already sensed the presence outside so he didn''t care to be alert.


    "I!"


    Seeing the familiar face, the two dwarves jumped on her with a wide hug.


    "Hey there." I patted their heads as she looked at Arthur and her expression turned serious immediately. "We''ve got some bad news."


    The moment Arthur heard that, he immediately straightened up. The serious look on I''s face was more than good of an indication that something important had just happened.


    Walking to Arthur, I sat down with a small sigh, looking like she had heard something really annoying.


    "Is everything ok?"


    "Herculia, Danny, and Emmy aren''ting." She said.


    "Huh?! Why?" Arthur frowned. The news was shocking, to say the least. ''Why? Weren''t they about to log in an hour ago? Did something happen?''


    A thousand questions popped into Arthur''s head in one split second before I could even answer.


    "Some problems urred in the outside world and they need to deal with them. They are going to be fine. But¡­ They won''t be able to go with us."


    "..."


    ''Problems? Is she talking about their families?'' Arthur pursed his lips. Seeing I''s unwillingness to say anything else made him almost certain that it was something rted to that. He didn''t care anymore about the Colosseum meeting as this was now a secondary problem.


    "If you say that they''re going to be fine then¡­ Well, nothing can be done about it. Only the two of us are going then?" He asked.


    "... Yes. We have to take care of everything on our own. It''s going to be a little more tricky now. So we need to go over the n again and make some changes." I said.


    ***


    With that, the two went through every single detail of their n from the moment they reach the Colosseum to when they meet the man himself and even beyond that. They knew that the moment they got close to that ce, many eyes would be on them so each action they do will be seen and could be used against them.


    While losing three members of the group is really troublesome, it also gave I and Arthur more room to think and do things as 2 people are way less eye-catching than 5 people. It could lessen the chances of mistakes happening and consequentially increase the chances of keeping the upper hand in the potential negotiations.


    So, after almost 30 minutes of detailed nning, I and Arthur finally agreed on what to do exactly.


    "There is still 90 minutes before the start. We should go." I said as she stood up.


    "Are you guys going now?" Fiy asked curiously.


    "Yes. Sorry, we can''t bring both of you with us. It''s very dangerous for both of you."


    ''We''re already at risk keeping them here. Anyone can discover them by mistake and the consequences of that will be disastrous. We need to get them to a safer ce soon.'' Arthur thought to himself seriously.


    "Mm, we understand. Be safe, guys!" Serko nodded.


    "For sure. Take care of Sora too. We will be back soon."


    With that, the duo left the hotel room and closed the door shut behind them. Leaving the hotel, they kept looking around them. They didn''t know if those people in blue clothes were watching or not and if they were watching, were they going to make a move or not. That idea put the two on the edge as they walked to the main street.


    There, they stopped one of the many lizard-carriages that moved past them. These carriages were akin to Taxis in the capital that carried people from one ce to another in the massive city.


    "Where are you going,ds?" The man sitting at the front asked.


    "To the Colosseum if you don''t mind."


    "Hahaha, everyone is going there today huh?"


    "Yeah¡­" Arthur muttered as the carriage started moving quickly, cutting through the busy streets of the capital. Arthur and I remained silent the entire time, keeping an eye on their surroundings. They knew that it was most likely pointless to do that as there were simply too many people to locate anyone amongst them. It was like searching for a needle in a haystack.


    "I heard the Monkey Warrior is going to fight today. That didn''t happen in a few years." The man said with augh.


    "The monkey warrior?" Arthur''s ear picked up the name making him turn his head to the man.


    "You don''t know the Monkey Warrior?! Are you two new here?"


    "You can say so. Who''s this monkey warrior?" Arthur pretended to smile as he asked curiously.


    "He''s a celebrity in the Colosseum. One of the strongest diators to grace the arena. It''s always amazing to watch him fight and defeat all his enemies with his weird fighting style!" The man replied.


    ''... A monkey warrior¡­ Really interesting.'' Although Arthur didn''t know who this was, he immediately found the name very peculiar and intriguing.


    "In any case, since both of you are going there, you will see him for yourself. I''m sure you will enjoy your time there."


    "... We will surely enjoy our time a lot," I replied in a whisper as she kept her eyes outside. ''So much fun¡­''


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 171 Chapter 171- Seraphica Colosseum (Part 9)

    The carriage continued moving peacefully with no problems at all. Minutes passed slowly for the duo as they watched the outside world, growing darker and darker as the sun set in the distance and the moon rose in the sky, illuminating the dark sky.


    The weather dropped a few degrees in temperature and the snow intensified considerably. But, it only added anotheryer of beauty to the magnificent city and its buildings and streets. The snow fall region was perhaps the most beautiful out of all the other regions because of this single detail.


    But, soon enough, all of those thoughts vanished out of their heads and something else took the entire space. Slowly, a looming shadow appeared above their heads, catching their attention.


    Arthur instinctively looked out of the window at the outside world and there he saw it. In the far distance, the divine tower gradually unraveled itself from behind the mist and darkness, revealing its true horrifyingly majestic appearance.


    Arthur''s mouth dropped in pure shock, unable to contain his reaction at all. His eyes slowly widened as he felt something he had never felt before hit him like a train. Frozen in his ce; all he could do was take all the details of the tower as they appeared piece by piece.


    The structure was tall¡­ Iprehensibly so. Even as Arthur''s eyes looked up, he couldn''t see its peak. It was as if the tower pierced through the heavens and reached a level beyond.


    Its base was built of polished, shiny ck stone that seemed to almost glisten under the gaze of the moon. Ancient carvings and drawings spiraled up its colossal walls, giving it an ancient, fantastical appearance.


    A structure that had been standing for thousands of years, unperturbed by the cruel passage of time, looking as powerful as ever. It was no man-made structure as no man can build such a world-defying tower.


    ''The Divine Tower¡­'' Arthur thought to himself as he felt his heart rate increase tremendously. An extremely powerful rush of excitement took over his body as he felt his body starting to shake. Something weird was going on and he didn''t know what it was.


    Looking down at his body, Arthur felt quite confused. ''What is happening? This feeling¡­''


    The tower had done something to him that he could not understand at all. He assumed that it was simply his sense of adventure being stimted but this was far from that. He was feeling as if he had seen a lost piece of him¡­ Something he had been seeking his entire life and now it was right in front of him.


    I,pletely upied by the scenery, didn''t even notice Arthur''s weird behavior. She was also captivated by the tower and its appearance.


    "Is this your first time seeing the tower?" The man asked.


    "... Yeah¡­" I replied.


    "Hahaha, I figured that much. Everyone has the same exact reaction seeing it the first time. It is truly beautiful."


    "I want to see what''s inside¡­" Arthur muttered without thinking twice.


    "Hm? Hahahaha! There is no way you can do that, boy! Only a select few are allowed to enter the tower and that only happens once every year."


    "Huh? What do you mean?"


    "The tower opens its gates for the public every year at the same exact time and that is when all the people that want to enter it can enter. However, as you might know, going inside the tower when you''re not strong enough is suicide. Even the best of the best talents, kids your age, walked in and never came out again."


    In the end, the man''s voice turned a little grim. He lost count of the number of times people died inside the tower. It was not a ce for weaklings or cowards.


    "..." Arthur wentpletely silent, absorbing every piece of information the man said.


    "How do you do that, uncle?" Arthur asked.


    "Hmm, of course, you will have to apply for that through the Royal Mercenary Guild and then be an official mercenary, take the test, and then when you''re epted, you will step into the tower."


    ''All of that? What the hell?!'' Arthur blinked. He didn''t think there were that many steps to entering the tower.


    "Why all of that? Can''t we just walk in?"


    "Hm? Of course not, the tower is a sacred ce for us and one of our greatest achievements. We have conquered this tower against those monsters that tried to stop us. So, naturally, only those we deem worthy could be allowed to enter."


    "..."


    "Besides¡­ At the very top of that tower¡­ is the Royal Pce where the Royal Family is situated." The man added as he looked up at the sky.


    ''The royal pce? At the top of the tower?'' Arthur raised an eyebrow. ''Did they build it there so that nobody can reach it? Damn, talk about an overkill.''


    "Although it is impossible for anyone to reach the highest floor on their own, it is still not good to let enemies give it a try and put the pce at risk. Oh well! All of this is just stories and legends, look at the Colosseum,ds! We''re here!"


    Then, down at ground level, a good distance away from the divine tower was anotherrge structure. The Colosseum stood menacingly tall, nothing inparison to the tower, but still very massive in its own right.


    The Seraphica Colosseum was built out of polished marble stones withrge, decorated pirs holding their weight. Its floor was also out of polished stone. Around its perimeter, an insane number of people gathered as the sounds of fireworks, cheers, and the booming voice of somementator in the distance mixed and merged together, giving it a very lively vibe.


    "Wow¡­" Arthur''s eyes twinkled. ''So this is the Colosseum! It looks amazing!''


    The carriage slowly reached the massive gates of the Colosseum and stopped amongst the many other carriages lined up in the parking area.


    "There we are!"


    "Thank you for the trip, uncle."


    "No problem."


    "How much do you need?"


    "5 silver coins." The man said.


    After paying the man, Arthur and I left the carriage and stepped through the gates still looking around them like children going to the amusement park for the first time in their lives. Everything looked magnificent and with the Divine Tower in the background, this was truly a sight of a lifetime.


    "Don''t lose focus, Arthur." I nudged her friend slightly. "We can''t let our guard down."


    "Hm? Oh right! Ehem, we need to focus!" pping his face a few times, Arthur tried to keep his focus. But, that didn''tst that long.


    "Is that guy selling candy?!"


    "Hey, wait!" Before she could even notice it, I turned around, only to realize that Arthur had walked to one of the many shops around the Colosseum selling snacks and merchandise.


    "Sigh¡­ What can I do with him?" She facepalmed before she walked after him.


    Unbeknownst to her, far away, a few eyes were looking at the duo with sheer attentiveness.


    "... Tell His Highness that they arrived¡­ Only two of them. There is no sight of the rest." One man said coldly as put his hand down, deactivating the spell he was casting. His eyes were as cold as ever. "The Gifted have arrived."


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 172- Seraphica Colosseum (Part 10)

    "Mmm, really delicious!" After buying some snacks, Arthur and I walked through the crowds toward the main gates of the Colosseum that led inside. "Do you want some?"


    I, who was still keeping an eye on her surroundings, turned to look at him. The snacks Arthur bought looked quite appetizing. The food in the Divine Realm was considerably better than in real life due to the nature of the ingredients so even I hesitated for a second before she nodded her head and took some for herself.


    "We should head to the gates now. The show is about to start." I said.


    Hearing the cheers inside the Colosseum louden, the two understood that the crowd was settling down.


    Near the gate, Arthur and I found a long line of people going through the gates after showing their tickets to the guards.


    ''And there are still people inside? This Colosseum is bigger than any stadium on earth.'' Arthur thought to himself with an impressed look. He could easily see that there were tens of thousands of people going through the gates at that moment and there were perhaps even more people inside already.


    "This is going to take a while," I muttered.


    "Hopefully not long enough to miss the sh-"


    "Excuse me."


    At that very moment, Arthur and I noticed two men approaching them from somewhere. The two men were d in formal clothes like the guards at the gate and had serious looks on their faces. Immediately, the two straightened up as they realized that something was happening.


    "Are you the Gifted His Highness invited to the show?" One of the men asked coldly.


    "..." I and Arthur looked at each other for a moment before they nodded their heads. "Yes, we are."


    "Understood. Can I see the invitation please?" The man asked.


    Although Arthur and I were still apprehensive, they handed him the invitations. They already figured out that they weren''t going to be waiting in that line for long.


    After checking the invitations and reading the content, the man nodded before he looked up at the duo. "Can you please follow us? We will take you to your assigned seats in the VIP area."


    "VIP area?" Arthur raised an eyebrow.


    "Yes, you are special guests for His Highness." The man replied.


    ''Interesting. I guess this is to be expected. He doesn''t want us to just sit wherever.'' Arthur mused.


    "Are we going to meet His Highness now?" I asked calmly.


    "No, His Highness has his own section for him to watch. He will talk to you after the show."


    "... Understood. Lead the way."


    ''He doesn''t want us to know where he is yet. Smart.'' I thought to herself as she stared walking after the two guards silently. She asked that question specifically to know how this man acts and he seemed to be the very cautious type as she expected. Read new adventures at empire


    The group moved through the crowds of people around the Colosseum till they reached a rather secluded area where the crowds couldn''t ess. There, they walked through a small gate inside the Colosseum.


    ''A secret path for the VIP! So cool!''


    They moved through the corridors and climbed several stairs till they stopped in front of a closed door somewhere inside the Colosseum. Opening the door, the man stepped aside. "This is your assigned section."


    "We have our own private room to watch the fights?" Arthur asked with a raised eyebrow.


    "Yes. His Highness wanted to show respect to both of you. This is one of our best VIP rooms."


    "..."


    ''What a generous man.'' Arthur almost rolled his eyes at the tantly shameless tactic the man was using. The two had already expected to be treated like extremely important visitors to give them this illusion that His Highness simply wanted to treat them nicely.


    That, however, doesn''t mean they weren''t going to ept this offer. They simply weren''t going to change their minds about the situation at all.


    So, the duo walked inside and looked around. The room was quite big with arge ss wall on the other side that had a 180-degree view of the Colosseum outside. There werefy chairs and even a small bar to the side where several drinks were already prepared for them.


    ''Talk about an overkill.''


    "If you need anything else, a guard will be standing outside. Have a nice evening." The man said before he excused himself and left the room as quickly as he appeared.


    "... This is insane. We are being treated like royalty haha." Arthurughed sarcastically as he took a seat on thefy chair and looked outside.


    The view from there was naturally mesmerizing as the giant arena and the stands filled his vision. Countless people were there, cheering andughing as they waited for the start of the show.


    Meanwhile, I kept looking around the ce as if she was searching for something.


    "There doesn''t seem to be any listening devices nted anywhere." She said as she turned around and walked to Arthur and sat on the second chair. When put her hand on the chair''s arms, she tapped her finger once.


    "Yeah, I doubt they will nt anything in here to listen to us. There is really no point in checking." Arthur shrugged. However, his eyes had already noticed that small tap.


    ''They are listening to us.'' He thought to himself with a calm look on his face. ''That''s expected. He wants to know everything about us.''


    Arthur and I had agreed on how they were going tomunicate these small pieces of information to each other. From the moment they stepped out of the hotel, Arthur and I yed two different characters.


    Arthur is the nonchnt, reckless person who follows everything he finds interesting while I is the calm and collected one who is trying to keep Arthur in check. This general image was a part of their n. They wanted their target to think only I was the only one to pose a threat.


    ''Hopefully, this is what they''re thinking now. I want them to let their guards down as much as possible towards me.'' He mused. Arthur had never really done such a thing before so he wasn''t confident in his ability to do it. ''I, on the other hand, is wless. She is keeping it together perfectly.''


    As he was thinking about all of that, Arthur suddenly noticed the entire crowd going quiet as the entire arena went dark. Then, small orbs of light started moving in the sky, swinging their rays of light across the entire ce.


    "And now! Ladies and gentlemen! For what you have been waiting for!" A booming voice spoke through a microphone. "The moment you have all been waiting for!"


    The moment the man said those words, the crowds erupted with cheering, almost shaking the entire arena. Their excitement was over the roof. After all, they have been waiting for the diatorial season to start fromst year. A moment like this was rare.


    "It''s about to begin," I said as she adjusted her sitting position, getting ready for what was about to happen. Arthur did the same and put his snacks down on the table.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 173- Ginjo, The Monkey Warrior (Part 1)

    The lights kept swinging around till they finally all fixated on one single point in the middle of the arena. There, a man had appeared out of nowhere and stood alone, staring at the chaotic crowds around him.


    He was d in a weird, almost ceremonial attire and carried arge stick in his hand. He had arge white beard that reached the lower parts of his chest and he wore a long hat on his head. He almost looked like a religious man from a church.


    "Now, for a word from the ''Divine Caller''." The loud voice said. Almost immediately, the entire crowd went silent in one moment. They all stared at the man addressed as ''Divine Caller''.


    "Who is that person I wonder¡­" Arthur muttered as he rested his hand on his cheek. He could see that something was different about the man.


    I simply remained silent as she watched the man with attentive eyes. She was also very curious about his identity.


    A few seconds passed quietly as the main remained in his position, his eyespletely closed. Then, he slowly opened them again as he opened his mouth.


    "Ladies and Gentlemen, sp your hands together for a moment of prayer." He said. Slowly, people followed the man''s order as they put their hands together and closed their eyes, looking serene and calm. Arthur and I watched the scene curiously.


    ''A prayer huh? Should we even follow that? Hmm, I doesn''t seem to have any intention to do that. I will just do the same.''


    "Oh True Divine, for this great day of ours, protect all of us! Protect your people and your devout followers who dedicated their lives to continue your legacy. Oh True Divine, protect those who seek to be your greatest pawns. Those who are fighting for your cause and giving their lives for what you sought. Oh True Divine, we shall do everything we can to restore order in the Divine Realm."


    The man''s voice was high yet also filled with a deep sense of power and mystery. As he spoke those words, people muttered after him, praying for what he was saying. Arthur listened carefully to each word the man was saying and he could only find himself even more confused.


    ''True Divine? What is that? Is he talking about the ''Entity''?'' The boy frowned. He had never heard that term before in his entire journey across the Divine Realm so far. However, he knew enough lore to link one and one together.


    ''If that''s the case then what does he mean by continuing the legacy? What legacy? And restoring what order?''


    Those words were grandiose and yet also filled with a lot of mystery and intrigue that Arthur had no idea about. He still didn''t have the full picture of the history of the Divine Realm so he couldn''t really tell.


    "Are you hearing what I''m hearing, I?"


    "Yeah¡­" The girl nodded her head. "We don''t really know anything about this. It seems there is a religious connection between the people here and the Entity."


    ''That is within the realm of expectation. After all, we were told that everyone knew of our imminent arrival. That could''ve only been some kind of Divine Prediction of sorts.'' I thought to herself as she tapped her finger silently.


    "For a great season, and for another warrior to emerge amongst the people!" Lifting his hands in the air, the man shouted.


    "Amen!"


    The crowds followed him with one loud voice as if they were one single person. Then, cheers erupted again. The man took that moment to admire the scene before he slowly turned around and left the arena.


    "Thank you for the Divine Caller for blessing our night! And now for an exnation of how the season works! We have 100 different contestants. Some came from the stretches of the Empire and some we have brought here today to try their chances at glory! All those 100 contestants will be put into different groups of 4 and each one will have 6 matches to qualify for the next stage. Three of those matches are against the other diators in his group and the other three are against monsters."


    ''Interesting. It''s like a tournament of sorts.'' Arthur squinted his eyes.


    "Each win garners you three points, a draw is one point, and a loss is no points. The two with the highest points in the group will move to the next stage of the season! The knockout stage where they will face one another in two matches."


    "Woah!!!"


    "Let''s go!!!"


    "Start the fights already!!!"


    "I can''t wait!!"


    Impatient cries echoed across the entire Colosseum as people could barely stay in their seats from anticipation.


    "With that being said! Let the show begin!!"


    Continue your journey with empire


    The light scattered away again as the ce turned dark.


    "For our opening fight of this year, we have a very nice surprise for everyone in this crowd! Something many had asked for and wished to see. The fight that will break your minds!"


    "Here it is!"


    "Holy!! They''re going to do it!!"


    "On one side, we have a man who came from the rural viges of the desert! He was raised in a very dangerous environment, learning how to fight monsters and survive against all odds! His physical power is unmatched! The ''King of Dunes'' as they call him! Please wee, Vernil!!"


    Then, the light focused on a silhouette that appeared on the right side of the arena. The man appeared like a giant, with a towering height and an impressive build. His tanned body was d in simple armor and a sword.


    He had a wild grin on his face as he took in all the cheers from therge crowd around him.


    "Hahahahaha! Where is my enemy?! I will tear him apart!" He yelled loudly as he tapped his chest.


    ''Damn, that man looks menacing.'' Arthur thought to himself. ''He also seems very strong. I don''t think I can beat him easily.''


    Arthur could feel the strong aura emitted from the man and he was certain that he would be a tough foe to fight at his current level.


    "On the left side!! We have a mysterious warrior! People call him a monster and an abomination! His origin is unknown and his techniques are shrouded in mystery! But, it is certain that he is a true disaster upon his enemies! He is the sole warrior to never lose a fight in the history of the diatorial Battles! Please wee, the myth, the legend, the monster with a thousand names! GINJO, THE MONKEY WARRIOR!!!"


    Then, what ensued after that was perhaps the most interesting thing Arthur had seen ever since he stepped into the Colosseum. Extremely loud cheers that almost chook the sky erupted everywhere.


    ''Ginjo?'' The name was instantly familiar to Arthur as he heard it from the carriage man. ''So this is the man he talked about? Wow, he is extremely popr.''


    "GINJO! It''s actually Ginjo!"


    "I can''t believe they did it! They''re opening the season with Ginjo!"


    "We have gotten what we wanted boys!"


    "I''m about to cry!"


    The way people reacted was simply insane. What made it even more impressive was that the person they were talking about didn''t even appear yet.


    The lights focused on the left side where he is supposed to appear. Everyone waited eagerly. Then, they heard it¡­ The footsteps.


    Even though the entire arena was about to explode, somehow, the sound of steps overthrew it all, someone was walking through the tunnel. His steps were slow mixed and steady.


    A few seconds passed like that before the silhouette emerged into the light. The man was d in simple ck clothes and carried a sword and a shield. He was of average height and weight. However, the most eye-catching thing about him was his hair¡­


    The man was covered in hair from head to toe as if he was some kind of ghoul. There was so much hair that even his facial features could not be discerned except for his cold eyes and the weird-shaped nose. All in all, the man looked indeed like a monkey.


    Immediately, Arthur found himself leaning forward as he stared at the man with a curious look on his face. Unlike everyone else who was cheering and yelling, Arthur was quite shocked.


    ''Wait¡­ That''s not a human¡­'' He thought to himself. ''That aura¡­ That appearance¡­''


    For some reason, the first image that appeared in Arthur''s head was of Nina and Miro. Ginjo''s entire presence was very simr to those two in more than one way.


    ''It can''t be¡­ right?'' Arthur frowned. A cold sensation filled his heart. The same feeling he would have whenever something very eerie happens.


    "Arthur?" I noticed that weird look on his face. She hadn''t seen Arthur that shocked in a while.


    "... Fuck¡­" Arthur threw himself on the chair again. "Fuck¡­"


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 174- Ginjo, The Monkey Warrior (Part 2)

    "Arthur?"


    "..." The boy exhaled a small, tired breath before he looked at his friend. "... I will tell youter. It''splicated."


    Arthur wasn''t certain of his assumption yet. But, if what he was thinking of was true, then perhaps he might''vee across someone far more special than he expected.


    ''Ginjo, The Minkey Warrior¡­ Who the hell are you?''


    ***


    ''Curse you all¡­'' Ginjo sucked in a cold breath as he looked around him. He could hear the cheers, the cries, and the noises all around him. He could see the smiles on people''s faces. Those wide, disgusting grinning mouths stuffed with food. He hated them¡­


    Everything about these creatures disgusted him, from their appearance to their personality and everything in between. He could not believe such repulsive creatures were this strong. He could not believe these creatures were the cause of his pain and suffering. This world was truly unfair.


    ''I will kill you all¡­ One day¡­ I will soak this city in your blood.'' As he thought of that future, he gripped his sword even tighter.


    "Hahahaha! So it is this bastard after all! The ugly monkey!" Veril yelled loudly as he stared at Ginjo. "I have heard a lot about you. The monkey who never got defeated. I wonder if the other fighters are that bad or if you''re truly living up to my expectations.


    "..." Ginjo ignored himpletely as he kept staring around.


    "Hey! I am talking to you, bastard!" Veril clenched his teeth angrily. Ginjo didn''t even seem like he noticed his presence and that didn''t sit well with him. He was a renowned warrior who traveled arge distance to join the Seraphica Colosseum diatorial battles. He knew that he was one of the strongest and he was ready to prove it in front of everyone.


    His first fight ever was against a very famous personality. The monkey monster himself, Ginjo!


    ''Tsk, this is my opportunity to hit it big really quickly! If I defeat this bastard, I''m set for life!'' Feeling enthralled by the idea of bing the new icon in the capital, Veril looked up. "Just start the goddamn fight! I''m going to shred him to pieces!" He yelled loudly.


    "As you all can see, our fighters are very eager to star! So, let us go through the rules very quickly! The rules are simple: There are no rules! The one who remains standing is the winner!"


    "WOAH!!!"


    The crowds cheered loudly in response as if they were beyond excited to hear that.


    "... No rules? Really? So they can just use any dirty trick or kill their opponent?" Arthur muttered with an impressed look on his face. ''They''re going for the full diator experience. Endless violence and no rules.''


    What surprised him even more was how excited the crowds were. There were so many people and they all were ready to see blood, severed limbs, and dead corpses. They didn''t seem bothered at all by that fact. Arthur didn''t know what to think of that.


    "Now! Take your positions!" Thementator spoke.


    Slowly, the two warriors moved to the marked spots where they stood, facing each other.


    "Don''t scream too loudly when I start dissecting you to pieces." Licking his lips, Veril red at Ginjo.


    "..." Thetter didn''t bother to respond as he simply took a fighting stance.


    "Get ready!!"


    A few seconds passed as the two warriors finally focused on the fight, forgetting about all the noise around them. It was now only them and their opponent in the arena, ready to battle to death or till someone fell to the ground.


    A few seconds passed inplete silence before thementator finally yelled. "BEGIN!!"


    Immediately, Veril sprung into motion as he rushed toward Ginjo like an unstoppable truck. His massive steps almost shook the arena with how heavy they were. His sword lifted up in the air.


    "Veril had justunched a very sudden attack!! He didn''t waste a single moment to begin the fight!!" Thementator yelled.


    "Die!!"


    Without hesitation, Veril swung his arm down with all his power, creating a strong gush of air. Even as his attack was descending, the destructive power carried within it was palpable. Nobody would wish to be its target. However, the Monkey Warrior didn''t seem bothered at all.


    Ginjo stood there, not moving at all. Everyone instinctively gasped when they realized that he might get instantly hit. The attack was extremely fast after all. Continue reading on empire


    *Swish* *BOOOM*


    The sword smashed down, creating arge shockwave that spread a good distance around Veril.


    "Huh?"


    "What?! Did Ginjo get hit?! We cannot see through the dust! Oh, wait!!"


    Before he could even register if he had hit his target or not, he felt something touch his shoulder. His eyes widened as he looked to the side. There, standing on his shoulder was Ginjo. He had somehow vanished and appeared right on top of him, standing straight.


    ''When did he..?!'' Without wasting any time, Veril swung his sword again almost purely from instinct. His mind still didn''tprehend how his target had moved that fast. He did not see anything at all.


    Immediately, Ginjo leaped in the air above Veril as he spun around then he swiftly kicked Veril in the face, sending him flying back a few meters. The crowds gasped in shock. Everything happened really quickly so nobody could react in time.


    "AGH!" Veril mmed into the ground violently as he rolled a few times, eventually ending up on his knees. "Hah¡­"


    His face had arge red mark on it and some blood dripped out of his mouth. "Ptuh!" Spitting out the blood, he noticed that he had lost one tooth.


    ''Damn it, that hit hurts! He didn''t even have any ground tounch a kick and it still was this bad! He ain''t simple!''


    "Ginjo had counter-attacked quickly out of nowhere! Nobody could see him move out of the way!"


    Just one single interaction and all of Veril''s bravado were thrown into the bin. Now, he waspletely serious. Ginjo was very strong.


    Then, he slowly stood up and picked up his sword before he grinned. "Nice try! Let me see you stop this!"


    *Swish*


    The man then rushed forward with even more vigor, closing the distance very quickly. He then swung his sword horizontally. His eyes stared intently at Ginjo, waiting for him to move again.


    However, this time, Ginjo didn''t vanish as he expected. Instead, he simply made one single step to the side. A split secondter, the sword passed by him, barely missing the target.


    ''Fuck!''


    Without stopping the momentum, he changed the direction of the swing again. But, Ginjo simply tilted to the back, dodging the sword swiftly.


    ''What?!! Goddamit!''


    "I can''t believe it!!! Ginjo is taking a defensive stance out of nowhere! But Veril cannot hit him!"


    Veril clenched his teeth before heunched a rain of quick attacks at Ginjo. He swung his swords in all directions, keeping a very high speed. He stepped forward, using all his power to corner Ginjo who didn''t seem bothered at all. All he did was gently sway left and right as if he was dancing and the sword would move past him, not touching him at all.


    With each passing second, Veril was losing his mind. He was being toyed with, there was no other way to describe it.


    ''How is he this fast?!''


    The crowd watched the scene with stupefied looks. Ginjo was not only dodging the attacks sessfully, but he was also doing it in such a beautiful manner. The graceful steps and body sways were so precise that he barely left a few inches away from the sword every time.


    "Stop!! Dodging!!" Veril yelled loudly. He was quickly getting frustrated as none of his attacks worked. So, out of desperation, he stopped swinging andunched his other hand forward, aiming to sneak attack Ginjo.


    But, at thest second, the man knocked his arm with an elbow attack, making Veril lose his bnce and fall face first.


    "Ugh!"


    Ginjo watched the man stand up and wipe his face. His expression was as cold as his moves.


    "... Hah¡­ Hah¡­"


    "You''re pathetic." Ginjo opened his mouth and said.


    "WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"


    "You have no technique and you don''t try to read your opponent. You''re just barbarically swinging your sword as if that will do anything. What a waste of time." The Monkey Warrior clicked his tongue as if he was very annoyed. He had already expected such an oue once he saw his opponent, but it was still disappointing to see it happen.


    ''Nothing¡­ They''re always idiotic¡­ Yet, they always win¡­'' He thought to himself as he clenched his teeth.


    "I will¡­ I will kill you! Haaaah!!"


    Feeling an insane rage fill his mind, Veril finally channeled his mana, shaking the arena with his pure aura. His body was slowly coated in a thick haze.


    "I have tried to keep this battle swift and simple. But, you gave me no choice. I will show you why they call me The King Of Dunes!!"


    "Veril had used his Mana!! He seems to have decided to take the fight more seriously! This is getting exciting!! What will Ginjo do?!" Thementator yelled.


    "I will show you the true power of the East!" Slowly lifting his hand up, a ball of chaotic yellow grains formed on Veril''s hand.


    "Sand! He can create sand!"


    "Interesting¡­" Arthur watched the fight attentively. ''Sand powers huh? This is about to be fun.''


    Meanwhile, Ginjo himself simply squinted his eyes slightly before he exhaled a small breath.


    "Come at me." He said coldly.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 175- Ginjo, The Monkey Warrior (Part 3)

    The ball of chaotic sand swayed around Veril''s hand as if it were some kind of snake coiling around a branch. The way it moved and the sound it made was eerie and terrifying, as if sharp shards of ss were smashing into one another endlessly.


    Slowly, the sand moved up Veril''s arm till it reached his shoulder where it stopped rising. The man''s cold grin widened.


    "Try to deal with this, bastard! HAAAAAH!"


    Then, Veril smashed his hand into the ground violently using all his power. The punch was strong, creating a loud noise that reverberated across the entire arena. Then, for a second, everything wentpletely quiet.


    "Huh?"


    People blinked in confusion. They were ready for some kind of explosion, but for a moment, nothing really happened.


    "Veril had just punched the ground. But¡­ Nothing ha-" Before thementator could even finish his sentence, the entire arena started shaking violently as the crowd gasped in shock.


    "What is happening?!"


    "The ground is shaking!"


    "Woah!! I''m about to fall!"


    "Hold on to your seats!"


    Everyone instinctively panicked, thinking they were about to be hit. But, what they saw next made their mouths hang down in shock.


    Genji watched the scene with a cold expression. Then, out of nowhere, he felt his senses stimted as his eyes quickly moved down to his feet. Then, without thinking twice, he jumped back, at the same time as something exploded from the ground.


    *BOOOOM*


    Piercing through the hard ground was arge sand pir. Debris and rocks flew everywhere, getting disced by the rising structure. Sand dripped from its sides as it reached a dozen meters in height before it stopped.


    ''An underground attack. This is a little unexpected.'' Ginjo thought to himself.


    "WHAT IS HAPPENING?! Some kind of sand pir had appeared out of nowhere almost catching Ginjo! This is dangerous! What is he going to do?"


    "Is that all you''ve got?" Ginjo looked at the man coldly. The attack was nowhere near being dangerous enough to catch him by surprise. His reaction speed was simply far more superior than anything that man can do.


    "Hahahahaha!"


    However, much to his surprise, Verilughed loudly as if he was unbothered by the fact his attack didn''t hit its target.


    "Don''t be too excited, bastard!"


    ''Hm?'' Ginjo squinted his eyes before he realized. The pir wasn''tpletely still.


    *Swish*


    The pir twisted around before itunched toward him at a rapid pace. Its movement appeared like that of a snake, slithering through the air with immense swiftness.


    Ginjo was taken by surprise as he quickly sprung into motion, trying to dodge the attack. But, due to the surprise factor and the very close distance between him and the sand pir, he was a littlete.


    *BANG*


    The sand pir hit him square in the chest, dragging him back along with it. The crushing force of the pir concentrated on his ribs, trying to break them.


    ''Tsk!'' The Monkey Warrior clenched his teeth as he put his arms on the pir, trying to push it off of him. However, the pir was simply made out of sand so his fingers sunk in very quickly, unable to give him any actual grip.


    *BANG*


    The long structure threw him on the ground with a powerful push. It was so strong, the ground beneath him cracked slightly as breath got knocked out of Ginjo''s mouth.


    "Hahahaha! Stay there, bastard!" Verilughed as he lifted his hand up and rushed toward Ginjo with his sword ready to attack. "I will finish you off!"


    "Oh no! Ginjo is in huge trouble! He cannot get the sand off of him! In fact, he is drowning in it!"


    As thementator said, the pir of sand was slowly crumbling right on top of Ginjo''s body, slowly covering his face and body, drowning him in the sand. He couldn''t push all those piles of it at a fast enough speed.


    A secondter, Veril was near his head with a sadistic grin on his face.


    "That''s what the Sand can do to you when you don''t take it seriously! That''s the pride of my region where a small mistake can end your life. An arrogant bastard like you can never understand what true power is! Hah, undefeated warrior my ass! Now die!"


    Without any time wasted, Veril lifted his sword in the air and then swung it down, aiming at Ginjo''s neck.


    *Swish*


    "Hah!"


    The crowds gasped with shocked looks on their faces. They could not believe that Ginjo¡­ had just lost. It all happened in less than a minute and ended very quickly.


    They saw the Monkey Warrior''s head fly off to the side, rolling on the ground before it stopped, lookingpletely lifeless.


    Nobody spoke for a few seconds, even thementator. Nobody could simply believe what they just witnessed.


    "... Ginjo¡­ Ginjo The Monkey Warrior had been decapitated! I can''t believe it! The invincible warrior had lost and what a loss it is!!"


    The crowd didn''t react at all to those words. They didn''t even cheer as everyone simply looked at the scene in shock.


    "HAHAHAHAHAHA! This is your ''Undefeated Warrior''? He is just a beast brought from some rural ce to entertain the masses! He isn''t worthy of fighting me! Bring me someone stronger! Someone who is truly a chal- huh?"


    As Veril was yelling his winning speech, basking in the glory of what he had just done, he suddenly felt something off in his body. Looking down, he saw some kind of metallic object protruding out of his chest, coated in red liquid.


    His mind didn''t register what had just happened before he felt a strong feeling of coldness wash over his body and then his mind.


    *Cough*


    Coughing slightly, he saw arge amount of blood drip down from his mouth.


    ''Blood¡­ From where?''


    "You are truly a pathetic excuse of an opponent. Rule one of battles, never let your guard down till you leave the battlefield. You never know what tricks your enemy is holding up their sleeve."


    "What?!"


    The crowd saw someone appear behind Veril. It was none other than Ginjo himself. His sword was now lodged into Veril''s chest.


    "In what world?! What am I seeing?! Ginjo is alive?! What is happening?! What about the-"


    Everyone instinctively looked at the dead corpse of the Monkey Warrior. But, shockingly, it was nowhere to be seen. No trace of it was left as if it was never there in the first ce. Read thetest on empire


    Arthur and I blinked in surprise. "... Illusion." The two muttered at the same time. They didn''t even need a second to realize what just happened as they had seen something very simr not so long ago.


    "Wait, if that''s not him but instead a clone of him¡­ When did the real one vanish from sight?" Arthur muttered. He was watching the battle attentively, there was not a single moment during the battle where Ginjo did something eye-catching.


    I squinted her eyes as if she was contemting something. She had a small suspicion but she couldn''t confirm it at all. "Could it be¡­"


    "How¡­ can¡­ this be¡­"


    Down at the arena, Veril held the de of the sword prating his chest with disbelief. He was feeling the life slowly seep out of him as he fell to his knees. "This¡­ can''t be¡­ it¡­ I''m destined¡­ for greatness¡­"


    "No, you are destined for a gruesome death¡­ Just like everyone sitting here watching you." Ginjo replied before he pulled the bloody sword out, letting the man fall to the ground.


    For Veril, everything wentpletely ck and thest thing he saw was the cold re of the Monkey Warrior.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 176- Royalty In Gold (Part 1)

    The silence that took over the arena was simply iprehensible. The tens of thousands of people sitting in the stands werepletely speechless. One could even hear a needle drop on the ground at that moment.


    Then, a secondter, the cheers erupted loudly as if a volcano had exploded in the arena. It was so loud it would easily deafen someone unprepared.


    "No way!!!"


    "What just happened?!"


    "Ginjo killed him!! How?! I swear I saw his head getting cut!"


    "I have never seen him use such an ability! What was that?!"


    "Ginjo is the undefeated!!"


    All kinds ofments were thrown from the stands as people tried toprehend what they just witnessed. It all happened in a few moments before the fight ended and Veril fell to the ground dead.


    "Unbelievable! Ginjo¡­ Ginjo is alive! How is that possible?! What have we just witnessed?!" Thementator yelled.


    As everyone was upied trying to figure things out, Ginjo simply swung his sword to the side, cleaning it from the blood of his enemy before he slowly turned around and walked toward the gate he came from. He didn''t seem like he cared for the cheers of the crowds or the confusion he just created.


    "He had the entire fight figured out before he even stepped into the arena," I muttered as she watched Ginjo walk through the door and vanish somewhere.


    "... Yeah, he didn''t seem like he was taken by surprise at all. That illusion¡­ He understood that his enemy will do something." Arthur replied. "I wonder¡­ I truly wonder¡­"


    As he was watching the scene down at the arena, his mind wandered somewhere else. The suspicion he had kept rising with each passing second and he was even more curious about Ginjo now that he saw what he was truly capable of.


    Something told him that this wasn''t thest time he would ever see Ginjo in his life.


    ***


    On that extremely high note, the show was able to somehow continue after that. People were still shocked by what they saw, but when the next fights began, their focus was finally shifted to the battles ensuing in front of them.


    Although the fighters that appeared after that were nowhere near as strong as Ginjo, they were all very close to one another in terms of power so the fights were far more intense and far closer in level. That was when the brutality of the diatorial battles started settling in Arthur and I''s heads.


    They witnessed the horrifying scene of people losing their limbs or sustaining horrifying injuries. There was no hesitation from any side to kill their opponent. It was simply a battle for survival with no rules.


    Yet, the crowds were still cheering for these nightmarish battles with enthusiasm, basking in the excitement of seeing two people fighting to death. It was a twisted scene that showed them how truly twisted the people of the capital are. Enjoying blood being spilled and corpses falling to the ground was nothing normal.


    ''It''s like I''m watching something from thousands of years ago when humans were still enjoying such shows.


    One show after the other, the entire arena was slowly covered in blood and flesh until at some point, one cannot see a spot where there wasn''t a single drop of blood at least.


    At some point, Arthur and I''s faces changed to deep frowns as they watched the scene in solemn silence, unable to find the words to describe the demented scenes in front of them.


    Three hours ofplete chaos passed just like that before finally, thest battle came to an end. Standing amidst the blood and death, thest warrior lifted his hand in the air with a triumphant look on his face.


    The crowds cheered for him as he slowly made his way to the exit.


    "With thatdies and gentlemen, we finallye to an end on the first day of the season! I hope everyone enjoyed their time! It was an amazing day, with amazing matches. We have witnessed Ginjo return to the lights and we have seen some new faces appear today with good potential!"


    The crowd pped their hands loudly as they cheered. They have indeed witnessed many good fights that left them sitting at the edge of their seats in excitement.


    Thementator then finally announced the end of the show and the crowd finally started standing up and leaving the arena while still talking about the fights, especially what Ginjo did. The entire city was bound to keep talking about that fight for a long while.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "Hnng! That was¡­ something." Arthur stretched his limbs. "I didn''t think I would be watching blood and death for three hours straight¡­ But here we are." Arthur muttered. Although he was trying to act casually, he was very much affected by what he witnessed.


    Game or not, all of that blood and death looked so real and he couldn''t simply pretend tough it off. But, he wasn''tpletely shocked by it as he had killed people before in the game so it wasn''t too bad.


    "..." I also stood up. "We have seen enough of that. I don''t think I will being back here anytime soon unless it is necessary." I didn''t seem so amused.


    "Yeah, we won''t have time to waste watching fights." Arthur shrugged. ''I''m going to get busy very soon so this is just a one-time thing.''


    At that moment, the two heard a knock on the dooring from outside. Immediately, they turned around.


    "Who is it?" Discover more content at empire


    "His royalty wishes to meet you now." The guard said respectfully.


    When Arthur and I heard that, they frowned as they looked at each other. They had been anticipating this moment so they nodded at each other before I stepped forward and opened the door.


    There, they found the same guards that brought them inside the Colosseum waiting for them.


    "His Highness is waiting." He said. "If you would follow me."


    "Lead the way."


    Without wasting any time, the guards walked with them through the corridor heading to the stairs. Then, they started climbing them, floor by floor.


    ''Wow, there are so many levels to this ce¡­ Who even designed it?'' Arthur thought to himself as he walked after the guards silently.


    They went several levels up and yet the stairs didn''t seem to have any intention of ending. After several minutes of continuous climbing, the group finally reached one particr floor that stood out immediately.


    The floor was considerably smaller than the rest of the floor. It was in fact not even a corridor but just an open area with a single door at the end of it. The floor was shiny and clean and the walls and ceilings were decorated with golden designs and drawings. Beautiful paintings were hanging on the wall all around them with beautiful statues put in each corner.


    The floor looked like it was straight out of a fantastical pce of royalty and not one of the floors of the Colosseum they were in.


    "..." Arthur and I looked around them silently. They have just entered a whole new world.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 177- Royalty In Gold (Part 2)

    ''What in the luxurious hotel is this ce? I feel like I entered some kind of medieval castle.'' Arthur thought to himself. He was truly bbergasted by the sheer difference in design between the rest of the floors and this particr floor. It was like heaven and earth.


    The guards didn''t seem bothered at all as they moved toward the door on the other side and then dispersed around it professionally, clearly showing that they were trained to do that.


    Their leader stopped in front of the door and then turned to face Arthur and I. "He is waiting inside." He said in a quiet tone as if he didn''t want to bother whoever was in that room.


    The two nodded their heads and opened the door before walking inside. Immediately, they found themselves inside what seemed to be a massive, luxurious suit in a renowned hotel.


    The ce was at least five times the size of the room they had just been in. The walls were designed with beautiful golden colors and aesthetic decorations of all kinds. A massive ss wall opened at the massive arena from the other side, overlooking all of it with clear visibility.


    Arge, cinema-like stall enough for almost 50 people. All chairs are created out of the finest leather there is and filled with soft cushions for the best seating experience. To the side, there was a bar with a bartender standing behind it, wiping cups silently. Nearby was a beautiful lounge


    The entire ce looked like it was some kind of VIP area for the richest people to watch matches.


    ''And here I thought the room we were given was luxurious¡­ We were sitting in a dumpster.'' Arthur mused as he stared around silently, admiring the entire room. He felt like he was intruding on a ce where he didn''t clearly belong.


    This level of wealth isn''t something he''s supposed to be exposed to at all. Yet, here he is, standing in that ce. I, on the other hand, didn''t seem bothered at all. This wasn''t the first time she had seen a very luxurious ce before nor was it going to be thest.


    But, she had to admit that this ce had apletely different vibe from anywhere else. A sense of eeriness filled her heart as she examined the room even more. The feeling was very subtle, but it left a very weird taste in I''s mouth.


    "Please take a seat."


    *Swish*


    ''What?!''


    Suddenly, out of nowhere, they heard a voice speak right next to their ears. Arthur and I''s eyes widened as they quickly jumped forward, creating distance from whatever just appeared behind them.


    Their senses didn''t catch the person approaching them at all. He simply appeared out of thin air.


    ''...'' Arthur looked silently at the man, his heart beating faster than usual. Just one single sentence was more than enough to send a chill down his spine.


    "There is no reason to put your guard up, you two." The man said in the same calm, monotone voice that they heard. "I mean no harm."


    The man was considerably tall, towering over Arthur and I. He had golden shiny short hair and two calm and serene blue eyes. He wore a beautiful tunic embroidered with golden silk. The aura exuding out of him, as suppressed as it was, almost radiated with bright light.


    Everything about the man was screaming royalty.


    I and Arthur didn''t even need to ask any questions to know that this man, whoever he was, was the person looking for them.


    "... That''s not really respectful to appear behind us like that." Arthur gulped down a mouthful of saliva and spoke sarcastically. "You almost gave me a heart attack."


    ''He really got us there¡­ This bastard is probably ridiculously strong!'' Arthur thought to himself. Even when he tried to gauge what level of strength the man had, Arthur could not feel anything¡­ at all.


    He had never felt such a weird aura from someone before. Yet, it cemented the fact in his head¡­ He was not someone that Arthur should even consider offending let alone fighting.


    Discover stories at empire


    "Excuse my unpoliteness. They say first impressions are important and there is no better first impression than that one. I must say you two have a very good reaction speed. Truly living up to the things I heard about both of you."


    ''He''s fucking testing us¡­ What kind of maniac does that immediately?'' Arthur sucked a deep breath as he eyed I secretly. The girl had a cold look on her face as she eyed the man.


    "I wouldn''t say there is a need for first impressions. You have already been following us around with your men. Don''t you have enough information already?" The girl asked.


    "..." The man blinked, clearly taken aback. "The information my men gathered is of no importance to me. I knew that I had to meet you myself." He said.


    "Well, here we are."


    "Indeed, here you are. Now, would you please take a seat so we can talk properly? It is not courteous of me to keep you standing like that." The man said as he stepped forward, passing through the two of them with ease.


    I looked at Arthur for a moment, sending him a signal with her eyes. Arthur immediately understood what she was trying to convey and nodded faintly. Then, the two of them walked toward the stalls and sat down next to each other right around the table, facing the man.


    "How should we begin, hmm? How about a brief introduction?" The man said as he signaled for the man behind the bar. "Well, I am Vincent, the 5th prince of the Drakemorne family¡­ Or as you may know it, the royal family."


    ''The fifth prince? So there are at least 4 princes above him. Interesting.''


    "I am Arthur."


    "Darkmoon," I replied.


    "Yes, I do know of your names. I must say I am truly excited we are finally sitting around the same table. This is an honor for me to be the first prince to wee you to our capital." The man said as he crossed his legs casually, showing his royal aura even more.


    "Please, Your Highness, we are the honored ones to meet you," I replied calmly. "When we heard of your invitation, we were very much excited to meet you. This is a very huge opportunity for us after all."


    I''s words were chosen very carefully, making sure each one carried the meaning she wanted to convey. All of this was a part of the n and she was executing it perfectly.


    "Please, you gifted people are of far more importance than I am. After all, you are divinely chosen to grace ournd. Your powers and endless potential are truly a treasure that must be preserved no matter what."


    Watching the back and forth between I and Vincent, Arthur waspletely lost. ''I feel like the two of them are ying 5D chess while I''m stuck with checkers.''


    He could see that behind all that courtesy and flowery talks, there was a hidden conversation going on that he simply had no way of partaking. They were clearly trying to take control over the conversation and lead it in their way. A war of words hidden behindpliments.


    "So, tell me more about your journey from the south. It must''ve been quite arduous." He said.


    "Yes, it was. We have been through a lot. But, with our teamwork, we made it."N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "Excuse my intrusion but, where are the other three people?"


    "They unfortunately couldn''t attend for some important reasons. I hope you will excuse them." I shook her head.


    "There is no problem. Uhm, before we continue, what would you like to drink? We have everything." The prince asked.


    I and Arthur looked at each other for a moment before they replied at the same time. "Water."


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 178- Royalty In Gold (Part 3)

    "Water? That''s it?" Vincent raised an eyebrow, a little confused. He had clearly stated that they could get anything they wanted and yet they still went for water? It made no sense.


    "We have eaten before we came here so we''re feeling pretty full. Water is sufficient." I replied.


    "... Sure. Get them what they want." He said to the bartender before he turned to the two again.


    "Well, I think it is safe to say that both of you know why I exactly wanted to meet you today, am I correct?"


    ''Finally, he''s getting to the topic.'' Arthur thought to himself as he breathed in subtly. This was the moment they had been waiting for and it came very quickly, as they expected. Their suspicion beforeing there was that this particr royalty was perhaps trying to quickly establish a connection with the first gifted yers to arrive before the rest of the royal family contacted them.


    This wasn''t a fact but a mere possibilitying from the fact this royalty seemed very eager to meet them as soon as possible. There was really no reason to hurry unless he wanted to precede someone to that opportunity.


    That key piece of information, if proven to be true, gives Arthur and I a very huge chance. After all, the best opponent to negotiate with is someone who''s in a hurry to find a deal before someone else steals it from them which makes him opt to ept conditions he would''ve not wanted usually.


    "We have had our suspicions. But, we think that you want to help us establish our presence in the city safely and effectively, correct?" I asked.


    "Yes, precisely. As I said before, we have been awaiting your arrival for a long time now. The empire is ready to take you all in with open arms and help you flourish and prosper. It is a task we are willing to take on for the sake of the future of the Divine Realm." Vincent nodded his head.


    "Well, we do need help to kickstart our project in the capital and your offer is very much weed."


    "What kind of project may I ask?"


    "We wish to create a guild in the capital for all the gifted people. At this point, all the gifted people are separated and lost and our goal is to take them in and provide the best environment for them to be strong." I replied.


    Vincent listened quietly to I as he seemed to be pondering about what she said. A few seconds of silence passed before he finally opened his mouth. "A guild, you say? That is quite the ambitious project."


    "We are indeed ambitious." I nodded her head without hesitation. "But more importantly, we have the ability to be ambitious."


    The prince closed his eyes for a moment as he took a small breath. He looked like he had heard something unpleasant. "Well, do you want me to be frank with you two?"


    "Sure."


    "Creating a guild in the capital is going to be a very hard task. I would say damn near impossible if I didn''t already hear about your achievements and true strength." The man replied.


    ''Hm?'' Arthur raised an eyebrow.


    "Why is that?"


    "Well, there is something you might not be aware of. In the empire, there are two different types of people. Those who consider you gifted people a blessing from the Divine One upon all of us. Those are the ones who have awaited your arrival and wish for your sess." Vincent lifted one finger as he exined casually. Then, he lifted a second finger.


    "Then, there are those who oppose your existencepletely."


    "Oppose our existence?" Arthur frowned. ''This is news to me.''


    "Yes, there is no shortage of people who consider you to be a threat to the Divine Realm that should be exterminated. These people have been waiting for your arrival too but forpletely different reasons. I dare say they are your biggest threat in the capital."


    "... Why do they think we''re a threat? We didn''t do anything." Arthur asked confusedly. ''I can understand if such a type of people would exist, but we still didn''t do anything worth hating. Did they just hate us before we even arrived in the Divine Realm?''


    "It is very simple. Some of the prophecies we received about your arrival haven''t been very¡­ Positive." Thinking for a moment, Vincent said calmly.


    "Not positive in what way?"


    "I cannot really say for the certainty of such events, but we have heard that the fall of the empire, our home, is soon to begin with the arrival of the gifted ones. Prophecies about the end of the human race and the beginning of a whole new era of wars and death. We have heard many bad things, things that we do not want to see." At the very end, Vincent''s tone grew colder and more menacing.


    "..."


    Arthur and I blinked in confusion. All of the stuff they were hearing here waspletely new to them. ''End of the empire? We''re going to cause that?''


    Arthur feltpletely off hearing that. His mind wandered to the time when he met Nina and what she told him about the prophecy of the chosen hero. She had told him that someone from the gifted ones would save the beastmen and help them exact their revenge on humans.


    ''Could it be that it has something to do with that? It can''t be, right? I mean, that''s simply too ridiculous.'' Arthur tried to get those ideas out of his head, but the more he tried, the more it settled in his head. He feltpletely off. A cold, dreadful feeling filled his heart.


    "I know that I''m the first one to break the bad news for you. But, this opposing party might create some trouble and even cause a threat. That is why, the royal family is ready to provide protection for you. We will stop those people from hindering your project."


    "..." I squinted her eyes coldly as she noticed the hidden meaning in thest sentence. She wasn''t stupid not to understand what Vincent wanted to say. "Oh, is the royal family ready to antagonize a huge number of people?" Your next chapter is on empire


    "For the greater cause? We have taken way tougher decisions. Maintaining the empire''s well-being is no easy task. So, even if this is going to antagonize them, we are very much ready for it."


    "And what can we do in return for such a huge favor?" I asked quickly.


    For a split second, the light in Vincent''s eyes changed before it quickly returned to normal as if nothing happened. However, I saw that look and she could easily recognize it. ''He thinks we fell into his trap¡­''


    That entire monologue the fifth prince spouted and all of that setup was all for that one simple question I asked. I knew exactly that he wanted to make it sound as if the royal family was giving them a huge favor by protecting them from the opposing party even though it might cost them a lot.


    But, unlike what Vincent assumed, I was very much prepared for this exact moment. She had read her opponent like an open book.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

 Chapter 179- Royalty In Gold (Part 4)

    "There is really no reason for you to return any favor. We are simply wishing to make it easier for you to settle down in the capital. We can provide the building for your headquarters and everything you require to kickstart your work. This is my gift to you." Vincent replied after a moment of silence.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    I stared at the prince silently for a moment before she exhaled a small breath. "We cannot ept such a gracious gift without giving something back in return."


    "..." Vincent rested his head on his fingers as he examined I''s expression silently. He didn''t know why, but her response didn''t sit well with him. He knew that things were going his way perfectly, but he didn''t feel right.


    ''She is trying to lure me in¡­'' He concluded rather quickly. From the information he gathered about the group, he knew that if there was one person he must focus on, it was I. She was by far the smartest and perhaps the strongest out of all the team. ''Though¡­ This kid with her¡­ He is by far the most odd one¡­ That aura¡­''


    Vincent had already felt Arthur''s presence and as his men said¡­ It was very oddly familiar. He could notprehend how that was the case. Something was very off and he couldn''t figure it out yet.


    So far, Arthur didn''t seem like he was anything special so he couldn''t really bother to focus on him. He had to deal with I first.


    "Well, if I must think of something you might give me in return¡­" Vincent thought for a moment. "I wouldn''t say I have anything I want to ask from you at this very moment. But, in the near future, I will need your help with something."


    "What kind of thing?" I squinted her eyes. ''Here it is.''


    "I cannot disclose any information for now. But, it is something you can most definitely help me with. Oh, there is a second thing I want to request." The fifth prince snapped his fingers as if he remembered something. "In the next several days, you may or may not receive an invitation simr to the one I sent you. If that happens, I want you topletely ignore it."


    "Ignore it?" I raised an eyebrow as if she was quite taken aback. "Who might send us such an invitation?"


    "Annoying people who will simply waste your time," Vincent replied coldly. "I will take care of the rest so you won''t have to worry about being approached again after that."


    "..." Arthur stared at I, waiting for her response. He wasn''t stupid not to understand who these ''annoying people'' are. ''He is definitely talking about the other royal family members. But, the fact he addressed them in such a manner¡­ He must really hate them¡­''


    Arthur and I had already thought of this possibility and it was only getting more and more probable with every passing second. The royal family had some kind of internal war between the different members.


    ''We can take advantage of that.''


    "I am sorry, your highness. But, I cannot promise you that. If the invitation is from someone important, we shall ept it." I shook her head.


    "They are not worth your time." Vincent''s entire aura went a degree colder as if he hated that reply.


    "We can decide what is worth our time and what is not," I didn''t back down even though she felt the sudden shift in the entire atmosphere. Vincent was getting angry. But, she had already expected that.


    "... You do not seem to understand the problem here. The people who will try to contact you are only looking to use you and make sure you stay under your thumb. I am giving you the opportunity to flourish on your own and do what you want to do."


    ''Yeah, sure buddy, you are the saint and they''re the bad guys. We are not that stupid, we know that you want to control us too.'' Arthur struggled against the urge to roll his eyes at Vincent. That kind of acting was truly shameless but also very funny to watch.


    "If that is the case, then we will simply refuse their offer whatever it is. But, we have to evaluate our options first." I said calmly.


    The fifth prince found himself in a very tough situation. On the one hand, he had to somehow keep the other greedy bastards away from his targets. But, on the other hand, the gifted ones weren''t letting him guide them wherever he wanted them to go.


    ''Tsk, I thought this was going to be slightly difficult¡­ But, they''re really making it a headache for me.'' He thought to himself as he gripped the armrest slightly.


    The silence inside the room turned suffocatingly tense very quickly as the trio stared at each other. Even the bartender stopped wiping the cups as he looked up at the conversation happening, feeling a little afraid.


    An awfully long time passed before I finally exhaled a small breath. "Well, if that is it, I think we should excuse ourselves now. We have a lot of things to do and I''m sure you are busy too, Your Highness." She stood up and stared at Arthur. "Let''s go."


    "Mhm." Arthur cracked his neck before he rose from his chair too. "Thank you for the hospitality, Your Highness." He made a small nod to the prince and then followed I. As the two walked to the door, Vincent stared at their backs with a very strong frown. He was struggling to keep his aura from leaking.


    A few seconds passed and by the time they reached the door and opened it, he suddenly opened his mouth.


    "Is there something you want in return for epting my second request?"


    ''Fuck.'' He cursed in his head. ''I have no other choice. I must keep them away as far as possible. This won''t work well to my benefit if they somehow end up contacting those bastards.''


    Being put in such a tough position, the prince could not let them leave just like that and threaten to ruin all of his ns. He had to take some unfavorable measures to keep them away.


    That was when the two stopped and slowly turned around to look at Vincent. "Another request?" I asked.


    "Yes, if it is within my ability, I will help you with it. However, you must agree to ignore the invitations no matter what." He said.


    "..." I blinked a few times before she opened her mouth to respond. However, at that moment, something unexpected happened.


    "Anything¡­ You say?~" She heard Arthur speak. Looking to the side, she saw a wide grin on his face. That grin made her eyes widen slightly. She knew very well what that meant.


    ''What are you doing, Arthur?" She asked him with her eyes secretly.


    ''Just trust me, ok?'' He replied.


    ''...'' I didn''t know how to even react to that.


    "Yes."


    "Well, we have one single request."


    ***


    *A whileter*


    *Click*


    Fiy and Serko heard the door click while they were busy working on the design of the building for their future headquarters. The progress was steady and fast with no major problems.


    "Hm, I wonder who it is." The two walked out of the room and peeked at the door, there, they saw I and Arthur. Immediately, their eyes lit up.


    "Arthur! I!"


    Rushing toward them, they weed them with hugs. "You''re back!"


    "Yeah, did we make you wait too long, guys?" Arthur asked with a smile as he patted their heads.


    "No, we were working on the design so time passed quickly!"


    "That''s good, hahaha¡­" Arthurughed before he walked toward the couch and sat down with a loud sigh. "I''m exhausted."


    I headed to the kitchen and poured a cup of water for herself.


    "So¡­ How did it go?!" Serko asked curiously as he sat next to Arthur.


    That made Arthur look up. "Oh, it went pretty well¡­ Perfect actually."


    "Hm? What do you mean?" The curious dwarf blinked.


    "I can say we have just struck a perfect deal with the prince. We were able to securend to build the headquarters on it, free of taxes for the first two years. He is also going to provide us with the material and pay for the cost of the building process."


    "Wow! That''s great! We will finally have our own ce!" Fiy pped his hands together in excitement.


    "Hahaha, but that is not even the best part. We have gotten something way better."


    "I was a little taken aback when you said that." I came into the room and sat down.


    "Sorry, haha, that idea came to me at that moment so I couldn''t resist."


    "... Well, it is a very good idea so I''m going to give you that." The girl crossed her arms as she replied.


    Continue reading on empire


    "What? What is it? Tell us!" The two dwarves were eager to know everything.


    So, Arthur stood up and walked to the window before he faced the two dwarves. Pointing outside, he said. "We are taking a trip to the Divine Tower soon."


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 180- Changed Feelings

    "... What?! The Divine Tower?!" Serko and Fiy blurted out in shock as they stared at Arthur, wide-eyed. They could not believe what they were hearing.


    "Hahaha! As I''m saying, the prince had given us permission to ess the first three floors of the Divine Tower without any restraints!" Arthur replied as he sat down on the couch with a thud. "That is perhaps the biggest news ever!"


    "It would''ve been a rather annoying process to actually get that permission so Arthur''s request is very beneficial."


    "Woah! Arthur is so smart!"


    "Good job!"


    The two dwarves pped for Arthur happily. They felt truly proud of him and what he had done.


    "So, you''re going to enter the Divine Tower to train?" Fiy asked.


    "Mm, it seems to be extremely dangerous so it''s the perfect ce for us to get way stronger than ever before." Arthur nodded his head. ''If it''s filled with strong monsters, then I''m pretty damn sure I will be able to elerate my growth so much!''


    Arthur wasn''t sure if the man''s description of the tower was truly urate or not. His most optimal target is a ce filled with strong monsters in huge numbers that he could farm endlessly and level up very quickly. If the tower has such a location, then Arthur is certain he is going to benefit from it greatly.


    ''The potential of my character is still far from achieved. I have already felt it this entire time¡­ This body is eager to explode with power¡­ I just didn''t find the perfect ce to cultivate that strength yet. This is my best chance.'' Clenching and unclenching his hand, Arthur''s eyes moved to the window.


    His mind wandered somewhere far, thinking about iprehensible things. A few secondster, he was snapped out of it with I''s soothing voice.


    "Arthur?"


    "Hm? Oh, it''s nothing. Anyway, I think I should leave now. I still have to look for a goddamn new armor." Arthur stood up and stretched his limbs. "I haven''t been lucky with that so far. But, I know I will find something good soon."


    "Mm, I also have some stuff to do before we start nning the guild foundation process." I nodded.


    "So, I guess we''re going to separate for the day?" Arthur asked with a soft smile.


    "Yeah, we will meet tomorrow." I stood up from her seat and replied.


    Arthur nodded faintly before he stretched his hand forward with his fist closed. "Good work today, partner. You were impressive."


    He meant to say that to I the entire time they were going back home but he couldn''t do that. Staring at the girl, Arthur could only smile. Her job today was phenomenal, making sure the n went perfectly till the very end. She had done most of the job without a single mistake, something Arthur had only seen I do. ''She is always doing pure magic. I wonder what kind of special power is that. Hahaha¡­ I really met someone different.''


    I blinked, a little taken aback before she nodded her head and tapped his fist with hers. "Good work to you too. We had done a good job."


    Fiy and Serko watched the two of them silently from the side.


    "Psst, Serko¡­"


    "Yes, Fiy?"


    "Don''t you feel something different about I and Arthur?"


    "Something different?"


    "Yes, they seem¡­ different together¡­"


    "Hmm, now that you mention it¡­ I do see that. I wonder what happened." Serko nodded.


    The two dwarves could see it as clear as day, something about their two humans friends was very drastically different. The way they looked at each other and the way they talked¡­ It was closer than before.


    The two had been with Arthur and I for a while now and they had watched how the two interacted. Arthur and I were by no means distant or cold toward each other, in fact, it was theplete opposite. Although they didn''t show it on the surface, the two trusted each other a lot and understood each other very well.


    Their teamwork was meticulous and wless which proved that the two were very much close friends andpanions. However, what made this instance different than before for the two dwarves was the softness in their eyes. It was as if some kind of invisible wall was starting to crumble between them. A wall they had between them the entire time that kept them separate from each other, even though they were friends.


    A change had happened and only the two dwarves seemed to notice it.


    "Fiy? Serko? Are you two ok?" Arthur noticed the weird looks on the two kids'' faces so he called for them.


    "Huh? Oh! It''s nothing!"


    "By the way, where is Sora? I didn''t see her around."


    "Mm, Sora had gone to sleep after eating the food we gave her."


    "Oh, she slept? That''s great. I was worried about her. But, it seems exhaustion finally caught up to her." Arthur nodded his head. "Let her sleep as much as she wants. I will talk to herter."


    ***


    With that, Arthur left the hotel and headed into the city. It was already veryte into the night but the city was far more active than usual around that time due to the fact that people had left the Colosseum so they were going about their night, enjoying whatever was left of it.


    For an hour or so, Arthur roamed the city, searching zones he hadn''t mapped yet. He went from street to street, corner to corner, checking every interesting ce he came around.


    Yet, no matter how far and wide he looked, he did not find any good armor shop selling good armor for him. He didn''t know if it was his bad luck or if he was simply being overly demanding for no reason, but nothing really caught his eye. No armor met the criteria for the perfect armor he was looking for. They all either fell short in one, or both criteria, or werepletely off when he tried them on.


    Not to mention that most of them wereckingpared to the Ethereal Armor Set had had on so that made the search even harder and more frustrating. Who though the very first armor Arthur got would be so hard to replicate?


    After an arduous trip, Arthur eventually gave up the search for the day.


    "Goddamit!! I''m so tired of looking! Can''t nobody sell good enough armor?!" Arthur rubbed his hair violently as he crouched to the ground. People stared at him weirdly as if he was some kind of insane man.


    ''Sigh, I''m so exhausted¡­ I have been looking for armor for the past several days and there is literally nothing worth looking at!'' He mused as he sat down on the snowy road, staring at the dark sky.


    He waspletely clueless as to what he should do next to find a good armor. He had looked everywhere and it turned outpletely pointless.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    ''My style of armor is pretty rare. I cannot find that perfect bnce of light and sturdy anywhere. The only good armor I ever got was from those monster drops and it seemed pretty rare and made of some weird material.'' Arthur thought to himself as he breathed the steamy air out of his lungs.


    "What should you do now¡­ Arthur?" He asked himself.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 181- Forgotten Armoury (Part 1)

    After thinking for a while, Arthur finally stood up, and dusted his clothes from all the snow and dirt umting on him before he opened the menu to log out. He was feeling pretty annoyed but also even more eager to look around.


    "If you think I''m going to give up just because I couldn''t find anything yet, you''re very badly mistaken, game. I will scour this fucking city inch by inch if I have to. Don''t underestimate me." He muttered.


    Arthur is a very stubborn person when ites to things he sets his mind to. He has never given up on something unless there are simply no more options left. This was no different; he was ready to keep searching until there were exactly zero ces left to look for.


    As he was thinking of what he had to do the next time he logged in, he suddenly heard a noise behind him.


    "Hm?" Closing the menu, he turned to look around. Since he was standing in a secluded alley, the noise was very peculiar. It sounded like the hooves of a monster walking through the street. The ce was dark with a few lights to illuminate the street.


    Peeking through the alley, Arthur saw a hooded figure walking toward him. The hooded figure waspletely covered from head to toe. In their hand was the rope keeping the lizard monster tied to them and behind it was arge carriage being moved by the creature.


    Arthur squinted his eyes, feeling rather suspicious of the carriage and the person for some reason. Even though he had seen so many of these carriages across the entire city, this particr one made him quite confused as its vibe waspletely different and off.


    "..." Squinting his eyes, Arthur watched secretly as the man moved through the street. He made sure he was silent and hidden. He kept watching as it passed beside the alley he was in.


    As it moved past him, Arthur noticed a sign hanging on the side of the carriage, loosely pinned to it. Arthur read the words written and he immediately raised an eyebrow.


    "Forgotten Armoury?" He muttered. ''Wait? that''s an Armoury?" Arthur muttered in confusion. ''They''re selling weapons and armor on that carriage? A moving merchant!''


    Arthur had never seen a moving merchant before so it took him a few seconds to link two and two together. However, once he did, his eyes lit up. ''Well, if it isn''t a weird opportunity that came my way. What if he has what I''m looking for?''


    Licking his lips, Arthur slowly moved out of the darkness and snuck behind the moving carriage with impressive stealth. Using his agility and perfect footwork, he was able to staypletely silent as he followed the vehicle.


    He didn''t know how to actually approach given the very dark and ominous atmosphere around the entire carriage. He felt like simply popping up and asking the man was simply too¡­ Odd.


    A few minutes passed just like that with Arthur following the carriage from one street to another, and from one turn to the other. The more he followed it, the more he went far away from the main streets of the city.


    Although Arthur was too preupied with the carriage and the person dragging it to even care about the very eerie atmosphere around him, he still was contemting if his decision to simply sneak after it was a good idea.


    ''I mean¡­ I''m acting like a creep now, I should just approach the man like a normal person. But¡­ Nothing about this carriage screams normal. It''s like this thing came straight out of a gothic city.''


    As Arthur was struggling with his own thoughts, the carriage suddenly stopped moving. Instinctively, Arthur also stopped and hid himself so as not to be discovered by the mysterious person.


    Without realizing it, the boy instinctively held his breath as he waited patiently. ''Why did he stop? Did he notice my presence? Surely not, right? I kept myself considerably far away from the carriage.''


    A few seconds passed in silence before finally, the carriage resumed moving again as if nothing happened. Arthur exhaled the breath he was holding and watched as it got further and further away.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "That was unnecessarily scary¡­ What is wrong with this carriage?"


    "It''s a pretty good carriage, nothing wrong with it."


    "Ohe on, can''t you see how terrifying it looks?" Arthur shook his head as he looked to the side. "Especially, its own-"


    Then, Arthur''s heart stopped beating for a second as he realized¡­ Someone had just appeared beside him!


    His brain took a split second to react as he jumped back with a loud yell, feeling very terrified. He fell against the wall and hit his head. "Ouch!"


    "Hey there, be careful with your head. You could hurt yourself."


    "... How did you appear beside me like that?!" Arthur asked in shock. He had recognized that person to be the mysterious owner of the carriage he had been chasing.


    ''That speed¡­ Why does everyone in this game like to appear behind you without prior notice?!'' Arthur cursed inwardly.


    "That question is mine, kid. Why were you following me?" The person, with a feminine voice, said as they slowly unraveled their hood, revealing their appearance. It was an olderdy wearing big sses. She had bright brown hair and grey eyes with a surprisingly soft appearance.


    "..." Arthur blinked. "Uh¡­ Uh, I¡­" He waspletely speechless.


    The woman stared at him silently before she sighed. "What is a small kid like you doing thiste in such a ce? Do you want to get killed?"


    "... I can take care of myself."


    ''Who are you calling little kid,dy? I''m almost 16!'' Arthur screamed in his head.


    "Ehem, I am really sorry for chasing after you. I was just curious about your carriage and so I ended up following it. I didn''t know how to actually approach it."


    "Curious about my carriage?" The woman raised an eyebrow. "It is as you said, a very odd carriage and I''m the weird owner. What made you want to chase such a clearly shady carriage?"


    "..." The boy blinked slightly. "Weird doesn''t mean bad. Besides, I really like the design. Truly 10/10." Arthur made a circle with his fingers as he stood up.


    "Haha! You''re the first to everpliment my humble carriage."


    "Tsk, people are just blind! They don''t have a good taste like I do." The boy shrugged with a smirk.


    The woman smiled too as she closed her eyes. "Exactly."


    *Swish*


    Then, out of nowhere, a de appeared out of nowhere in the woman''s hand as it aimed at Arthur''s neck. Everything happened so quickly and so swiftly that Arthur''s smirk didn''t leave his face immediately.


    "Now¡­ Tell me why you truly were chasing me, little kid. Depending on your question, I may or may not severe your head." The woman said in the same calm, gentle tone. Except, this time, that calmness sent a deep chill down Arthur''s spine and made him freeze in his ce.


    Slowly, he lifted his hands up. "Please, wait. I am really no threat to you. I was just looking around for an armor I can use in the future and couldn''t find anything useful so when I saw your carriage I got curious!"


    When he yelled all of that out, he closed his eyes. ''Shit! This woman is insane! Good job, Arthur! Your curiosity always brings you insane people!''


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 182- Forgotten Armoury (Part 2)

    The woman stared at Arthur silently for a few seconds with the sword still aimed at his neck as if she were contemting whether to slice his head off or not. Arthur remained motionless, not daring to make any sudden moves.


    Readtest chapters at empire


    ''I don''t really want to die now, that will be really inconvenient.'' Arthur thought to himself as he kept eye contact with thedy. ''I don''t want to lose my items and levels because of such a stupid mistake. I swear I didn''t mean to anger this woman!''


    The situation was all his mistake and he had to admit it. If he died now then there was no one to me but himself for being nosy and too curious for his own good. However, if there was a chance he would be spared, then Arthur was ready to do everything he can do to get that chance.


    "You''re looking for new armor?" The woman asked as she looked down at Arthur''s body. The current armor he was wearing looked battered and old, with dents and cracks. It didn''t seem like it could hold on for any longer with all the damage it sustained.


    ''... He doesn''t seem like he''s lying.'' The woman thought to herself as she exhaled a small breath and slowly retracted her sword from Arthur''s neck. "You''re lucky I couldn''t smell any lies on you."


    "Am I spared?" He asked.


    "For now." The woman replied.


    Hearing that, Arthur exhaled a long breath of relief. He felt quite delighted that he dodged such a dangerous situation. ''Thisdy is no joke¡­ That speed is insane. I couldn''t even see her pull the sword out.''


    Arthur was quite confident in his own agility and reaction speed as he had almost 50 points in it so he was quite fast. But,pared to this seemingly normaldy, he was moving like a turtle.


    "Thank you for sparing me. I''m really grateful."


    "Don''t bother. I was simply being cautious. I wasn''t going to kill you either way. I don''t kill children." The woman replied.


    "Oh, hahaha, of course you won''t kill chi-" Arthur wanted tough awkwardly, only to get cut off again by the woman.


    "Unless there is a good reason to do that."


    "..."


    "Now, tell me who you are and where are you from?" She said as she turned around and walked toward her carriage. "Follow me."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "..." Arthur stared at the woman for a second before he looked over his shoulder. ''There is really no point in running now. If she wants, she could easily catch me and kill me. Oh well¡­''


    Deciding on his next move, Arthur started moving after the woman.


    "Mm, my name is Arthur."


    "Arthur? You have a nice name. Your parents must really love you." The woman said.


    "... Yeah, sure," Arthur replied with a nk expression. "What about you? What''s your name?"


    "Merry. You can call me Merry."


    "Nice to meet you, Merry."


    "Don''t get toofortable with me. You might regret that." Merry lifted her finger in the air as she stopped in front of the carriage. "One thing to know, never trust anyone you just met. Especially if that person had just pointed a sword at you a few seconds ago."


    "... But, I don''t feel any malicious intentions from you," Arthur replied. Although Merry seemed terrifying, she didn''t give Arthur a horrible feeling like many instances before that. She was in fact quite¡­ peaceful.


    "..." The woman stared at Arthur. "Ohoh? And how did you reach that conclusion?"


    "My guts. They never miss when ites to judging people."


    ''They have truly never let me down and I doubt they will let me down now.'' The boy thought to himself. This entire time, Arthur was relying heavily on his gut feeling to do things and they never really brought him any bad oues.


    Merry watched the small smile on Arthur''s face and she could only be taken aback for a moment. Then, she realized something. Apart from the jumpscare Arthur had when she first appeared beside him, Arthur hadn''t shown a single instance of fear toward Merry, not even when her sword was aimed at his neck.


    ''... He looked worried that I might kill him¡­ But I couldn''t smell any fear on him.'' She mused. ''What an odd kid he is¡­''


    This was the first time Merry had met someone like Arthur and that left some impression on her.


    "Merry?"


    "So, what kind of armor do you want?" Shaking her head, thedy focused on the matter at hand. "Yours look quite battered."


    "Hm? Oh, hahaha, yeah, it had been through a lot." Arthur said. ''This armor had seen hell. It had really served me well this entire time, saving my life more than once.''


    Arthur was actually quite fond of this armor and its beautiful design, but he knew that it was time for a change whether he liked it or not.


    "Can I take a look at your breastte?" Merry asked.


    "Hm? Sure." Arthur nodded as he took the armor off and looked at it. His finger rubbed the broken parts of the armor for a moment, looking at it fondly. Then, he gave it to Merry.


    The woman took the armor and stared at it, inspecting it thoroughly with her eyes. A few seconds of silence passed like that. Arthur noticed how interested Merry was in the piece of armor as she kept looking at it.


    "Is something wrong?"


    "... This armor. Where did you get it from?"


    "Huh? Why do you ask?"


    "The material this armor is made of¡­ I haven''t seen it in a while. ''Dragon Realm Obsidian''..." She muttered. "This is quite the rare piece of work you have here, kid."


    ''I haven''t seen this obsidian in decades, where did he find it I wonder.''


    ''So she knows about the Dragon Realm Obsidian. Well, I can''t tell her where I got it either.''


    "Sorry, but I cannot disclose that." Arthur shook his head. "I hope you understand."


    Merry nodded her head faintly. "Well, that is no problem. But, this thing is certainly something rare. I don''t think you should get rid of this armor, Arthur."


    "Huh? Then what am I supposed to do with it? It''s a piece of scrap now." Arthur raised an eyebrow.


    The woman thought for a moment as she looked at the armor before she shifted her gaze to Arthur. "Follow me."


    After saying that, the woman walked to her carriage door from the back and pulled a huge key out of her pocket. The key looked almostical with how ridiculous it was. Putting it in the socket, she twisted it slightly until it clicked.


    Then, what happened simply blew Arthur''s mind away.


    *Click*


    As if the carriage gained sentience, it suddenly started moving on its own, making clicking noises as gears moved inside of it. The closed door slowly opened on its own while the walls of the carriage shifted in real-time. Arthur watched the scene with a stunned look on his face.


    The walls slowly tilted out and the ceiling of the carriage expanded even further, creating evenrger space in the carriage. Then, a set of stairs descended to the ground, leading to the now elevated tform.


    The carriage had transformed into a shop.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 183- Forgotten Armoury (Part 3)

    "Woah!! What is that?!" Arthur eximed in shock. His eyes stared at the new appearance the carriage took. It had suddenly doubled in size, changed its outer appearance, and turned more into a small shop than a carriage. A small shop with wheels.


    "This is the creepy carriage you have been chasing," Merry replied, making Arthur avert his eyes awkwardly. He had indeed said that this carriage was creepy and yet what he saw now was perhaps the coolest thing ever.


    "Now, get on. I will show you something." The woman said as she stepped down the stairs and walked through the open door of the armoury. Arthur nodded and followed after her quickly, eager to see the interior of the ce.


    Stepping inside, Arthur was met with a very odd sight. The entire ce was filled with all kinds of equipment with varying designs and colors. Piles of these items filled the ce to the point where Arthur almost smashed into a pile of weapons the moment he stepped inside.


    "Be careful, the ce is a little messy," Merry said as she pushed a pile of weapons out of her way carelessly.


    "..." Arthur nodded as he carefully navigated the narrow path to where Merry was. On the other side of the carriage was a small wooden counter where she put the breastte.


    "Now, what I have thought of are two options," Merry said as she lifted her fingers. "You can either sell this breastte to a pawnshop or a weapon shop and get quick money from it."


    "... Or?"


    Arthur''s n was initially to do exactly that, sell the weapon and profit from it. However, upon hearing that there was a possible second option, he was naturally curious to know what he could do better with it.


    "Or, you can let me keep this breastte, and I can fix it for you if you want." She said. "Then, if you want to sell it, you will profit more from selling it."


    "... Wait, you can fix it?" Arthur blurted out.


    "Hm, it ain''t going to be easy since this material is quite rare to find. But, nothing is impossible for me. I can definitely return it to its best state." Merry nodded her head. "I will need some time to do that, though."


    "Of course, I would love that!"


    ''Return it to its peak state? When I got the armor set, it wasn''t even in good shape. I wonder how good it will be if it getspletely fixed.'' Arthur clenched his fists in excitement. He had already known that the damaged armor was way worse than it was when it was still new but the fact that it was still very sturdy and powerful. So, if it could be restored, then Arthur was bound to have an extremely good armor set to use.


    "Mhm, I figured you would want that. You seem pretty fond of this thing." She said.


    "Yes! It had helped me a lot in my journey." Arthur nodded his head. "But, I know it had to be put to rest at some point. If you can restore it for me, I will be eternally grateful."


    "Yeah, yeah, don''t worry about it, kid. Now, let''s see, what kind of armor do you want to get as a recement?" She asked.


    "Mmm, do you have anything of the exact same type as my current armor? Something that isn''t heavy but also very flexible and slick."


    Merry put her hand against her chin as she thought for a moment. Her eyes started moving around, searching through the piles of items she had. A few seconds passed before her eyes lit up.


    "That!"


    Then, she quickly moved out of the counter and into the piles of armor. She then started pushing them off one by one, muttering incoherent words while doing that. Arthur had to dodge several ones as he watched her curiously.


    "Not this."


    "No, not this one."


    "Maybe¡­ No¡­"N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "Tsk! Where is it?"


    ''Is she ok?'' The boy was a little confused. "What are you searching fo-"


    "Here it is!"


    Eventually, Merry stood up as she carried something in her hand. However, the item she picked up wasn''t an armor piece, nor even a weapon. Instead, what Arthur saw in her hand was a small, white emblem.


    "This is the perfect armor for you. It is actually one of my favorite pieces but I never had the opportunity to sell it to someone." Merry said as she threw the emblem to Arthur.


    "Huh?" The boy took it confusedly. "What even is this?"


    The white emblem was made out of some kind of weird, smooth material. Its shiny white color gave it a very polished appearance. However, its most important detail was by far its shape. The emblem was in the shape of a weird skull with two eyes and no mouth.


    ''What the hell even is this?''


    [Sharded Skull Armor Set-


    Rank C


    Description: The emblem of death, a sign of the tyranny of the Sharded Skull and the end of many lives. Created by an unknown cksmith and carried across generations, it is a piece of dark history shaped in a bright, white skull.


    Type: Armor


    Damage Resistance Affinity: All effects


    Damage Resistance: Variable


    Special Ability: Infusing the emblem with mana forms a full armor around the wearer. The more mana is infused into the emblem, the stronger the armor will be.]


    "Woah!" Arthur''s eyes widened when he read the description of the item itself. ''All effects?! Does it have resistance over everything?! And that special ability¡­ This is crazy!''


    Arthur had never thought that this seamless item was a full armor set. But, what made it even more terrifying was the fact that it had no set number of damage resistance. The more mana he infuses it with, the better it bes.


    ''Wait, does that mean it will get stronger and stronger as I get stronger too?'' Realizing that possibility, Arthur looked up at Merry. "This is quite the powerful armor, Merry."


    "Of course, I only have the best of the best when ites to goods. That one is particrly good because it is perfect for every situation and in your case, it is very light and flexible so you won''t feel it. Now, give it a try, let''s see how it looks on you."


    "Mmm, sure." Arthur nodded as he slowly channeled his mana into his hand before he let it seep into the emblem. Almost immediately, the item reacted to the mana, absorbing it quickly.


    Discover hidden content at empire


    Then, it shed with a bright light, almost blinding Arthur. Squinting his eyes, Arthur didn''t react immediately to the emblem suddenly changing shape in his hands, losing its shape. Like shapeless liquid, the emblem started moving Arthur''s arm like a snake, wrapping around his arm then his shoulder and quickly spreading to the rest of his body.


    "Woah¡­"


    "Don''t move, let it do its magic," Merry said.


    "..." Arthur gulped and nodded his head as he watched the liquid wrap around every inch of his body, changing and shifting with every passing second as if it had a mind of its own.


    A few seconds passed before everything finally settled down and Arthur finally felt the armor harden, losing its liquid nature as quickly as it received it.


    What was left was something he simply had never seen before.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 184- Shattered Skull Armor Set

    The armor that formed around his body looked very different from the armor he imagined in his head. For instance, the armor appeared more like an exoskeleton than an actual armor with long, bone-like pieces coiling around his body and connecting like aplex of sorts.


    There wasn''t a single part of his body that was fully covered in the armor and instead, it felt like he was strapped with thick belts of tough white material than an actual full armor.


    "Huh¡­" Arthur muttered as he lifted his hand up slowly. There wasn''t any resistance or weight he had to carry to do that move and that was when he realized that the armor itself was weightless. He couldn''t feel any level of restraint.


    ''This is the weirdest armor I have ever seen.'' He thought to himself. ''It almost looks like a bunch of straps. How is this going to protect me?''


    "So, what do you think?" Merry asked. "It''s good, isn''t it?"


    "... It''s¡­ Odd." Arthur replied as he kept examining the armor. "It doesn''t feel¡­ like an armor."


    That was perhaps Arthur''s biggest confusion about this armor. He couldn''t feel like it was really something that would stop attacks and protect his body even though it said it will.


    "I suspected you would think that way. Well, the reason you aren''t feeling like it''s protective enough, is because you haven''t activated the armor yet. The mana you infused into it just now was enough to make it work, but not enough to activate it." Merry exined.


    "Oh? It''s not activated now?"


    "No, to activate, you have to supply it with mana. Try doing that now."


    The boy nodded his head and took a deep breath before he channeled his mana around his body again. The energy coursed through his cells, infusing them with vigor and power. Then, Arthur slowly guided the mana through his skin and into the armor.


    He was exceptionally careful as this was still apletely foreign object to him that he didn''t know everything about. The moment his mana made contact with the armor, it was absorbed greedily as if the armor was starving for that mana.


    Then, Arthur felt something quickly change. The straps of white bones started expanding on their own, growingrger and thicker in real time. Quickly, it formed a thickyer around Arthur''s entire body.


    The tips of his fingers turned into sharp white ws while his feet were covered in thick boots, as the exoskeleton started looking like armor¡­ A very terrifying armor. On Arthur''s chest, a menacing skull formed out of nowhere, finishing the entire armor.


    "... This is insane! How did it¡­"


    "That is the magic of that emblem. Whenever it is infused with mana, it turns into a full armor out of nowhere. Now, does it look more like an armor to you?" Merry asked.


    Staring at his body, Arthur nodded his head eagerly. "Now it looks like a cool armor! Even cooler than the armor I was wearing! Not to mention how light and flexible it feels, I can move in it with no problem."


    "I''m happy to hear tha- Hm?"


    As Merry was about to congratte him, she suddenly noticed something very odd. Her eyes squinted as she stared at Arthur. The boy caught the change in her expression.


    "Is everything ok?"


    "Don''t move," Merry said coldly as she approached him and lifted his hand. Then, she looked closely at it.


    "What is happen-"


    That was when Merry''s eyes widened slightly. "The armor¡­ It''s changing in color." She said.


    "Huh?" Arthur was taken aback. "What do you mean?"


    So, the woman simply twisted his arm around and showed him. There, Arthur saw a small red spot appearing at the tip of his fingers that was growing visibly with each passing second. By the time he reacted to that, his fingers were alreadypletely red in color.


    "Huh? Is this normal? Why is it changing color?"


    "..." Merry didn''t reply as she kept staring at the change. ''This is weird¡­ I have never seen this armor react that way to being worn. Is it because of this boy''s mana? But, what kind of Mana does this?''


    In her entire life, Merry had nevere across something so odd. Mana is a type of energy that doesn''t change from one person to another, it is the same mana for everyone with varying degrees of quality. However, even the best of the best still have the same form of mana with nothing different about it.


    However, the fact the Shattered Skull Armor Set was reacting to it in such a way meant that something very off was happening.


    "Merry?"


    Hearing Arthur''s confused voice, Merry snapped out of her daze. She instinctively took a step back as she said.


    "Well, this is a little odd. Are you feeling anything different, Arthur?" She asked while still watching his arm and shoulders getting submerged in that bloody red color.


    "Uh, noints. I don''t feel anything different." He said. ''Though, this color is looking pretty nice. Maybe this is some kind of hidden feature the armor had. I don''t mind the red color as it is more badass.''


    For the next minute or so, the two watched as the armor turnedpletely red from head to toe with some areas being very dark red that they almost appeared ck in color. The new mix of shades turned this ominous armor into an even more terrifying one.


    The aura around it was darker and heavier as if there was some kind of evil spirit roaming around it endlessly.


    "Very interesting. You have just shown me somethingpletely new, kid." Merry said. "This is perhaps the most intriguing thing I have seen in a long time."


    "What can I say? I''m full of surprises. This armor knew that I like the color red so it decided to change to fit my taste."


    "I wish it was that simple," Merry muttered under her breath.


    "Hm? Did you say something?"


    "No, nothing¡­" Merry replied as she walked past Arthur.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "So, how much do you want for the armor?" Arthur asked.


    "Hmm, usually, I would sell that armor for two gold coins at least."


    "Two gold coins?!" Arthur blurted out in shock. ''That is way above whatever money I have! I don''t even have a single gold coin yet!''


    Even though Arthur could consider himself to be quite wealthy in the game, he was far from the wealthiest. The money he had was minimal even when put into his perspective.


    "I said ''usually'', kid. Don''t jump your horse yet. But, since you seem like quite an interesting boy, I will give you a discount. 200 silver coins."


    "200 silvers, huh?" Arthur muttered. "Ok, that is fine. I have enough money." He said as he opened his menu and pulled his pouch of coins out before he emptied it on the table.


    "Those are 325 coins. I will take 125 coins and then you can have the rest." He said.


    "Good." Merry nodded her head.


    "What about the old armor? How much does it cost to fix it?"


    "Oh, this one? Well, for now, it''s for free. This option is mainly something I want to do because this obsidian is rare and I''m quite fascinated by it."


    "Hm, if you say so¡­ Well, if that is the case then I will keep it in your care." Arthur nodded his head. "Now, if you will excuse me, I have to leave. But, where can I find you again, Merry?"


    "I am never in one single ce. But, I do have one way for my special customers to find me. Wait there a second."


    Turning around, Merry busied herself with something. Arthur waited curiously for what she wanted to give him. A few secondster, she turned around and handed Arthur something. The item was in reality a small, featurless silver coin. It had nothing interesting about it except for a small arrow drawn on it, aiming in one direction.


    "Hm? A coin?"


    "This thing is a ''Direction coin''. It is a useful item that will show you where to go to find me. Put it vertically on the palm of your hand." She said.


    Arthur nodded his head and did what she asked. The moment he did that, the coin magically started changing directions until it aimed at Merry.


    "Wow! It really pointed at you!"


    "Now, whenever you want to find me, just use that coin and it will lead you to me." Merry nodded her head.


    "Thank you! I will take care of it then!"


    With that, Arthur bid Merry farewell and left the carriage, closing the door behind him. The woman stood there for a while staring at the closed door, her mind wandering somewhere different.


    "What an odd one¡­ Everything about him is odd. Who thought I would find someone like that so randomly." She muttered as she exhaled a small breath. Arthur was truly one of a kind and a few minutes were more than enough to confirm that for Merry.


    "I wonder where he came from." She said as she picked up the armor set Arthur gave her before leaving. At that moment, her nose caught something.


    "Hm?" Her eyes looked down at the armor, a little confused. "What¡­ is this smell?"


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 185- The Academy Hierarchy (Part 1)

    After leaving the carriage, Arthur walked through the streets of the city till he reached a more popted area. There, he stopped in a corner and finally logged out of the game.


    A few secondster, Arthur opened his eyes to the real world. Leaving the capsule, he stretched his limbs and looked through the window. The world was still dark outside, indicating that it was still early into the day.


    "I have been ying for almost 10 hours. Ugh!" He muttered as he walked to the bathroom and washed his face. Looking into the mirror, Arthur touched his chin. "Hmm¡­ My skin is looking clearer than before. I also look more gorgeous. Hehe, good."


    The boy felt at ease that the serum was still doing its magic, improving his body and appearance bit by bit. Arthur was starting to see his new looks and height in a new light. The serum wasn''t turning him into a monster as he expected but rather into a very uniquely pleasing person to look at. With his still short stature, he was akin to a beautiful porcin doll rather than a human.


    The muscles, the face, and the height were the main changes the serum was working on. But, even Arthur''s presence was different. As he got stronger and more handsome, his confidence was also rising, not to mention the effect of ying DO for a considerably long while, the timid Arthur was now shrouded by a more assertive Arthur.


    *Crack*


    "*Yawn* It''s nice to know that I''m changing for the better every single day. I will never get enough of this serum." He muttered as he walked out of the bathroom and into the kitchen. Preparing a good breakfast, Arthur opened the TV and sat down to eat his food, enjoying the quiet hours of the early morning.


    Some time passed and the sun finally rose and the chirping of the birds echoed across the entire ind.


    "123¡­ 124¡­ Ugh, 125¡­" Arthur grunted as he counted his push-ups. His body was sweating profusely while his arms struggled to keep moving. Eventually, he stopped at 126 push-ups.


    "Hah¡­ Hah¡­ I exceeded my limit again. I''m feeling way stronger than before." Arthur muttered as he stood up and wiped the sweat off his face. "This body is bing more and more ridiculous as time goes by."


    Thest time Arthur tried to do push-ups, he was able to do 80 without stopping. But, now he could easily reach 125 push-ups. That kind of improvement was ridiculous, bordering insanity. But, that was the magic of the serum and its effect and Arthur had already epted it as some kind of magic concoction.


    After that, he took a shower and wore his uniform before he left the apartment. At that moment, Arthur received a message on his phone.


    "Hm? It''s I."


    [Wait for me near the tform.] She said in one single sentence with nothing else.


    "... Haha, even her messages are so serious." Arthurughed as he shook his head before he put the device away and walked outside.


    Taking his sonic board, Arthur moved toward the school along with numerous other students. Reaching the parking lot, Arthur parked his board and waited for I to arrive.


    It didn''t take long before his friend appeared in the distance, being looked at by many students as usual. Arthur even noticed some students almost crashing when they looked at I, getting stunned by her jaw-dropping beauty.


    ''It must be quite annoying to be that good-looking. She can''t have a break.'' Arthur thought to himself as he walked toward I. "Good morning."


    "Morning," I replied as she parked her hoverboard. "I''m sorry for beingte."


    "Hmm, that is fine. You''re on time as usual. Where are the others? I don''t see them." Arthur replied.


    "..." I went silent for a second before she replied. "They will be attendingter. They still have some things to deal with."


    "Still?" Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Are they really fine? I''m a little worried now."


    When Arthur heard about this problem the others were facing, he was concerned but didn''t think too much about it as it could''ve been anything. But, the fact they were going to miss some lessons today too was worrying.


    "Yes, they are fine. It is quite a tricky situation regarding their families. But, they will be back as usualter." I nodded her head. "Don''t worry, if it was something bad, I would''ve dealt with it."


    ''... The confidence¡­'' Arthur smiled slightly. "Ok, if you say so."


    With that, the two started climbing the stairs, heading to the elevator.


    However, the moment they stepped onto the tform, Arthur was suddenly pushed to the side as someone stumbled into him.


    "Hey, watch you-"


    "Ugh!"


    Before Arthur could even speak, he noticed the boy that hit him being grabbed by someone else before he was dragged to the side.


    "Come here, you little bastard. Where do you think you''re running?"


    "P-Please spare me! I already gave you all the points I have!"


    "You call this handful of change, points?"


    Looking at the scene, Arthur noticed a group of students surrounding one single boy as they pushed him left and right like a toy. The other students noticed the ruckus but nobody stopped it as the group continued to harass the boy. No one wanted anything to do with those people.


    "Aren''t those A-ss students?"


    "Shush¡­"


    "Don''t talk about them."


    "They will target you."


    "Unlucky for him, he became the target."


    Other students muttered as they quickly retreated, not daring to stay for a second more.


    "..." Arthur stopped for a second as he stared at the scene.


    "Arthur?" I called for her friend when she noticed him stop. Then, her eyes wandered to the ruckus and her expression turned cold.


    "Please¡­ I really have nothing else."


    "Listen here, my friend. You see, we are a very exhausted group. Being A-ss and all, we need nutrition to keep up. So, you will be the one responsible for feeding us every day from now on, got it?"


    "..."


    "Am I clear?"


    "Y-Yes! I will!"


    "Hahahaha!"


    The groupughed loudly as they looked at the pathetic state the student reached. His clothes were dirty and there were red spots on his face from the kicking.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Pfft,e on, Kai, you bullied him too much. Look, he''s about to cry." One of the boys said mockingly.


    "Hey hey, don''t make me sound like an evil person now. I was just asking him nicely to help us. I hate bullying. Hm?"


    At that moment, a boy named Kai noticed that someone was standing behind him. Turning around, he found an unknown person staring directly at him from a close distance.


    "Huh? What do you want?" He asked as he red at Arthur.


    "Return his points," Arthur said coldly, not caring about the supposedly intimidating look Kai was giving him.


    "..."


    The group waspletely stunned for a second before they exploded intoughter at the same time.


    "Hahaha! What? Return his points?"


    "What is this guy talking about?"


    "Don''t make us sound like we stole his points. He gave them to us willingly."


    "..." Arthur didn''t move at all as he kept staring at Kai. While he also tried to startughing, for some reason, he felt something very off from the boy in front of him. A weird feeling of unease filled his heart.


    Almost as if¡­ He was feeling fear.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 186- The Academy Hierarchy (Part 2)

    "I''m not giving back anything. Mind your own business." Kai shook his head as he tried to ignore the weird feeling he was having at that moment. After all, how can he feel fear of some other student? He wasn''t a weakling.


    "What is he doing?"


    "Is he insane?"


    "Wait¡­ Look at his uniform¡­"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "That color¡­ He''s S-ss?"


    The students all around Arthur started whispering and talking about him. It took them a few seconds to realize that Arthur wasn''t just another stupid student trying to be the hero of the hour. He was far from that. Enjoy exclusive content from empire


    "Oh no¡­"


    "S-ss and A-ss¡­ This is going be a disaster."


    "*Gulp*"


    Immediately, the atmosphere grew even more tense. Thest thing these students wanted to see was a sh between two students of the highest ranks possible. It was like watching two monsters ready to eat each other alive.


    "S-ss? Who''s S-ss-" Kai heard that and his eyes wandered to Arthur again. That was when he noticed what everyone was talking about and his expression darkened visibly.


    ''This bastard is S-ss? What kind of nonsense is that?!'' Feeling his heart rate increase, Kai tried to keep calm. He had already seen many S-ss students and all he could say was that they were all in a league of their own. Whether it was influence, power, or intelligence, they couldn''t bepared with lower sses.


    Even though the difference between A-ss and S-ss was just one step, that single step was perhaps bigger than the difference between A-ss and the lowest ss possible. It was simply imaginable how terrifying those individuals were.


    Now, Kai was standing right in front of one of these people.


    "You have exactly 60 seconds to return his points and leave. Don''t me me for what happens after that." Arthur said as he looked at his device. His tone and demeanor were so casual that one wouldn''t think he was threatening someone at that moment.


    "..." Kai and his friends werepletely stunned for a few seconds as they stared at each other.


    "W-We really didn''t steal anything. He gave us his points willingly! Come on, tell him the truth!" Kai red at the boy, nudging him to speak.


    The boy was naturally terrified by that re and quickly nodded his head. "I-I gave them the points!"


    Arthur''s eyes shifted to the boy for a second, eyeing his expression. It didn''t need a genius to understand that he was being threatened into saying that rather than it being the actual truth.


    "See? You shouldn''t be bothered with him. We are just friends joking around, hahaha¡­" Kaiughed awkwardly.


    But, against what they thought, Arthur looked down at his device and then said. "There are 30 seconds left."


    "Huh?"


    "You have 28 seconds to return his points," Arthur said as he kept counting the seconds going down, not caring the least about what Kai said.


    "Hey! Didn''t you hear what I said? We didn''t take the po-"


    "23 seconds." Arthur cut him off as he kept staring at his clock.


    "Hey, I''m talking to y-" The boy instinctively tried to grab Arthur from his cor. But, the boy suddenly extended his arm and stopped Kai. His hand gripped the boy''s arm as he fixed it in one spot.


    "18 seconds."


    ''Ugh! The grip! I can''t move my hand!'' Kai frowned when he realized the sheer power of his opponent. Even though he was using his entire arm, he couldn''t get his arm out of Arthur''s grip. His bones started shaking from the sheer power of his hand.


    He tried to act like he wasn''t in pain, but he couldn''t stop a groan from escaping his mouth when Arthur twisted his arm a little. Kai stared into the boy''s eyes and he felt his entire body freeze from fear. That small feeling he had at first was now taking over his entire mind. He waspletely terrified of this short boy and he didn''t know why.


    "12 seconds." Arthur continued counting.


    Kai tried to do everything within his power to get his arm out, but he failed miserably. Eventually, all the pain and fear made him give up.


    "Ugh! Ok! Ok! Release my hand! I will give him his points back!"


    When Arthur heard that, he looked up at Kai and then released his arm. The boy quickly grabbed it in pain, he felt as if his hand was almost crushed right there and then.


    ''What is wrong with this guy?!''


    "Now, give him his points and apologize," Arthur said. "You can be in painter."


    "..."


    Kai clenched his teeth angrily as he red at Arthur before he opened his device. Even though he was extremely irritated and angry, he knew that he couldn''t really do anything to Arthur. He simply cannot offend someone from S-ss.


    A few secondster, Arthur heard a ringing noise from Kai''s phone and then another ringing noise from the boy''s phone.


    "There. I sent him his points back."


    "Can you confirm that he returned all your points?" Arthur asked.


    "... Y-Yes, I received them." The boy replied.


    "Now, off you go, boys. If I see you doing this again to that guy or anyone else, you aren''t going to be spared easily." He said as he turned and walked back to I without looking another time.


    I had watched everything that ensued without doing much. She could see that Arthur had the entire situation under his control so there was no need for her to actually intercept it.


    ''He seems to have gained way more confidence now.'' She thought to herself with a calm look. Deep down, I was quite delighted to see that Arthur was far more assertive than before. She remembers their first time meeting and how timid he was even though he was quite strong. He didn''t have the confidence he had now.


    ''It seems he is finally realizing his position. That''s good.'' I mused as she closed her eyes.


    "Sorry for making you wait," Arthur said, snapping her out of her thoughts.


    "It is fine."


    "I couldn''t just let those idiots be scumbags to someone without any consequences. Though¡­ I doubt that will really stop them from doing this again." Arthur muttered as he watched the group scatter like scared sheep.


    ''They are all like that, cowards in front of stronger people and pretend like they''re wolves in front of weaker people. The absolute worst.'' He thought to himself.


    "This ce has been built on hierarchy. You won''t be able to get rid of it unless you take this entire ce down and rebuild it." I said.


    "... Yeah, we can only do whatever we can."


    Arthur was quite bitter that it was this way as he understood what being bullied felt like. It was horrible, soul-crushing and terrifying. It made him afraid of going to school or living his life normally. It made him hate people and despise creating rtionships.


    Yet, this entire academy, from top to bottom, was built on a system where the strong prey on the weak with no mercy. It was a system that didn''t spare those who couldn''tpete.


    An absolute hierarchy of steel.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 187- Concerning Things

    Arthur and I then headed to ss along with the rest of the students. The crowd quickly dispersed after the end of the conflict but many kept staring at Arthur the entire time, clearly very curious about him.


    The reason for that was very simple, Arthur was perhaps the weirdest S-ss they had ever seen. Unlike the other S-ss students, he didn''t have that appearance or attitude one would expect from them. He didn''t look like he was arrogant or egotistical. In fact, apart from his rather beautiful looks, Arthur appeared quite normal¡­ Someone that shouldn''t even be on this ind.


    However, what made him even more intriguing was the fact he went out of his way to help someone he didn''t know. So far, the only thing these students saw from S-sses was pure power and influence with a deep arrogance to back it up.


    Many of them were taking their leisure bullying the weaker students or making sure to use their influence to get what they wanted. Everyone was terrified of S-sses more than anything else. After all, not only would their lives be ruined on the Middle Ind but also outside of it due to the immense power each one of them had.


    So, the fact one of these distant figures stopped to help a nobody and even threatened to do something to the one who was bullying him was mind-blowing.


    "Look at him¡­"


    "I wonder if he''s just trying to garner attention by doing that¡­"


    "Could be."


    "At least he helped that guy. But, I wonder who he is¡­"


    "I have never seen him before either. Nobody knows who he is."


    "Maybe he isn''t a popr person?"


    Such conversations went on all around Arthur as he passed by. The boy was naturally aware of all of that and he had one single thought.


    ''I don''t really care.'' He thought to himself. ''They can think whatever they want. As long as they don''t annoy me, I really don''t care what stuff they say about me behind my back.''


    In the end, for Arthur, words were just words, they couldn''t hurt him like a sword could. If someone annoyed him, he would deal with them and move on, it was as simple as that.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "You''re bing popr," I said.


    "Pfft, yeah, I sure am." Arthur rolled his eyes. "They were just confused. I''m certain they will lose interest soon."


    "..." I nodded her head faintly. "Hopefully they start standing up for themselves after seeing what you did."


    "Mm, I wish that is the case. But, even if they do, the others will only up the level of bullying. Sooner orter, it will reach a level nobody wants to even imagine." Arthur replied. His voice grew colder as he reached thest part of his sentence.


    ''I have already seen some pretty extreme cases of bullying to people who resisted. I don''t want to even imagine what this particr group of people can do.'' Just trying to picture it made him shudder. It was not a pleasant idea at all. However, all Arthur could do is simply wish it does not reach that point. There was nothing else he could do.


    The two entered the ss and Arthur was again being stared at by all the students. At this point, he really doubted no one knew how he looked. However, he was certain many were confused since he was basicallypletely unknown to them.


    Sitting down on his chair, he ignored the looks and simply put his device in the socket. The lesson was about to start and he didn''t want to waste time doing other things. After all, today, he was going to study with I so he didn''t want to embarrass himself in front of her.


    ''I better listen and focus so that I don''t end up beingpletely lost.'' He clenched his teeth as his eyes red with determination. ''Today''s goal: Not to embarrass myself.''


    As Arthur was igniting his motivation, Theodore walked through the door as usual. However, unlike usual, he didn''t walk to his desk and put his device in to prepare for the lesson instead stopped in front of the desk and looked at the students.


    "Can you all please focus on me for a second, I have an announcement."


    Almost immediately, everyone tensed up as if they heard something terrifying. After all, every time the word ''Announcement'' was said, there was always shocking news. That word had safely traumatized many students.


    Noticing that everyone was paying attention, Theodore continued. "Tomorrow, you will have your very first test."


    "Oh¡­"


    Gasps of surprise echoed across the entire ssroom. Students started whispering amongst themselves.


    ''Already, huh? Well, I guess this is to be expected.'' Arthur blinked slowly. This news didn''te as a surprise to him. The professor had told them the tests were going to start soon so they had no reason to be shocked.


    "What is the test about, professor?" One student asked.


    "The subject of the test will be announced tomorrow." He replied. "We will disclose all information when it is time."


    ''Fuck¡­ Of course, they''re going to keep it a secret till thest minute.'' Arthur ran his hand through his hair, fighting the huge headache threatening to shake his mind.


    "All I can say is be prepared and revise everything we learned so far because you will need that tomorrow. Now, let''s begin the lesson."


    Leaving the entire ss tense, Theodore started the day as if nothing happened. After all, there was not a normal day on the Middle Ind.


    ***


    Several hours passed swiftly and lunchtime arrived. Arthur and I left the ssroom and headed to the cafeteria. However, at that moment, they noticed something. Continue reading on empire


    "Oi! Arthur! I!"


    Looking up, Arthur''s eyes lit up when he saw familiar faces. On the other side of the corridor, Herculia, Danny, and Emmy were waiting for them.


    "Guys!" Arthur rushed toward them with a wide smile on his face. "Where have you been? I was worried."


    "Haha, yeah, it is a long story, man." Herculiaughed awkwardly as he scratched his cheek. "Anyway, how have you been?"


    "Good, as usual," Arthur replied.


    "We really wished to be there yesterday. But, we really couldn''t. We''re sorry." Emmy tried to force a smile on her face. Arthur naturally noticed that.


    ''Hm?''


    Then, he realized something. The looks on the trio''s faces were slightly different than usual. Apart from clear exhaustion, they had this almost sad expression permeating through their eyes.


    "..." Arthur waspletely speechless. He could easily notice that this wasn''t simply another small problem as I was describing it.


    "We should go eat," I said as she tapped Arthur''s shoulder, snapping him out of his daze.


    "Yes, we should go eat, I''m starving." Herculia nodded.


    With that, the group turned around and started walking, only for Arthur to remain standing there, staring at the group silently.


    "Arthur?" Emmy called for him.


    "... Yeah, I''ming." He replied calmly before he chased after them.


    Meanwhile, I herself looked at him for a moment as a small sigh leaked out of her lips. ''He is way too perceptive for his own good, sometimes.''


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 188- Totally Not a Date (Part 1)

    The group continued to the cafeteria inplete silence. Herculia and Emmy tried to bring up some sort of conversation but since the atmosphere was tense and odd, the conversation wouldn''tst long.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    During the entire journey, Arthur was contemting what he noticed. He simply couldn''t get all of that out of his mind. But, the problem was that he couldn''t really figure out what happened and he couldn''t ask them either.


    After all, this ''family problem'' is most likely not something he could expect from a normal family.


    ''I''m sure it ain''t anything normal.'' He thought to himself as he looked at the trio silently. ''Tsk, I wish I could ask, but it''s not my position to ask them such a thing.''


    However, as much as he epted that he had no right to ask or know, he still wished to see these people smile. They were his very first friends that he could truly trust. They were the first people who didn''t look at him as a weirdo. He was epted into the group as one of their own and they never looked at him as if he was inferior.


    ''How can I even help? Or better yet, am I even in a position where I can help?'' He asked himself as he clenched his fists slightly. Whether he liked it or not, Arthur knew that he had no actual influence in the real world.


    Sure, he was the best yer in DO, but was that power really tranted into the real world? The answer was a clear no. He was as much of a weakling in the real world as he was before the game was released.


    That realization made Arthur even more annoyed and he didn''t know why. Clenching his teeth slightly, he tried to swallow the bitterness in his mouth. ''... Why?'' He asked himself again yet he couldn''t figure out the reason for this bitterness. ''There is no reason for me to feel guilty that I couldn''t help¡­ They don''t need my help. Yet¡­ Why?''


    The question itself was rather simple and if Arthur had more experience he would''ve realized that the answer was right there in front of him the entire time. But, for that moment, he waspletely clueless.


    The group reached the cafeteria and quickly grabbed some food from the rich buffet. It seemed the food today was different from the previous days as usual. Not only did the academy make sure students would eat a nutritious meal every day but also make sure the meal was different every time so people don''t get bored quickly.


    After that, they all sat around one table in the heart of the cafeteria.


    "Ugh, finally, some food. I couldn''t be any more hungry." Herculia said as he grabbed the spoon and started to eat eagerly. "I haven''t had¡­ a proper¡­ meal since yesterday!"


    "... Yeah, eat up, big guy." Emmy nodded her head as she also started eating.


    Danny also silently picked up his fork and focused on his food. The only two who didn''t immediately start eating were Arthur and I. They weren''t feeling as hungry as those three so they didn''t rush. Arthur was mainly still too deep into his own thoughts to even care about food.


    "Were you that busy yesterday not to even find time for food?" Eventually, Arthur opened his mouth and asked.


    "Haha, yes¡­ We were really busy for the entire night. There was no time to take a break." Emmy replied. "It was a rough night, for sure. Hahaha."


    Even though Emmy tried tough it off, Arthur simply stared at her calmly. He knew that it was all simply to hide what she was feeling at that moment.


    "Did you figure things out?" I kept staring between Arthur and Emmy for a few moments before she spoke.


    "The situation is stable for now." Danny nodded his head faintly. "We should be fine for a while."


    "But, it isn''t going tost long." I retorted. "Are you really sure I should do anything?"


    "No, please, I. It will only cause you even more trouble."


    Danny''s eyes shed with a weird glint. Arthur could hear the pleading tone in his voice.


    ''Why doesn''t he want I to help? What kind of trouble is he talking about?''


    "There is really no trouble for me more than seeing this situation happen," I said. "I cannot say that this is not my concern anymore."


    "..."


    The trio looked down silently, clearly unable to look I in the eyes because of her words. Whether it was shame or some other reason, none of them could reply to her question.


    Seeing that, I nodded her head. "It is up to you and what you do next. But, when I see that it is getting out of hand, I''m going to do something about it."


    "..."


    During that entire conversation, Arthur remained silent, simply listening to everything and piecing things together as much as he could. Yet, even when he could''ve asked once in the many opportunities he had, he still didn''t do that.


    For whatever reason, Arthur couldn''t do it.


    ***


    Continue reading at empire


    The lunch break passed swiftly and the students returned to their ssrooms to continue the rest of the evening. For Arthur, it was the same evening as usual, nothing new. But, he was feeling under the weather from everything that happened. His mind kept eating him away and he couldn''t stop it.


    As hours passed, he was lost in his own trail of thoughts so by the time the bell rang, announcing the end of another day, he was stillpletely upied. He only realized that it was time to go home when I approached him.


    "Let''s go, Arthur," I said.


    "Hm? Oh, it''s already time?" The boy looked up at her, a little taken aback.


    "..." I squinted her eyes before she shifted her gaze to the rest of the ssroom. Since they didn''t have a training ss that day, the ce waspletely empty. So, she sighed, grabbed a seat, and sat down in front of Arthur.


    "What is on your mind?" She asked. "Tell me."


    "..." Arthur started at her silently for a second. He was a little speechless by her sudden question. "Uh¡­"


    "I know that you have something on your mind. I''m not blind." She added. "Is it about them?"


    "..." The boy blinked before he looked down. "Was it that obvious?"


    "It could''ve not been more obvious."


    "Haha, I''m really bad at pretending, aren''t I? Sigh, it''s really nothing important. I''m just¡­ A little worried that''s all." He said.


    "... Worried about them?"


    "Yes, it seems this problem, whatever it is, is quite serious. I have never seen them act that way before. So, I can only think that it must''ve been mentally taxing for them. Yet, I can''t really help even if I know what it was." Arthur said.


    I listened quietly to her friend speaking. She didn''t try to interrupt him the entire time.


    "It is just¡­ I''m really questioning if I''m good enough of a friend to you guys. I''m really not that special in the real world even if I''m doing good in the game." Arthur clenched his teeth, feeling very bitter. "I am really not that important."


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 189- Totally Not a Date (Part 2)

    Arthur could barely say those words, purely out of his own shame. He had never thought such a situation could make him feel that horrible. He was truly struck where he was least expecting.


    The same Arthur who didn''t doubt himself once before, was now questioning if he was even useful in any way to I and the others. The game was simply not enough for Arthur. He wanted to do more, and be more present in the real world as someone who can stand up for himself and for the people he cared for.


    But, so far, that didn''t change at all. Apart from his changed looks and his current poprity, Arthur was still the same. A very powerless individual trying to make it big through a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity he got out of nowhere.


    That single opportunity had opened huge doors for him, but was he truly capable of fulfilling that true potential¡­ Not only inside the game but outside it too.


    ''I really don''t know anymore¡­ I really don''t know.'' Closing his eyes, he took in a deep breath as he arched his neck back.


    I saw all those subtle emotions passing through Arthur''s eyes one by one. Nobody knew what was going through her mind at that moment as all she showed on her face was aposed look, the same one she always had.


    A few seconds of silence passed before I opened her mouth. "Can I ask you a question, Arthur?" Her tone was calm and serene, unperturbed by the dilemma her friend was going through. However, the sheer power of her voice immediately made Arthur open his eyes as he stared at her.


    "What is it?" He asked back.


    I stared directly into his eyes and said. "What is your goal from entering the Divine Realm?"


    "My goal?"


    "I have asked you this question before, and you have replied that you''re simply seeking the thrill of exploring that world and seeing everything it has to offer. But¡­ That is clearly not your only goal anymore. So, what is it that you want to do else?" She asked.


    ''What¡­ I want to do?''


    For a moment there, Arthur thought that he knew the answer, almost by instinct. But, then he stopped for a moment and thought about it. What was really his goal when he entered the game? Surely fun was a major part of it, but what was the other part that Arthur didn''t really think much about till that point?


    "I¡­" The boy opened his mouth to reply. He wanted to say that he didn''t know. He was certain that he had another goal he wanted to achieve but he didn''t know what it was yet. Perhaps it wasn''t really that important so his mind instinctively forgot about it. But¡­ That didn''t make sense.


    Seeing the lost look on Arthur''s face, I closed her eyes for a moment before she slowly stood up. "Follow me." She said.


    "..." Arthur stared up at her, a little confused. "Where?"


    "You will see."


    "..."


    "Are youing or not?" She asked as she stopped at the door and looked at him.


    Arthur nodded his head and simply walked after her silently. The two left the ssroom and then the entire institution as a whole. Getting on their sonic boards, they moved out of the campus grounds and into the city. Enjoy new chapters from empire


    The sun was already moving into the horizon as the city grew darker and darker. The temperature was colder than earlier and the wind was rustling Arthur''s hair as they traveled through the busy streets of the ind. Many other students were going about their evening everywhere so the ce was very lively.


    "Where are we going, I?"


    "You will see." She replied.


    The two continued on their way as Arthur got more and more confused. At some point, they passed beside one of the many libraries in the city.


    "Hey, we just passed the library. Aren''t we going to study?" He asked again.


    "Change of ns," I replied. "We are going somewhere else."


    "..."


    ''What is she nning?'' Arthur mused. I was always very mysterious and unpredictable, but this was a rather weird situation. Unbeknownst to Arthur, he had forgottenpletely about all his worries and was now focused on finding out what I had in store for him.


    A few minutes passed just like that until eventually, he saw something in the distance.


    "Woah!!"


    "AAAAAH!!!"


    Screams echoed in his ears mixed with the noise of countless other humans and machinery. A whiff of a sweet smell filled Arthur''s nose and blinding lights filled his eyes. Then, I took a turn straight toward that ce.


    ''The amusement park?'' Arthur frowned. "Why did you bring us here, I?" He asked his friend. This ce was thest ce he expected I to bring him to.


    The girl ignored him and parked the sonic board before she turned to look at the park silently. Arthur did the same and approached her.


    "So, are you going to exin now or are we still on the mystery boat?" He asked with a hint of sarcasm.


    "What else are we here for except to have some fun?" She asked back.


    "Fun?" He looked at his device to check the time. "Now?"


    "This is the perfect time to have fun. After a long day." She said.


    "..." Arthur was about to open his mouth, only for I to start walking toward the gate. "Hey, wait."


    "I''m not waiting. We are going in." She replied.


    "But, we don''t have time for- Hey! I!"


    ''Tsk, why is she acting like this?'' Rubbing the back of his head with a sigh, Arthur looked behind him. Since I didn''t seem to listen, there was really no other choice for him. All he could do was follow her.


    "So, are youing?" She asked.


    "I give up. Let''s go have some fun." He lifted his hand up as a sign of defeat.


    "Good. Now, follow me." Tapping him on the shoulder, I walked into the amusement park, followed by Arthur.


    The two stopped immediately in front of the ticket booth where there was a line of students waiting.


    ''It''s amazing how people are going to the amusement park on a random work day. They really don''tpromise when ites to having fun.'' Watching the smiley faces on people, Arthur could only smile slightly too. The atmosphere in the ce was very positive and lively, giving him a different vibe from before.


    All his negative thoughts were put aside and he was now focused on the matter at hand. By the time the two reached the ticket window, I said.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "Two tickets please." She said.


    "That will be 50 points, miss." The man said.


    I pulled her device out to pay, only for Arthur to tap her shoulder. "Hey, I can pay for myself."


    However, I shook her head. "No, this is on me. Consider it a gift." She replied before she swiped the device over the ss, indicating the sessful transaction. Then, she received a notification that the two tickets were sent to her phone.


    "I have invited you. So, I will pay."


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 190- Totally Not a Date (Part 3)

    The two walked through the masses of people, heading into the area with all the attractions. The ce was surprisingly filled with students even though it wasn''t the weekend. People were perhaps too stressed and decided to have some fun to relieve some of that tension or they were simply too bothered with thevish lifestyle to care about studying or hard work.


    Either way, the amusement park wasn''t empty by any means. Arthur kept staring around him curiously. He had been to such a ce only once before in his life and that was when he was a kid.


    ''Grandma brought me there for my birthday. It was a really good memory.'' He thought to himself. It was one of the few things he still remembers clearly and cherishes deeply. After all, back then, things were much simpler and more fun in a sense.


    However, that was it, times moved and now the person who created that memory for him was long gone. It was truly tragic in a bittersweet way.


    That was when Arthur noticed something that snapped him out of his daze. Blinking quickly, he looked all around him as if he were searching for something.


    "Is everything ok, Arthur?" I noticed his weird behavior rather quickly.


    ''There¡­ There¡­ And even those¡­ Wait, am I hallucinating or is everyone around us a couple?!'' He asked himself. This detail, as weird as it was, was indeed true. All Arthur could see around him were girls and boys going around in pairs of two, all being very mushy and intimate with each other.


    Then, he realized what kind of atmosphere the entire amusement park had. It was a mix of fun, excitement, and¡­


    "Romance¡­" He muttered under his breath. ''How did these people quickly start dating? We have been on this ind for less than two weeks. The human race is truly impressive.''


    "What did you say?" Find more to read at empire


    "... Ehem, it''s nothing. Anyway, what game should we start with?" Arthur asked.


    "You can choose," I replied.


    "Really? You''re the one who paid, you know?"


    "And you''re the one who will take care of the rest." She retorted.


    "... Hm, ok, I won''t say no then." Arthur shrugged and looked around him. There was a plethora of attractions around them. Many of them looked immensely dangerous and very thrilling.


    "Hahaha, time to go a little wild!"


    ***


    With that, Arthur and I moved to their first attraction which was the roller coaster. It was by far the biggest attraction in the entire ce. Going all around in gigantic circles. Arthur could hear the screams of the students as they moved through the trail at enormous speed.


    "Damn, that looks fun! Let''s go! Oh wait, are you ok with this kind of game?" Arthur asked.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "I do not mind," I replied.


    The line of students waiting was surprisingly not that long. Perhaps not many were courageous enough to try such a ridiculous attraction with how insane it looked.


    Quickly, their turn arrived and they got on the roller coaster. The worker strapped them to the chairs tightly and made sure everything was working perfectly fine. After that, he turned on the machine, and the ride began.


    At first, the speed was slow but it quickly picked up pace as the started rising up into the air. The students were already shaking and screaming as they went higher and higher.


    "Hmm, this is nice," Arthur muttered as he looked to the side. I looked very calm as if she didn''t care what was about to happen.


    Eventually, the ride reached the peak, almost 100 meters in the air, and stopped. The students clenched their fists as they got ready for the descent.


    "*Gulp* This is bad¡­ We''re too high¡­"


    "AAAH! I don''t want to be here! Why did you get us on this ride?!! I''m breaking up with you!!"


    Arthur could hear the students cry for their lives as he tried to hold back hisughter. After all, they weren''t really ready for what was about to happen.


    A few seconds of waitingter, they started moving again, nudging further and further, getting closer to the edge. Then¡­


    *Swish*


    The descent was so fast that people couldn''t even react in time. But, when they did, their screams started echoing in the sky.


    "WOAAAH!!"


    Arthur''s grin widened as he watched the world spin and turn at a fast rate. He felt the wind hitting his face and the erratic movement of the roller coaster. However, apart from some thrill, he wasn''t scared at all.


    ''Hm, I guess I have been through way more ridiculous situations for this to even feel remotely terrifying.'' He thought to himself. Looking to the side, I seemed to be the same. She didn''t even bother to say anything.


    The ride continued, going around and around, changing directions suddenly every time. Some students were already losing their minds by that time, unable to handle the situation.


    ''Did these people really y DO? How are you this scared of this? Tsk tsk.''


    A few minutester, the ride finally arrived at the station again with apletely different group of students. Their faces lookedpletely pale and their hair was a mess. Slowly, they descended from the ride in silence, some visibly shaking.


    "I don''t want toe here ever again¡­"


    "I can''t stand on my legs¡­"


    "I thought I was about to die."


    As they all tried topose themselves and calm down, they saw two people pass beside them.


    "That was fun. Though, I would''ve wished it was a little faster with more circles." Arthur said.


    "It was alright." I shrugged. "They could''ve made it better for sure."


    "Yeah, exactly! Oh well, it wasn''t too bad."


    As they watched the pair leave, their eyes widened in shock. While they were struggling to even breathe, those two seemedpletely unbothered by the ride.


    "Huh? Who are those two?"


    "... Beat me, they must be maniacs."


    As the two left the roller coaster, they headed toward the next game and then the one after that. They jumped from one thrilling attraction to another. In reality, Arthur was just leading I around, trying everything he deemed interesting.


    Almost all the games they tried weren''t that mind-blowing as neither felt a sense of danger or excitement more than normal.


    Even the arcade games and crane games.


    *BANG* *BANG*


    "H-Holy shit¡­"


    "S-She''s destroying the machine¡­"


    "I could barely hit one squirrel¡­"


    As other students were passing by, they noticed I wrecking the squirrel machine with the hammer. Her reaction speed was simply monstrous to the point where the machine, which was considerably harder than the normal machine found outside the ind, couldn''t keep up.


    "NEW RECORD!"


    The machine voice yelled when I hit thest squirrel. Then, it finally stopped before it spouted out a ton of tickets.


    Meanwhile, on the other side of the aisle.


    "BOOM! Get rekt! Haha!" Arthur was ying a fighting game.


    "Goddamit! I lost!"


    "It''s me next! Let me try!"


    Around him was a huge group of students, all trying to y against him. However, it had been almost 20 minutes and Arthur had defeated around 15 people without losing once.


    "How is he this good¡­"


    "I couldn''t evenst 30 seconds¡­"


    "Is he some kind of professional?"


    Hearing thepliments all around him, Arthur grinned. ''I have been ying arcade games my entire life. We had a small arcade center near my old house so I used to go there whenever I could. With my reaction speed now, you lot have no chance.'' Arthur cracked his neck as he finally turned around and said.


    "I''m sorry, that''s it for today. I have some other stuff to do."


    "What?"


    "Why?!"


    "One more round! Just one more round please!"


    The students closed all escape paths as they swarmed Arthur. They were eager to try their luck at beating him.


    "Hey! Stop it! No! I''m not going to y anymore! I have to go! Let me pass!"


    Struggling through the masses, he was able to escape somehow. Then, he looked up.


    "Are you done?" I asked as she carried tworge bags of tickets toward him.


    "... Yeah, they were really stubborn and didn''t let me go. It seems you have gathered a good number of tickets. We can get a gift with all of that!"


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 191- Totally Not a Date (Part 4)

    After that, Arthur and I walked to the counter where they put all the tickets they earned on the table in front of apletely stunned worker. They looked at the mountain of tickets inplete shock.


    ''S-So many¡­ Didn''t they walk in here 20 minutes ago?!'' The man was unable toprehend how the two were able to gather that many tickets in such a short period of time. It waspletely ridiculous.


    "We want something with these tickets," Arthur said. "Are these enough for anything?"


    ''Enough?!'' The worker almost had a heart attack hearing Arthur''s innocent question. ''That''s more than I have ever seen in my life!''


    "Ehem, y-yes! Of course! We have some good prizes for you!" The man nodded his head and quickly pulled all the tickets away. Before he walked to the back. "Which kind of gift do you want?"


    "Uh, you can choose, I," Arthur said.


    "... What''s your best gift?" She asked after thinking for a moment.


    "... Mm, our best is a 3D jigsaw puzzle of the ''Angel Of Fate''." The man said.


    "Angel of Fate?"


    "Yes, the angel who brings all the yers into the Divine Realm. Do you want the puzzle?" He asked.


    "..."


    ''They really have a 3D figure of Fermen?'' Arthur blinked. ''Interesting. I wonder why.'' He sighed inwardly, almostughing at how weird it was.


    "Sure, we will take that," I replied. She didn''t seem aware of what Arthur had noticed.


    "Of course!"


    Grabbing the big box with the beautiful Angel drawn on it, the worker handed it to I. "Is that all?"


    "Yes, thank you."


    Then, the two walked out of the arcade area. The worker stared at their backs silently, his mind wondering where these two came from.


    With that, I and Arthur continued their trip all around the ce, trying everything they had in mind. Time passed very quickly as Arthurpletely forgot about all his worries. Everything that was bugging his mind vanishedpletely. He was smiling from ear to ear the entire time.


    Even I, who didn''t seem that interested at first, got engrossed in it without realizing it. The two were having fun, spending time together, and simply ying around. There was no work, no threat, no responsibilities, just stress-free fun that gave them a breather from everything happening around them.


    With that, several hours passed in a sh. The night cast its shadow on the entire city and the beautiful stars twinkled in the sky, decorating it like chandeliers.


    "I think that should be ourst ride," Arthur said as he pointed at therge Ferris Wheel. "It should be a nice, slow ride."


    I nodded her head faintly as she followed him. The two entered into the cabin and sat down before the staff worker closed the door.


    "Have a nice ride." Thedy said with a smile.


    Then, the Ferris Wheel slowly started moving, bringing them up to higher altitudes. Slowly, a view of the entire city presented itself to them, like a shiny pearl in the darkness of the world.


    "Woah¡­ That''s a nice view." Arthur muttered as he touched the window and looked outside. "The city is always beautiful at night."


    "Mm¡­" I nodded her head as she stared at the scenery silently, admiring it with her eyes.


    A few moments passed just like that before Arthur sat down again and said. "Thank you for today, I. This was a lot of fun." His smile was as genuine as it could''ve been.


    "There is no reason to thank me." I blinked. Whenever she sees that smile on Arthur''s face, she finds herself entranced by it. It was truly one of the mysteries that she couldn''tprehend about this boy. Something about it was inherently beautiful and pure in an iprehensible way, like seeing the light of the sun early in the morning, just radiant, pure, and warm.


    "No, I really should thank you. I''m feeling a lot better now. I''m sorry for that sight earlier, I wasn''t in my best mindset." He said.


    "... Are you thinking clearer now?" She asked.


    "Yes, I''m more aware now."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Then, you should be aware that all of your worries are unfounded. It was never your fault what happened. None of us will me you for not being able to help. That doesn''t make you a bad friend or a useless person. When you helped us reach the capital inside the game, that was already something we could only wish to pay you back for."


    "Huh? I mainly did it for myself." Arthur replied. He couldn''t understand how I was grateful for that when he himself was clear that he only did it because their goals aligned.


    "That doesn''t change the fact that you helped us achieve something no other person had ever done. It is enough that we have the best yer in the world as our ally. However, that won''t appear important now since the game is still in its earliest stages. In the future, you will be something great, Arthur." I spoke, her eyes shing with a myriad of emotions, all subtle and hidden.


    "..."


    "Your influence on the real world is bound to be greater and greater as time goes on. If that is what you wish for. Then, keep doing what you''re doing, climb higher, and then you will see the results."


    Looking down, Arthur nodded his head faintly. It was true, everything I said was correct. It was unreasonable to think his influence on the real world should''ve evolved as fast as his influence in the game. He had only entered the Divine Realm a few weeks ago and he was barely taking his very first steps in there. Rushing the results was only going to make him perform worse and lose his position.


    ''... Then I would never be able to help them even if I could.'' Clenching his fists, Arthur came to a realization. He could never really rush anything, not even his own growth as a person or as a yer. It all muste patiently.


    "I will work hard. No, I will work harder than ever so that in the future, I will stand next to you and be able to do something when I have to." He said as he looked up at his friend, his eyes filled with endless determination. That was not a mere promise, that was an oath on Arthur''s soul that he was going to be someone great. Someone who would never feel inferior when he stands next to I and the others.


    Someone worthy of the ''Number 1'' title.


    I could read all those thoughts through his eyes and she could only smile slightly. That was exactly the look she wanted to see on Arthur''s face. "Good. I think our journey was fruitful then."


    "... Wait, you did all of this just to help me out of that state?" He asked in shock.


    "Yes, and no." She replied.


    "Huh?"


    "At first, my intentions were just to relieve your worries. But, after we went in¡­ I started having fun myself. I didn''t expect going to the amusement park was this enjoyable of an experience."


    "Wait, you''ve never been here before?"


    "No. This is my first time."


    "..." Find exclusive stories on empire


    "But, it is something I would definitely love to do again in the future."


    As the Ferris Wheel reached the ground again and the door opened, I said. "Let''s visit this ce again in the future. You and me."


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 192- Preparations

    For a second, Arthur waspletely mesmerized by I. Her radiant beauty that transcended everything he could''ve imagined, her rare smile that captivates anyone who sees it, and her soothing voice akin to a beautiful melody.


    Everything about her was simply worth admiring. Yet, by far, what made him lose focus were her words.


    ''You and me.'' He thought to himself as he felt his heart skip a beat. For some reason, that particr sentence hit him in a weird spot. It was definitely nothing special, but something about it made him very happy for some reason.


    "Arthur?"


    "Huh? Oh! Haha, yeah! We shoulde again in the future!" Snapping out of his daze, Arthur nodded his head vigorously. ''What was that? I waspletely out of it for a few seconds. She really has a lethal smile.'' Arthur sighed inwardly. Even then, he could still feel his heart beating faster than usual.


    "Good. Now, let''s go, the ride is over." She said.


    The two left the Ferris Wheel and then walked out of the amusement park. It was already considerablyte into the night yet the city was still not fully empty. The curfew time for students was 12:00 AM which was still one hour away. They had plenty of time to go back home.


    So, they took their sonic boards and flew into the distance. The weather was not too cold nor too warm and the scenery of the sky above was as gorgeous as ever. The different cosmic colors mixed and blended beautifully, creating a divine painting out of this world.


    "Hey, I!"


    "What?"


    "Look up!"


    "..." The girl was a little confused at first but then looked up and her eyes immediately widened in surprise. Right above her, she could see several shes of light as small dots moved through the sky. They appeared as if they were descending slowly from heaven and then disappearing into the darkness.


    ''Shooting stars¡­'' She thought to herself.


    "Haha! I haven''t seen them in a long time! Make a wish!" Arthur eximed.


    "A wish?"


    "Yes, have you never done that before?" He asked. "Whenever you see shooting stars, just make a wish and it will be fulfilled."


    The girl stared at her friend for a second, then she nodded her head and looked up again. ''A wish, huh? I have never really believed in wishes. But¡­ I can try.''


    I had never really found the idea of wishes enticing as they were simply nothing but¡­ well, wishes. She believed that if someone wanted something then they must work toward it. Wishing will never help them do what they want. However, at that moment, in that mesmerizing atmosphere, she couldn''t stop herself from trying for the first time.


    ''I wish¡­''


    For a moment, she contemted what she wanted. Then, she closed her eyes for a moment. Arthur did the same and both of them thought of their own wish.


    "So, what did you ask for?" Arthur asked.


    "... I-"


    "No, actually, don''t tell me. It''s better to keep the wish a secret. Maybe when you fulfill it, you can tell me. I will do the same." Arthur cut her off after contemting his question. "What do you think?"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Explore stories at empire


    "Mm, I''m fine with that." I nodded her head.


    ***


    With that, the duo continued their journey till they reached the point where they had to go opposite ways to entire their dormitories.


    After bidding each other farewell, Arthur headed to his own room. Reaching his destination, he walked inside with a smile on his face and threw himself on the bed as he exhaled a long breath.


    "I thought the day would be over with me studying¡­ But, I guess this is also good." He muttered as he blinked slowly. Everything that happened that evening was still very vivid in his head. It was simply too much fun. He could easily say that this was the best time he had in a while, even better than ying Divinity Online.


    He didn''t think something as simple as going to the amusement park was that entertaining. Perhaps it wasn''t the amusement park itself but the fact he went there with I. She was the main reason he had that much fun.


    "Sigh, ok, time to get back to work. Today is a big day." Arthur stood up as he stretched his arms. "The Divine Tower is waiting."


    It was indeed a big day. After all, for the first time ever, Arthur was going to enter one of the Shard Towers seeking power. This was perhaps the most important moment in his entire journey so far. What he might find inside the Divine Tower was bound to be life-changing.


    After resting for a few minutes, Arthur quickly took a shower, ate dinner, and then changed to morefortable clothes. The entire time, he was thinking about what he was going to see inside that ce. What could be hidden within the tower that made people fight to death just to enter it? And more importantly¡­ What was so dangerous that it killed everyone who tried to conquer the gate except for one single person?


    "It must''ve been something truly horrific. I can''t wait to see it~" As he dried his hair, Arthur was basically shaking with excitement.


    After getting properly ready, he got into the capsule. "Let''s make this the best adventure yet."


    His eyes slowly closed and when he opened them again, Arthur found himself inside the world of DO. The time was night and the weather was cold as usual. The city was bustling with movement since the Colosseum''s second day was about to begin.


    The celebrations were still ongoing so the city could''ve never been any more active. Leaving his hidden spot, Arthur looked around him.


    "I should head to a potion shop first. My supply of health and mana potions has depleted quite a lot and I haven''t restocked it yet." Arthur muttered. "I also need to get some food just in case."


    After listing everything he needed, Arthur quickly hurried to his first destination. He knew that he only had a few hours to actually do everything he had to do so he couldn''t waste time. He couldn''t even visit Serko, Fiy, and Sora due to that tight schedule. Especially when he was extremely motivated to work hard and get even stronger.


    For the next 30 minutes or so, Arthur roamed the city, buying all the necessary supplies. He bought the best potions his money could afford. They were all potions of the third-tier which was the highest he had ever seen.


    The potions of that level could replenish more of his health, stamina, and mana bars and could give him a stronger effect. They were very crucial if he was going to face a huge threat.


    Then, he bought a backpack for extra storage. Even though his continuous leveling had expanded his inventory quite a lot, it was still not enough to contain everything he needed. Especially when Arthur was certain he was going to find a lot of things inside the tower he would want to bring back with him.


    "Ok, the backpack is strapped. Potions are there, food is there, everything is there." After checking everything carefully, Arthur finally looked up. "Well, time to have some fun."


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 193- Pride And Arrogance

    "Hey!" Lifting his hand, Arthur stopped a random carriage on his path. Getting inside, he looked at the driver and he was quite surprised. "I''m heading to the Co- It''s you!"


    "Hm?" The old man looked over his shoulder and instantly recognized Arthur. "Wait, aren''t you the kid from yesterday?"


    "Yeah, that''s me! This is quite a nice coincidence to meet you here!" Arthur smiled. ''What are the chances I woulde across the same man from yesterday? This world is truly small haha.''


    "Hahaha! I remember you! Nice seeing you again,d! So, are you going to the Colosseum again?" He asked.


    "Yes." He nodded his head. "Near the Colosseum to be precise." He added with an excited tone.


    "Near, huh? Got it. We''re moving!" With that, the man pushed the carriage and they started moving quickly, cutting through the street. The snow was descending slowly on the carriage, resting on top of it.


    Arthur watched the scenery in silence as the carriage dragged him toward his destination. His mind was wandering to the tower as he contemted what he might witness there.


    "It''s a nice evening, isn''t it?"


    "Hm?" Arthur hummed. "Yes, very nice."


    "People always say that the snowfall region is the best region in the entire capital. We have beautiful cold nights, the Colosseum, and even the Divine Tower. We have it all, unlike the other regions, haha!"


    "... The other regions are considered inferior?" Arthur raised an eyebrow, a little taken aback by the old man''sment.


    "Of course! There isn''t a better ce than this ce. We are the best region of the capital. Even the Royal Family lives here." The man''s tone was filled with mockery and even loathing. He didn''t seem like he liked the other regions for some reason.


    "Isn''t that because the tower is here?" He asked.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "Of course, and the tower is here because it is the reason this region exists."


    "Oh?"


    ''This is news to me.''


    "Of course, when the shard first appeared, it is said to have created an extremely cold region of snow and ice around it hence why the Snowfall region exists." The man exined. "Aaah, we have been truly chosen to live next to the Divine Shard. It is an honor we carry on our shoulders."


    "..."


    Arthur didn''t know how to react to what he heard. One the one hand, he could clearly see that this matter of ''pride'' wasn''t just as simple as it seemed. He could almost feel the pure mockery and loathing he had toward people of other regions of the capital. On the other hand, the fact the people of this region felt that much pride in being that close to the Divine Shard and the Royal Family was that much more interesting.


    ''It''s almost like they''re considering it an object of worship.'' He thought to himself. ''But, why does it feel like this man doesn''t stand the other regions of the capital? It can''t be just because he had something they didn''t ha-''


    Then, it hit Arthur. It was precisely because this man had something the other people of the capital didn''t have. That was more than enough of a reason to create a clear superiorityplex for the people of the Snowfall region.


    ''... This is very interesting. No, this is actually more important than interesting. It seems the ''Capital of Glory'' isn''t as much of a utopia as I expected. There is something ominous going on here and these normal-looking people are already nose-deep into it.''


    As the man whistled and hummed excitedly, Arthur looked at him silently, his mind wandering away as usual. Time passed slowly for him until, the Tower appeared in the distance, as menacing and as majestic as ever.


    In fact, Arthur could swear it looked even more jaw-droppingly stunning than the first time he saw it.


    "Here we are!"


    By the time Arthur snapped out of it, he realized that the carriage had stopped. Taking out his pouch of coins, Arthur paid the man and hopped off. However, before leaving, he asked him.


    "By the way, where do you ess the Divine Tower from?"


    "Hm? Why do you want to know that? Don''t tell me you''re trying to illegally enter the Tower? Don''t even think about it. That is a death sentence." The man raised an eyebrow.


    "No, of course not. I''m¡­ just curious." Arthur coughed slightly. He didn''t to reveal to the man that he had ess to the tower so that he doesn''t bring unnecessary attention to himself.


    "Hmm, the gates are right behind the Colosseum. They will lead you to the Shard za and from there to the Tower itself." The man exined.


    "... Got it." Arthur nodded his head faintly as he memorized everything the man said before he tapped the carriage. "Thank you for the trip and have a nice evening. Hopefully, we meet again, old man."


    "Hahaha! Take care,d! If fate had brought us together once, it would do it twice!"


    With that, the carriage left as Arthur watched it silently. After that, he turned around and started strolling through the street, keeping an eye on his surroundings. The ce was naturally bustling with people since he was very close to the Colosseum but he still didn''t feelpletely safe.


    Moving past the area of the Colosseum, he took the main road that headed straight toward the cyclopean structure. At this point, all Arthur could see of it was its horrifying walls and some of its length. The rest was hidden in the darkness above,pletely shrouded from his eyes. Arthur could only stare up in awe at how insanelyrge this thing was. It simply was something he couldn''tprehend even as he was looking at it.


    "Stop right there."


    At that moment, Arthur heard a cold voice speaking to him. Looking down, he noticed that arge man had stopped in front of him. The boy frowned at first, then realized that he was standing right in front of tworge gates, presumably the ones he needed to enter to ess the Shard za.


    "What purpose did youe here for? This is a restricted area. Please head back from where you came." The man said in a respectful yet also threatening tone. Arthur could feel the man''s powerful aura and strong presence. He wasn''t a nobody.


    But, he still calmly put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a small scroll. "I have been granted permission to ess the Shard Tower by his highness, Prince Vincent. I assume he told you about me." He said.


    For a second, the man was confused, then, as if it clicked in his head, he froze. "Prince Vincent?... Are you perhaps¡­ one of the gifted people?" He asked.


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    "In the flesh," Arthur replied. "Here, take a look at the scroll." Tossing it to the man, thetter scrambled to grab it before he opened it quickly and read the content. Almost immediately, his eyes widened in shock before he looked up at Arthur.


    "M-My deepest apologies!" He bowed his head quickly, almost in fear. "We have indeed received instructions that you gifted people are going to enter the Shard Tower. It''s our honor to receive you here!"


    "Sure. I appreciate the hospitality. Now, can I go in?"


    "... Yes, of course." The man then quickly turned around and signaled for the door with his hand. A secondter, it opened on its own, allowing Arthur to take a look inside.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 194- Shard Plaza

    As the gates opened, Arthur took a look inside. There, he saw arge open area, floored with ceramic tiles and decorated with greenery. The lighting from the orbs illuminated the ce, revealing several buildings surrounding the Divine Tower from every angle.


    The entire ce was quite vast yetpared to the tower, it was nothing. There, Arthur could also see people going back and forth, clearly busy.


    "Please, go ahead." The guard said.


    "Hm? Oh yeah." Arthur nodded and walked through the gates, feeling many curious eyes on him. Surprisingly, the ce was more active than he had expected.


    ''Hmm, all these people look like Royal Mercenaries. Since they''re the only people allowed in here, that does make sense.''


    "This ce looks quite nice¡­" Arthur muttered. "Hm?"


    Looking to the side, Arthur noticed a particrlyrge building of at least 10 floors or so. It stood taller than the rest of the buildings around it and had a far more expensive-looking outer design. It was also the most active building in the entire za as Mercenaries were going in and out in the dozens with each passing second.


    "What''s that ce?"


    "Oh, that is the Royal Mercenary Guild." The guard replied.


    ''So that''s their headquarters? It''s really close to the tower.'' He mused. The building was perhaps the biggest he had seen in the entire game so far apart from the tower and the Colosseum so it made sense.


    "Are you perhaps interested in joining the Royal Mercenary, sir?" The guard asked curiously when he noticed that Arthur had gonepletely silent.


    "What? Of course not. I like to work on my own or with my people. I''m not joining that." Arthur shook his head. "It''s easier that way."


    "... Mm, I do not know if you are aware of it or not. But, going into the Tower alone is extremely dangerous. Even the earliest floor is still quite terrifying for neers. The Royal Mercenary makes sure its new recruits are always apanied by experienced Mercenaries on their first raids."


    "I am aware. I heard that many die going in the tower."


    As gorgeous as it was on the outside, Arthur didn''t forget that the tower was a terrifying nightmare filled with danger. It didn''t kill that many people for no reason, after all. In his head, he had already prepared himself to face life-threatening danger and even die a few times if he ended up facing something way above him in power.


    "Yes, each year, at least 10 thousand Mercenaries die on their raids into the tower. Though, most of those deaths happen on the upper floors. The first floor isparatively less threatening." The guard exined with a cold tone.


    ''T-Ten thousand?'' Arthur blinked. ''So many people¡­ and that''s each year.''


    Seeing the pale look on Arthur''s face, the man continued. "We have lost many great talents and many great people in the tower. But, at the same time, we have gained great leaders and great warriors because of it. It gives and it takes, as we all expected. We are grateful for this opportunity no matter what."


    "... That''s a bold im with that many people dead each year. How are they not afraid of facing their own demise?" Arthur asked.


    "We do not fear death because it is an honor to die in the tower. For the sake of protecting ournds and our honor, we must face threats like that. The human race had thrived because we had continuously challenged ourselves. We must continue on that path set by our ancestors." The man dered powerfully.


    Arthur stared at the man''s dreamy look silently for a few moments. There was a deep pride in his words that couldn''t be hidden.


    "Sounds very admirable."


    ''Ironic how they''re speaking as if the world outside is the one attacking them and not the other way around.'' Arthur rolled his eyes. The image of the two dwarves and the beastmen was still vivid in his head. That look of fear and terror along with the tales he heard about the human atrocities were all etched into his mind forever.


    ''They didn''t lie when they said history is written by the victors. So many lost souls and so much death¡­. even for humans themselves.''


    For a moment, Arthur could swear the entire za started reeking of blood. He knew that it was merely his imagination, but the fact he could feel the death of countless souls near this tower gave him a chill.


    As they walked through the za, Arthur noticed groups of mercenaries talking to one another. All of them stood near arge set of stairs that seemingly led straight to the tower''s gates.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "Did you get the res?"


    "Yes. We should be fine as long as we don''t move too far."


    "The weather cast said the frozen peak will have a blizzard from the east ten hours from now. We can only move south."


    "What about the second-floor raiders?"


    Discover stories with empire


    "They will be back tomorrow. They''re in a safe position currently."


    Sneaking an ear into the conversation, Arthur heard bits and pieces of information being traded amongst the mercenaries. Their conversation sounded casual and almost like a routine. But, it also gave Arthur an insight into what he should expect.


    "Blizzard¡­ Frozen peak¡­ So the first floor is filled with ice as expected. Interesting." He muttered. ''I''m d I brought some thick clothes with me just in case. I don''t like cold weather."


    Even though Arthur''s body naturally warms itself with mana, he still cannot handle extreme temperatures.


    ''Though, with my current level, I can easily move in freezing temperatures with no problem. It wouldn''t be veryfortable, though.''


    "Mhm, this is as far as I can go, sir. You can head up the stairs and you will find other guards waiting. They will help you ess the gate."


    "Understood. Thanks for helping." Arthur said as he bid the man farewell and started climbing the stairs. Step by step, he realized that these stairs weren''t short by any means.


    ''Long climb.'' He thought to himself as he elerated his speed. A few minutester, he finally saw the end of the stairs.


    ''I climbed at least 150 meters in the air. This is insane. This tower just keeps getting bigger and bigger.''


    Upon reaching the tform, Arthur found himself facing a long bridge that led straight toward the tower on the other side.


    The bridge was built out of the same material as the stairs and had no handrails for protection. It was just one straight, considerably thin path, hanging in the air above the za.


    "..."


    For some reason, Arthur felt quite off when he saw it. The bridge was simply a little too empty for his liking. It looked like the perfect ce for disasters. Looking over the edge, he noticed the horrifying fall from that altitude.


    ''I wonder why there is no protection. Do they want mercenaries to fall?'' He asked himself.


    After a few moments of hesitation, he stepped over the bridge and walked forward, heading toward the other side. However, before he could even take the third step, he halted again. He heard a weird clicking sounding from somewhere.


    However, no matter where he looked around, he couldn''t see its source.


    ''Huh? What is going on?''


    Before Arthur could even take a step into the tower, weird things were happening. It was almost as if the tower was weing him in its twisted¡­ humorous way.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 195- *Spoiler! Title at the end of the chapter

    The clicking continued without stopping, growing more and more intense with each passing second. Arthur searched everywhere around him, even in his pockets and yet he couldn''t find the source.


    "Am I losing my mind? What is this?" He muttered to himself. "Where is this clickinging from?"


    The sound was far too close to being from afar yet there wasn''t much around him that could result in such a noise. So, as ast resort, Arthur decided to open his inventory to check the rest of his items in the hope of discovering the source.


    Upon opening it, Arthur''s attention was immediately caught by something shining brightly. His face immediately frowned.


    ''Isn''t that the broken shard¡­? Is it the source of the noise?'' He thought to himself. His hand instinctively went to click on it to manifest it in the real world. But, then he remembered that he wasn''t alone and that on the other side of the bridge, several guards were waiting for him.


    ''I can''t just show them something like that.'' He thought to himself. So, instead, he bit his lips and decided to check itter. Something told him that the shard wasn''t reacting in such a way for no reason. After all, he was very close to the presumed source of this broken shard.


    Whether he is wrong or not, the main shard was within that tower, in the hands of the royal family.


    After a few moments of contemtion, Arthur closed the window and finally continued walking through the thin bridge till he reached the other side where he was weed by the guards.


    "Good evening, sir."


    "Good evening," Arthur replied as he stared beyond the guards at the gates of the tower. Unlike the tower itself, the gates were simply terrifying. They were midnight ck in color, almost absorbing all the light reflected on them. Their design conformed with the rest of the tower but still looked eerie.


    Arthur felt as if he was staring directly at the gates of hell.


    ''That''s a little ironic considering the fact these doors lead to a frozen ce.'' He thought to himself.


    "Are you entering alone, sir?" The man asked when he noticed that Arthur waspletely on his own.


    "Yes."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "Mm, we do not rmend that, sir. It is very dan-"


    "I know what I''m doing. Thank you for your concern." Arthur replied. ''Even if I die, I will respawn, brother. There is nothing that can kill me.'' He added in his head.


    The man had a difficult look on his face but then exhaled and nodded his head. "Open the gates!"


    The other guard nodded his head and turned around before walking to the gate. Then, under Arthur''s watch, the man pulled out a pendant hidden under his clothes and put it in front of the gate. Immediately, Arthur heard a clicking sound before the gates started opening on their own.


    ''Interesting mechanism. I wonder what that pendant does.'' He squinted his eyes for a second.


    "Please head inside and then you will be teleported to the first floor. There is a settlement at the point of spawning so you won''t be in immediate danger. But, please tread carefully." The guard advised.


    "Understood. Anything else?"


    "Yes, the time inside the tower is different from outside. It is early in the morning on the first floor. So, please, no matter what, don''t stay out of the settlement beyond sunset. That is when the frozen peak bes an extremely dangerous ce."


    The grave tone the man spoke in made Arthur frown visibly. ''Beyond sunset? I wonder what kind of abominations appear after that time. Well, I don''t want to find out either. The hours of the morning are more than enough for me.''


    "Got it. I will keep that in mind. Can I go in now?"


    "... Yes, please go ahead." The man nodded after giving Arthur onest look and then stepping aside.


    Arthur took a deep breath and stared at the open gates. He couldn''t see anything inside as it waspletely dark. However, he could hear the clicking going even more chaotic in his ears. Yet, the guards didn''t seem to hear it.


    ''It seems I''m the only one who can hear it. Good, I don''t want any weird suspicion.'' He thought to himself as he did some stretches, cracking his bones a few times to get all the rigidness off.


    *Crack*


    Then, without hesitation, Arthur walked toward the gate and entered inside. He didn''t look back once as he knew he might hesitate. Instead, he simply let the darkness engulf him as he heard the gates close on their own behind him.


    For a second, everything becameplete darkness. Arthur couldn''t feel anything, as if his body had been robbed of all sensation. However, the feeling wasn''t ufortable. Instead, he felt as if the darkness was weing him, yearning for him, and dragging him into its heart willingly.


    The clicking sound reached a new height and this time, Arthur could swear the shard wanted to break through his menu and manifest in the real world.


    So, Arthur decided not to waste time and he freed the object that was eager to go out into the world. Upon manifesting in the real world, the orb exploded with a bright light, illuminating the darkness around Arthur.


    The boy watched in awe as the small orb seemingly did something.


    [Ding!]


    Stay connected via empire


    [''Blood Monarch'' has been triggered.]


    [Ding!]


    [You have gained a new secondary ss!]


    "A secondary ss?!" Arthur''s eyes widened. His excitement immediately skyrocketed. This was the third time his main ss had evolved and it came at such an unexpected moment.


    ''What is it? Show me quickly!''


    [Bearer Of The Broken Oath


    Description: Once a full shard and a full, unbroken oath. The cracks spread and the oath was shaken. Then, in one moment, everything was broken and an oath was long lost in time. That who will bear the broken shard shall fulfill the oath and the world shall change.


    Effect: +20% experience points from all enemies within the Shard Tower. +10% increase in stats when inside a Shard Tower. +10% resistance against all special effects when inside the Shard Tower.]


    Arthur read the description of the secondary ss and he was almostpletely confused. "What¡­does that even mean? Bearer of the broken oath? Is this shard some kind of oath? Between who? And what does it mean the oath was broken when the shard was broken? Did someone break the shard?"


    Although the question came to Arthur''s head when he first discovered the broken shard, he still couldn''t fathom who could really break a Divine Shard. These are godly items and as far as he''s concerned, nobody should be able to destroy them. Unless that person has godly powers equal to the gods themselves. But, that thought was simply terrifying so Arthur didn''t want to go down that rabbit hole.


    "... *Gulp* Well, on the bright side, it gave me huge bonuses! That''s quite useful! I can perform even better whenever I enter the tower!" He eximed. The percentage-based bonuses the ss gave him were quite huge and were bound to help him a lot.


    At that moment, Arthur felt the darkness around him shift. Theck of vision shifted as he started hearing the loud whistles of wind. The temperature started dropping and he started feeling a very biting cold engulf his body.


    "Here ites¡­" Putting the shard away, Arthur looked around him. "It''s teleporting me."


    *Title: Bearer Of The Broken Oath*


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 196- Frozen Peak (Part 1)

    Arthur let his body be swept away by the darkness as the world changed and twisted around him. In a matter of few seconds, all the darkness vanished and was reced by a bright, white world.


    Arthur''s hair rustled as the wind moved around him rhythmically. His eyes took in the sight, he was engulfed in a world of ice. His feet were deep into the thickyer of snow with even more snow falling from the sky. The atmosphere was cold yet also pleasant in a weird way.


    Looking around him, Arthur noticed that he was standing in the middle of the street, surrounded by wooden buildings of all kinds. The strong wind and the snow made it hard to see too far but Arthur could see people moving around him, wearing very thick coats with the crest of the Royal Mercenary drawn on their chests.


    "So this is the settlement¡­" He muttered. "It''s almost like a small vige in the heart of a snowy region."


    The coziness of the ce made it very weirdlyforting. Even though the world was howling with wind and snow, this ce didn''t seem like it was struggling to fit in.


    "Hm? Who''s there?"


    Almost immediately, Arthur heard a voice speaking to him. Looking to the side, he noticed that a woman was staring directly at him. With a torch in her hand and a thick coat covering her body, she looked on the older side¡­ A middle-aged woman. However, Arthur could notice the sharp look in her eyes and her thick aura. She was a seasoned warrior.


    "A kid? How did you get in here?" The woman frowned when she identified the stranger. This was the first time she had seen his face so she was very confused.


    "I''m new here. My name is Arthur." The boy replied calmly.


    "Are you a new recruit?" She asked. "Where is the rest of your team?" Experience exclusive tales on empire


    ''Weird, there shouldn''t be any new recruits till next month. Did he sneak in here?'' She thought to herself as she eyed the boy up and down.


    "No, I was given permission by Prince Vincent to enter the tower. I''m a gifted one." Saying that, Arthur pulled the scroll out of his pocket again.


    "His Highness? Gifted one?" The woman took a second to think before her eyes widened slightly. "You''re one of them?"


    "Yes."


    ''...'' The woman seemed almost confused by what she heard. She had already received the news that the gifted people had arrived at the capital but she never expected to meet one so soon. This waspletely out of nowhere.


    ''To think the gifted ones are actually small kids¡­ No wonder I felt something different from him. He isn''t lying.'' The woman mused. Her senses were never wrong when it came to identifying people so the fact that she felt something she had never felt before being exuded by Arthur, she was very confused.


    After a few seconds of silence, she looked up again. "Wee to the first floor of the tower, sir. My apologies for the rude behavior. I didn''t expect you to arrive so soon in our tower."


    "... Yeah, haha, it happened very quickly." Arthur nodded his head.


    "You must be quite confused now, sir. Ehem, my name is Deka. It''s my honor to meet you." Deka extended her hand to Arthur.


    "You can call me, Arthur. No need for sir." The boy took her hand and shook it.


    "... Understood. Ehem, again, wee to our humble settlement on the first floor."


    "This is a really nice ce. Though, it is quite the hostile environment here." Arthur said as he rubbed his hair to get rid of all the snow.


    "Yes, the first floor: Frozen Peak is known for its unpredictable environment and sudden shifts in weather. This settlement is in the safest zone of the floor so you are fine here as long as you''re protected from the cold. If you wish, I can show you around."


    "... I wouldn''t mind." Arthur nodded. "But, aren''t you busy? I don''t want to waste your time."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "Not at all, I have juste back from a routine early morning hunt. For now, I am free." She said.


    "Oh, a routine hunt?"


    "Yes, I belong to the hunting squad. Our mission on the first floor is to keep monsters away from the settlement so we have to constantly hunt down any creatures in the area to not let them attack us first. It is a 24/7 shift." She said.


    ''Oof, sounds like a lot of pain. But, the fact they need to keep hunting down monsters means there are many of them around.'' Arthur thought to himself. ''Perfect.''


    He had expected the first floor to be quite dangerous, but it was getting more and more apparent that it was a very unstable ce.


    ''I still haven''t even seen anything about the settlement yet. Maybe I could be wrong.'' He thought to himself.


    "Well, I came here to train myself. Do you think it''s a good ce to do that?" He asked.


    "... Train?" Deka raised her eyebrows. "All alone, Arthur?"


    "Yes."


    "... Well, I should not step my boundaries. But, I believe you shouldn''t do that, Arthur. The monsters outside this settlement are extremely dangerous and have adapted perfectly to this environment. Without knowledge of how to deal with them, you are putting yourself in an extreme threat. Yesterday, one of our best new recruits died because he moved a little too far on his own." She exined with a frown on her face.


    "What happened?"


    "He was targeted by a group of Crystal Fur Yetis and he was killed. He had entered one of their marked areas without realizing it. We could never find his corpse."


    ''Interesting.''


    "I know that. The guards outside the tower were gracious enough to warn me. But, I know what I''m doing. If the ce is as dangerous as you told me, then it is indeed the perfect ce for me to train and be stronger."


    The woman stared at Arthur and she could only feel a chill down her spine seeing the look in his eyes. A look of freezing coldness as if the boy didn''t fear anything at all.


    ''... Who even is he?'' She asked in her head. ''What are these people?''


    The rumors she heard about the Gifted Ones painted them in this divine light as if they were the Divine One''s chosen people. Yet, she did not believe any of that as many did. However, at that moment, something told her that those rumors might not be wrong after all.


    ''What am I even thinking? I need to focus.''


    "In any case, this settlement is not that big. We have an inn, a storage area, a restaurant where you can eat, and a few guard towers scattered around the settlement''s walls."


    "... Ehem, isn''t it dangerous to build the settlement of wood only?" Arthur asked. "Can''t the monsters just break in?"


    "It is not any wood we used, Arthur. This wood you''re seeing came from the Mana-Infused ck Oaks. They''re extremely sturdy, great at isting heat inside and they aren''t rare so the cost wasn''t high." She exined.


    "Hmm, is that so?" Arthur hummed as he stared at the wooden walls around him. He could feel the mana oozing out of the wood which proved her words. ''Maybe I can get some of these materials for Fiy and Serko to use in building the headquarters. They will be very happy.''


    "Deka!!"


    At that moment, the two heard a loud voice calling from behind them. Looking over his shoulder, Arthur noticed a man rushing toward them.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 197- Frozen Peak (Part 2)

    "There you are! I have been looking for you!" The man stopped in front of the two as he heaved up and down. He looked a little tired seemingly from running.


    "Sergi? Is everything ok?" Deka asked with a frown on her face.


    "Yeah, yeah, I was looking for you because we''re about to have lunch. The others are wa- Hm?" Then, the man named Sergi noticed Arthur''s presence. "Who is this boy?"


    Arthur had been silent the entire time as he didn''t have anything to say. But, he was watching their interaction closely. After all, he was trying to get a bigger image of this settlement and these small interactions draw that picture perfectly. However, he could swear for a moment there that Deka''s face turned sour for a split second when Sergi asked her about Arthur''s identity.


    ''Hm?''


    "He is a¡­ Ehem, he is a new recruit and I''m showing him around." She replied.


    ''What? I''m not a new recruit¡­'' For a second, Arthur wanted to correct her. But, then he noticed the weird look on Deka''s face and he immediately realized that something was off.


    "New recruit? Aren''t they supposed to arrive next month?" Sergi asked confusedly.


    "Well¡­ This one had arrived earlier by superior orders. Nobody was told he was going to enter the tower this early. His name is Arthur."


    "..." Sergi seemed very skeptical at first but then he shook his head and stared at Arthur. "Well, that is quite rare, but it isn''t unheard of. You must be quite the talented fellow to be sent this early to the tower. In any case, wee, I''m Sergi, a part of the hunting squad." He said as he extended his hand forward.


    Arthur nced at Deka for a moment before he turned to Sergi. "Nice to meet you. I''m Arthur."


    "So, do you want to join us for lunch? Since you''re new here, it''s on me." The man said as he tapped his chest.


    "... Well, uh, I guess that''s fine," Arthur muttered. ''I didn''t eat in the game in a while so this isn''t too bad. "But, I can''t stay for too long, I have other¡­ orders to fulfill."


    "Of course, there is no harm in that."


    With that, the man turned around and started walking, followed by the two people. As he walked, Arthur stared at Deka who simply nudged him to remain silent.


    ''What did I get myself into?'' Arthur sighed inwardly. ''If I refused, it would''ve been even more suspicious. But, what am I hiding my identity for in the first ce?''


    "So, how old are you, Arthur?" Sergi asked.


    "I''m 15¡­ Almost 16 years old." He said.


    "Oh! Very young! You know, we didn''t have a new recruit as young as you in a long time! You should be proud of yourself!"


    "Haha, thank you. I''m trying¡­ I''m trying my very best." Arthurughed dryly.


    "But, don''t let it get to your head. The Frozen Peak had harvested the lives of many young aspiring talents like you. People we expect to see be great warriors in the future. But¡­" The man sighed with a downcast tone. "s, it wasn''t meant to be."


    "I''m sure they''re in a better ce now," Arthur replied.


    "Haha, I''m sure too. In any case, we shouldn''t be downcast now! Let''s go! Food is about to get cold!"


    With that, the group hurried their steps through the wind and snow till they stopped in front of a random building in the heart of the settlement. The building looked especially closed shut as if it wanted to trap as much heat as possible.


    Arthur could see flickering lighting from outside, presumably from an ignited fire. Sergi opened the door and let the two walk inside. Immediately, Arthur felt a wave of heat hit his body upon taking his first step.


    The interior of the building was slightly dim and cozy. Simple wooden furniture was set around the entire ce with arge counter on the other side where steam was rising. The entire ce felt like a warm nket that Arthur weed with open arms.


    There were a good number of people setting around the tables,ughing and talking while sharing food and drinks. When they saw a group walk inside, they stopped for a moment before they resumed their conversations as if nothing happened.


    "Wee to our humble cafeteria. It ain''t muchpared to the outside world, but we take pride in our meat stew. Which is coincidentally the meal for today, you''re lucky, Arthur." Sergi said as he sped his hand.


    "This is quite a nice ce to rx. I like it." Arthur nodded his head. ''I love the vibe. It is exactly how I imagine a tavern in a fantasy world. Cozy, warm, and inviting."


    With that, the trio walked inside, passing through the tables. On the way, some mercenaries greeted Deka and Sergi, clearly showing friendliness. Arthur could see the kind of rtionship these mercenaries had. It wasn''t merely money-based cooperation, but there was a bond between all the mercenaries.


    ''Maybe it isn''t all about offering the right price, after all.'' Arthur mused.


    Eventually, they stopped in front of a certain table with two people sitting around it. An older man and a youngdy, both wearing the same attire as Deka and Sergi.


    "There you are! Took you so goddamn long!" The older man grumbled angrily. "My stew is almost cold!"


    "I''m sorry, Fangs. The storm outside is picking up so it''s hard to see. I had to look around for Deka."


    "It''s fine, Sergi. You know how the old man is always angry. He didn''t take his medicine yet."


    "I''m not old, little one! I''m still in my prime!" The man growled. "Also, who''s that kid with you? Is he lost?"


    "This is a new recruit Deka found. It seems he had been sent here before the first batch of next month. His name is Arthur."


    "Arthur? What in the old ages'' name is that?!" Fangs eyed Arthur with a re.


    "I''m sorry that my name sounds old to you. You look more ancient than my name, old man." Arthur retorted.


    "What did you just say-"


    "Hey now, we aren''t going to argue." Deka stepped forward, stopping any possible conflict. Arthur peeked over her shoulder and poked out his tongue, mocking Fangs.


    Experience more content on empire


    "Y-You brat!"


    "Hahaha, good response¡­ Uh, can I call you Arthur?" The young girl said.


    "Yes, of course." The boy smiled at her. "What is your name?"


    "Kierra." She replied. "Here, sit down, let us get you something to eat."


    The boy nodded his head and sat down next to her. The others did the same and the table was finallypletely filled. Arthur exhaled a small breath as he rubbed his hands together.


    "So, where are you from, Arthur?" Sergi asked.


    "Uh, I came from a vige on the outskirts of the empire," Arthur replied as he received a bowl of soup and took a whiff. The smell was simply otherworldly.


    "Oh, a vige boy? We do get a lot of you here in the capital, aspiring to be mercenaries." Fangs nodded his head as he took a sip from his drink. "That''s good. I like people who work hard."


    "Now that I think about it, a lot of our best recruits are actually from outside the capital. I guess everyone wants to fulfill their dream one way or the other." Kierra replied.


    "How long have you been mercenaries for?" Arthur asked curiously.


    "10 years," Sergi replied.


    "17 years," Deka said.


    "30 years and going strong!" Fangs flexed his arm, showing a few scars, presumably from all the battles he had been through.


    "I joined the groupst year. So only one year for me." Kierra replied.


    "Tsk tsk, a young one will always be a young one." Fangs clicked his tongue in a disappointed tone.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "I''m here to take your ce, old man. You''re about to retire."


    "I''m still a hundred years too early to retire! Keep dreaming, brat! Hmph!"


    The rest of the groupughed at the funny interaction.


    ''Wow, they''re all from different generations. But, it''s almost like they allpletely understand each other without any problems. How strong of a bond is it that they have?''


    The warmth and closeness between this squad was as clear as day. They were far from just coworkers, but alsorades in battles and friends outside of it. In a sense, they reminded him of I and the others and without realizing it, a warm smile appeared on his face.


    However, as the group was talking, a man walked into the tavern. Everyone stopped whatever they were doing and stared at him casually then resumed their meal. However, what the man did next made everyone stop.


    "We have received information that one of the honored Gifted Ones had arrived at the tower today! Is he here?!"


    Everyone was stunned for a second, but then they started whispering to one another.


    "Gifted One?"


    "Huh?"


    "Is he talking about those people?"


    "I think so. Wait, one of them is here? Who?"


    Gossip echoed around the ce. Nobody expected to hear about a Gifted One being inside the tower out of nowhere.


    "..." Arthur blinked and then quickly stared at Deka. The woman had a difficult look on her face as if the worst had just happened.


    "A Gifted One? You mean those divine bastards?" Fangs said.


    "Shush, old man! Are you insane? If that person hears you, you will be in huge trouble!" Kierra hushed him quickly.


    "A Gifted One? But we didn''t receive any new people toda-" Sergi was about to shake his head, only for his eyes to fall on Arthur and he immediately froze.


    ''... Shit.'' Arthur mused. ''Well, that didn''tst long.''


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 198- Frozen Peak (Part 3)

    Arthur noticed the slow shift in Sergi''s eyes from confusion to realization, to understanding, and then to an iprehensible expression Arthur couldn''t read. However, he immediately felt something was off.


    Still, he didn''t bother to keep hiding it anymore as he had more important matters to deal with, and pretending he was a new recruit was just not one of them. Whatever the reason Deka tried to hide his identity, it was not relevant at all to him.


    "I''m here." He said as he stood up.


    The entire table wentpletely silent as they all shifted their gaze to Arthur. The shock in their eyes was as clear as day.


    "Y-You''re¡­ You''re the gifted one they''re talking about?" Kierra asked.


    "Yeah, sorry to hide that from you. To be honest, I know why I did that." Arthur shrugged casually.


    The rest of the tavern heard that and their gossip exploded even louder. All the eyes stared at Arthur as if he was some kind of alien.


    "A kid?"


    "What?"


    "He said he''s the Gifted One."


    "Is he lying?"


    "I have never seen him around before."


    "I heard the Gifted Ones look like monsters. That''s just a kid."


    Arthur noticed all kinds of reactions and expressions from all the different people there. Some seemed quite confused, some were excited, and a very small minority frowned visibly.


    "My deepest apologies for taking so long, sir. We just received information that you have arrived. Please follow me. The settlement chief is waiting for you." The man approached Arthur and made a respectful salute.


    "Got it, lead the way." Arthur nodded his head before he turned around to look at the rest of the group. "Well, sorry to leave so early, gentlemen. I have some stuff to do. Enjoy your meal~"


    With a simple wave, Arthur walked after the man and left the confused tavern. Nobody could really grasp what just happened.


    At the table, Deka exhaled a small breath as she looked up.


    "Did you know that he is one of those people, Deka?" Fangs asked coldly.


    "No, I didn''t." She replied. "He told me he''s a new recruit."


    "Interesting¡­ Who thought we would meet one of them so suddenly? Not to mention that he looks like a normal kid." Kierra muttered while looking at the closed door of the tavern.


    "He looks very seamless, that''s for sure. I would''ve never known he is a Gifted One unless I saw him do something impossible." The old man replied as he sipped his drink.


    "But, the fact is¡­ They are starting to show up at the capital one by one. Soon, the entire capital will be filled with them." Deka muttered.


    "Yeah, I heard there are millions and millions of them so it''s safe to say things are about to get pretty chaotic soon."


    As the group discussed the topic, the only one to remain silent was Sergi. He was staring nkly ahead of him as if he waspletely lost in his own thoughts. Nobody knew what was going through his head at that moment. The only thing visible to him were his hands, which slowly clenched into tight fists.


    ***


    *Knock* *Knock*


    "Come in."


    Arthur heard a voice replying to his knocks. He was now standing inside one of the smaller buildings of the settlement. The entire ce was like a minimal office ce with minimalistic design and furniture.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    However, surprisingly, in this ce was the highest authority in the entire settlement. The settlement chief was the one inmand above everyone else. He is the one to receive orders from outside and the one to make decisions in matters rted to the settlement and every mercenary working there. He was basically the man to go to in every situation.


    Arthur opened the door slowly and peeked inside. The chief''s office was a copy of the outside, very simple and quite messy with stacks of paper and files and the strong smell of coffee and cigarettes filling the entire ce.


    Behind the desk, sat a rather scrawny man with formal attire and sses. He didn''t look intimidating in the least, as Arthur assumed. In fact, he looked as if a sry man had be a fantasy creature with a touch of medieval aesthetics.


    "Are you the settlement chief?" Arthur asked.


    "Yes, of course." The man quickly looked up and adjusted his sses. "Please, take a seat. Give me a moment to finish this paperwork."


    "Of course, take your time."


    ''Talk about a normal office worker.'' Arthurughed to himself as he sat down and crossed his arms. ''It is quite funny how he looks nothing like I expected. This game keeps defying expectations in all kinds of ways.''


    A few minutes passed before the man finally looked up from his piles of paper. "My apologies for making you wait. Ehem, my name is Logus, sir. I have been told a lot about you."


    "Oh?" Arthur raised an eyebrow. "A lot? Like how much?"


    "Enough to say that I''m very much honored to meet you today," Logus replied as he rubbed his hands together. "His Highness had repeatedly told us to make sure you are asfortable as possible in your stay here. So, we are ready to fulfill any request you have within our abilities." Stay tuned for updates on empire


    ''... He really ignored my question so skilfully. What a sneaky bastard.'' Arthur thought to himself.


    "Yeah, yeah, whatever. So, do you have a piece of paper?" Arthur asked. "An empty one."


    "Yes, of course."


    "Good, grab a pen and start writing down my list of requests."


    "A list? Haha, you are really organized, sir."


    "Of course." Arthur grinned. "I like to take full advantage of everything given to me. So, start writing¡­ First of all, I need your most precise map¡­"


    After that, for the next few minutes, Arthur made Logus write down several requests he had. One of them included being provided a free piece ofnd he can use however he wanted. The sole reason he had that request was for I and the others to be able to build some kind of base on the first floor of the tower.


    That is going to be very crucial for their ns in the future as being very close from the tower will help elerate their growth.


    After listing everything, Arthur stopped to think for a moment before he said. "That''s it for now."


    Logus adjusted his sses and read the list again. "That''s quite the extensive list. But¡­ We shall fulfill all these requests. Leave it to me."


    "Good."


    "However, some of these requests will require a few days to fulfill."


    "No harm, just don''t take too long," Arthur replied as he stood up. "If that is all, I''m going to leave now. I want to explore the area."


    "... Onest thing, sir!"


    "Hm? What is it?"


    "If your intention is to simply explore, then I suggest heading down south near theke. It''s considerably safer than going deeper into the woods or close to the Frozen Peak."


    "..." Arthur stared at the man for a second before he nodded his head. "Ok, I will take your word for it."


    Then, he turned around and left the chief''s office.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 199- Leveling Monster (Part 1)

    After leaving the building, Arthur opened his inventory and pulled out the map Logus gave him. It contained the settlement and a 300-kilometer area around it with all of its details. Logus said that this particr map took decades of exploration and work to perfect and draw in such an urate state.


    However, as Arthur learned, the first floor was way bigger than that and contained far more secrets. Especially as one goes deeper into the north, the maps be less and less urate as those areas are quite dangerous, and rarely does anyone reach them even for the seasoned warriors.


    [Ding!]


    [Map detected!]


    [Would you like to integrate the map into the profile?]


    [Yes.] [No.]


    "Hmm, this is new. I didn''t know the paper map could be integrated into my own map. That''s convenient."


    Arthur hadn''t used a single map before except the one given to him in the game so this was quite a useful feature that he just discovered.


    Upon tapping on the ''Yes'' button, his map opened, revealing his current location. However, everything around him was grey and featureless. Slowly, that grey color shifted as more and more details started appearing on the map, expanding quickly as the map zoomed out.


    In a matter of seconds, the grey area turned into an extremely detailed map of the first floor and the settlement. Arthur could zoom in and see individual buildings and individual trees and branches. That was how detailed it was. It was simply a work of geographical art.


    "The settlement is really smallpared to the rest of the map. Even theke down south looks like it''s ten times bigger than this settlement."


    As he kept scrolling up and down, looking curiously around the map, his finger suddenly stopped when he noticed something weird really far north. The weird detail was a sudden bump in the map, visible even from above.


    This elevated area was at the very edge of the map so he couldn''t see beyond it, but Arthur was certain that it stretched farther and farther away, perhaps going higher and higher into the air¡­ In other words.


    "A mountain?" Arthur muttered. "Is this the Frozen Peak I keep hearing about?"


    Arthur was at first quite curious as to the origin of the name of the first floor of the mountain. However, it didn''t take him long to figure out that ''Frozen Peak'' was the name of a humungous mountain up north. He had no information about it or how big it was, but he knew it existed and this area of the map only further solidified that this was no simple mountain.


    "Interesting¡­ I might need to move up north in the future to see what the fuss is all about." Closing the map, Arthur had finally set his mind as to what he was supposed to do. Stretching his limbs a few more times to loosen up, he finally started moving again.


    He headed toward the settlement gates down south as there were two main entrances, one south and one east. Reaching his destination, he passed through the mercenary patrol with a simple greeting and proof of his legitimacy that garnered him the same shocked looks he had seen several times at this point.


    Then, he took a step outside and he found himself in apletely white world of snow. The wind blew through the open fields around him and the blue crystals fell from the sky like pearls, shining brightly in the clouded rays of the sun.


    Behind him, the door closed, leaving Arthur alone in this open world. The boy felt a rush of excitement fill his mind as he drew a wide grin.


    "Ok, time to work."


    Then, without any hesitation, Arthur channeled his mana before he dashed forward at top speed, leaving behind him a deep trial of snow. His speed wasn''t affected by the thick snow as the boost from his ''Bearer Of The Broken Oath'' secondary ss reduced the penalty of running in snow to a null state so he was as fast as he usually was.


    Looking around him, all Arthur could see was stretches and stretches ofnd that ended in the woods on his left and right.


    ''I can''t stop till I reach the-''


    *Roar*


    Before Arthur could even finish that thought, he heard several roarsing from an area nearby. Looking to the side, he noticed a considerablyrge group of giant deer running around. Their screeches sounded more like that of monsters than normal animals.


    Immediately, Arthur stopped as he stared at the target. The monsters saw him too and they all stopped whatever they were doing.


    ''Wow, I ran for a few minutes and I already found 10 monsters¡­ If this is the rate of creatures here, I don''t want to even know how much I''m going to do.'' He licked his lips as he pulled his sword out.


    As if that was a sign for them, the deer screeched again as they rushed toward Arthur quickly. Thetter took that as their approval of this battle and he headed toward them too. Before shing with them, Arthur summoned Blood ws, Blood Arrows, and Frost me.


    Then, he snapped his fingers, sending the blood arrows flying toward his target. The monsters were quiterge so he knew they weren''t going to do much damage.


    *CLING*


    Explore more at empire


    Several of the arrows hit the monsters, snapping with ease due to their thick skin. However, that only outraged the deer even more as they quickly surrounded Arthur and attacked him at the same time with theirrge antlers.


    However, Arthur quickly and swiftly dodged the first set of antlers before he grabbed the monster by the head and stabbed it in the eye with his sword. His ws ripped into the monster''s skin with ease, drawing out blood.


    *ROAR*


    The monster screeched in pain as it tried to shake Arthur off. At the same time, the other deer closed the distance and attacked Arthur.


    "No, no¡­ Not good enough." Arthur smiled as he manifested the Frozen me before he dropped it into the ground. The me exploded, creating a sheet of ice that caught the three deer that attacked him.


    Arthur then quickly drew his sword out of the monster''s head before he vanished at horrifying speed. In a split second, he cut a monster''s head with his sword, then stabbed another one in the neck before kicking thest one in the face. and shing its eyes out with his Blood w.


    ''Swift Swordmanship is insane! I''m apletely different beast with the sword now! My technique had evolved a lot!'' Arthur grinned widely as he admired the great work he was doing. This was the first time he had tried to use this new main skill he received and the result was simply shocking.


    Not only was he faster and more lethal with the sword now, but he felt as if he was actually learning how to be a swordsman instead of the chaotic swinging he heavily relied on before. Arthur wasn''t the same with the sword anymore and the results were quickly showing.


    [Ding!]


    [Ding!]


    [Ding!]


    [You have 4 killed level 22¡­]


    [+2 Health, +2 Mind.]N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Arthur ignored all those messages as he quickly dashed to the side, dodging another monster. The rest chased after him, wrecking anything in their path as they tried to catch the boy.


    ''This new ss is really doing some work! I''m gaining points without trying too hard!'' Arthur thought to himself.


    Four kills of lower-level monsters had garnered him 4 extra new points. Usually, he wouldn''t gain that much. But, the 20% bonus was already showing results and it was only going to snowball from there on out.


    *BANG*


    At that moment, one of the deer smashed its head into the ground, sending arge amount of snow toward Arthur. Thetter quickly sidestepped, only to realize that another deer had taken that opportunity and charged at him.


    *BANG*


    "Ugh!"


    ''Ok! I need to focus and stop thinking about pointless stuff!'' Clenching his teeth, Arthur grabbed into the monster''s antlers as he fought to make it stop. His almost 50 points in strength were nothing to scoff at, however, the monster wasn''t weak either.


    "Don''t¡­ test¡­ your¡­ LUCK!!" Having no other choice, Arthur shifted his grip on the sword and then stabbed it into the monster''s head. However, the sword could barely break through the skin as Arthur hit a very tough spot.


    A few seconds passed with Arthur being dragged through the snow, smashing into the ground several times until eventually, the monster yanked its head, throwing him in the air.


    The boy shifted his position mid-air as he grabbed the sword with two hands and aimed at the monster. "Oh, you are in so much trouble right now!"


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 200- Leveling Monster (Part 2)

    Arthur descended down like a meteor with his sword aimed down at the monster. He didn''t hesitate to put his full weight into his sword, turning it into a human arrow. His speed increased quickly as he reached his target in a split second.


    *BANG*


    His sword pierced the monster''s back with a powerful impact, bursting its spine into small pieces. The monster howled onest time in pain before it fell to the ground dead.


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed¡­]


    Arthur quickly deleted the notification as he jumped off the monster''s body, drawing out a fountain of blood.


    *Crack*


    "You bastards surely like to charge at people and use thoserge twigs to attack. That won''t work with me." He said as he cracked his neck and red coldly at the rest of the surviving deer.


    He could see hints of fear starting to show in their eyes, indicating that they were realizing Arthur wasn''t a pushover or someone they could kill easily. But, seeing their fellow monsters dead on the ground fueled their rage even further and blinded their fight-or-flight instincts.


    Arthur saw that anger and simply grinned. That was exactly what he wanted. These monsters were perfect target practices for his sword and skills. After not fighting for almost a week, he felt quite rusty and thrilled to be finally back in battle.


    "Come at me all at once, let''s get this over with, bastards."


    The monsters immediately howled as they charged at him all at once. Their speed and aggression are way higher than ever before.


    But, all Arthur did was take a fighting stance as he looked at the monsters. Then, he dashed forward like a ghost, channeling every point of strength and agility he had. Then, he jumped into the fray without a second of hesitation.


    What ensued after that was truly a work of horror. The battle turned very bloody very quickly as Arthur used all his abilities while rampaging through the group of deer. His sword was lethal and fast, dealing deadly damage every time he swung it.


    It didn''t take long for the ''Swift Swordsmanship'' skill to start leveling up due to the intense work Arthur was going through.


    [Ding!]


    [Swift Swordsmanship had leveled up!]


    ''Interesting!''


    As he was fighting, Arthur felt a rush of new knowledge assault his brain, fueling his technique even further. He noticed his style change in real time as the new level opened new doors for him. When he first acquired the skill, he started seeing the sword differently and his body started moving in a different way with a sword in his hand. However, with the second level, his understanding shifted again as he quickly adapted to the situation.


    *Swish* *Swish*


    [Ding!] [Ding!]


    Like a ghost, Arthur sliced through two more deer, killing them with ease before he lunged on thest two.


    For a second there, all the two monsters could see was a terrifying, bloody devil aiming to kill them, and finally, the fear kicked in. After seeing all the other deer die, the realization that there was simply no way they could defeat this monster settled in and their first option became to escape as soon as possible.


    However, by that time, it was far toote.


    *Swish* *Swish*


    With two swift attacks, Arthur dismantled the two monsters, killing them on the spot.


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed 2 Level 23 Blue Deer.]N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "Fuuuh¡­" The boy exhaled a long breath before he slowly stood up and looked behind him. The entire area was now covered in corpses and blood with the smell of death slowly filling the ce.


    Arthur examined the scene for a moment before he nodded satisfiedly. "Good. I didn''t lose my touch after a week of no fighting. I''m feeling even stronger than ever before!" He grinned.


    This fight, while considerably easy, gave him an idea of how strong he had be in thest week even though he hadn''t really leveled up or killed any monsters. However, Arthur had acquired something arguably as important as levels which is knowledge.


    Training his sword was a very good decision as after one single week of training, he was now almost a different kind of beast. A monster of pure power, speed, and immense technique.


    ''However, I made so many mistakes even during this fight and was hit by one of the deer. I need to keep working even harder. I can''t let weaker monsters deal damage to me.'' He mused.


    The second thing Arthur realized was that the best way to train was always real battles. Going into a training realm was good, but feeling the thrill of real fights and dealing with actual enemies waspletely different.


    ''If I continue killing stronger and stronger monsters¡­ I could evolve¡­ No, I will evolve!'' He said to himself. After that, Arthur approached the monsters and used Blood Eater, absorbing all their blood and gaining 2 points of agility and 2 points of Presence, a stat that hadn''t evolved much ever since the start of his journey.


    At that very moment, Arthur heard loud roars echo in his ears. Looking up and over his shoulder, Arthur''s eyes shed with a weird glint.


    ''I''m not alone at all, huh¡­ Well, time to see how far I can push myself.''


    With that in mind, Arthur turned around and dashed into the distance, heading toward his targets.


    ***


    For the next several minutes, Arthur hunted down deer non-stop. Surprisingly, there wererge numbers of these creatures roaming the area in groups of 10 or more. He couldn''t walk for a few minutes before finding another group.


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed¡­]


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed 3¡­]


    [You have killed 2¡­]


    [You have killed 3¡­]


    [Ding!]


    [You have leveled up]


    [+2 Bonus Points!]


    Notifications rained down on him non-stop as Arthur continued to fight like a machine ofplete destruction. He killed and killed, to the point where he couldn''t remember how many deer he hunted down.


    Stats kept rising on their own and with the help of Blood Eater and the bonus from his ss, Arthur steadily grew in strength, gaining points slower than before but still at a very rapid pacepared to the rest of the yer base.


    In a matter of an hour or so, Arthur had killed 60 deer on his own. At the same time, he was still cutting his path toward theke as that was his initial goal.


    *Roar*


    Arthur stabbed the deer in front of him, piercing its heart. Seeing the monster drop dead to the ground, he exhaled a small breath as he wiped the blood off his face.


    "This is thest one¡­ I think¡­" He muttered as he looked all around him. This was the sixth or seventh group of deer he stumbled upon so he had already lost count. All he had as apass was his stats which kept rising every now and then on their own.


    ''I gained some good stats and a couple of levels¡­ My skills and sses have also leveled up once or twice¡­ This is pretty good¡­'' He thought to himself. Popping out a bottle of stamina potion, he sat down and started sipping on it while reading his stats and what progress he made.


    [Name: Arthur]


    [Gender: Male]


    [Level: 26]


    [Main ss: Blood Monarch (Locked) 4/10]


    [Rank: SSS]


    [Secondary sses: Battle Specialist/ Berserker Of The New World/Bearer Of The Broken Oath]


    [Main Abilities: Blood Eater (Level 5)/ Blood w (Level 5)/ Swift Swordsmanship (Level 3)]


    [Secondary Abilities: Blood Arrows (Level 5)/ Soul Fear (level 4)/ Wretched Crawler''s Eye (Level 3)/ Lonesome Warrior''s Howl (Level 4)/ Mortal sh (Level 2)/ Frost me (Level 3)]


    Discover more stories at empire


    [Stats:


    Health: 43


    Strength: 48


    Agility: 49


    Stamina: 41


    Mind: 40


    Presence: 38]


    [Bonus Points: 18]


    A//N: 200 Chapters!! Thank you all for sticking around! To the 1000 chapters we go!

 Chapter 201- The Frozen Lake

    After that, Arthur absorbed the blood of this group of monsters before he turned around to leave. At this point, he was not gaining any more stats from the deer as they were simply weaker than him and he had already absorbed all possible stats from them that even Blood Eater couldn''t provide any extra points.


    ''I hope I wille across stronger monsters near theke. If that doesn''t work, I will have to go deeper.'' He thought to himself as he dashed through the empty field, heading straight toward his target.


    On the map, theke started appearing, indicating that he was getting closer and closer. The wind had picked up the pace and the snow shrouded the horizon so Arthur couldn''t see clearly.


    However, as he got closer and closer, glimpses of theke finally emerged from the mist, revealing a magnificent scenery in full view.


    Theke was huge, as Arthur expected. It stretched for as far as the eye could see and beyond. A thickyer of ice covered the entireke, freezing all the water on the surface. Around it were the giant, dead trees of the winter,pletely covered in snow.


    "Wow¡­" Arthur muttered as he stopped for a moment to admire the scenery. It was truly a work of art that he was seeing at that moment. Theke appeared to glisten under the rays of the sun like a giant precious crystal. The water beneath the ice kept moving around, unaffected by the cold temperatures.


    After a few moments of silence, Arthur started moving again as he approached theke. The ce was quiet and empty.


    "Hmm, this should be the ce Logus told me about. But, there isn''t really much activity herepared to where I was.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Approaching the shore of theke, he crouched down and touched the ice.


    "Hmm, is this even safe to walk on?" Arthur muttered to himself as he tapped it a few times. Theyer of ice was quite thick, almost like it was made out of tough rock.


    Arthur kept looking around him, contemting what he should do next. The area waspletely empty with no monsters around and Arthur also couldn''t just walk into the woods yet.


    Instead, he came up with a very weird idea but nheless an exciting one.


    "What if I just¡­ try to go deeper into theke?" He muttered. The idea wasn''tpletely oundish but it still made Arthur think. After all, this was not the only option he had at that very moment.


    ''Eh, should I go the safe route or go the exciting route?... And do I even need to ask myself that question in the first ce?''


    Arthur grinned as he stood up and dusted his clothes from all the snow. He was not going to just do the safe things. There was an icyke in front of him so it would be a huge shame not to try and cross it.


    After taking a deep breath, Arthur put his foot on the ice. At first, he thought he was going to slip due to the nature of the ice. However, because of how solid it was, Arthur was actually able to stand on it without slipping.


    "Wow, this feels so weird¡­ I can see the water running beneath me." He muttered as he looked down. After adjusting his feet, Arthur finally took his first step on theke and then a second before he started moving forward, slowly increasing his pace. Minutes passed and Arthur found himselfpletely surrounded by the ice and the storm.


    The storm around him eventually shrouded the path he came from and nothing became visible anymore.


    "Hmm¡­ Where is even the direction I came from?" Arthur muttered as he looked around him. "Oh well, I''m just exploring at this point."


    Shrugging it off, he continued walking, heading into theplete unknown. Arthur didn''t know what he was exactly looking for but he was certain he woulde across something interesting sooner orter.


    The scenery all around him turnedpletely nk, and everything became conformed,cking in details.


    ''This is a little too white for my preference¡­ All I''m seeing is snow!'' The boy grumbled to himself as he continued on the path. After almost 15 minutes of walking, there was really no point in going back now, he either finds something interesting or he will cross the entireke and reach the other side.


    ''The map is saying that I''m still far from the other side so this trip isn''t going to be short.''


    As Arthur was like that, he suddenly heard a noiseing from somewhere nearby. Immediately, he stopped and looked in the direction of the noise.


    ''What even is that sound? It''s almost like sheets of ss breaking.'' He muttered under his breath. Still, Arthur quickly pulled his sword out. The noise was getting closer and closer with each passing second.


    Eventually, something emerged from the shroud of the storm or to be more precise¡­ several things appeared.


    ''Monsters!'' Arthur eximed in his head. The things he saw were humanoid creatures made out of transparent ice. The creatures were a little taller than him, with eyes like blue pearls,pletely dead, emotionless, and with long limbs. However, instead of hands, they had sharp icy edges at the end of their limbs.


    At first, Arthur only saw two, then the number quickly grew to twelve, then to thirty. Arthur then heard the noiseing from behind him.


    In a matter of seconds, he waspletely surrounded by these monsters and he didn''t even have a moment to react.


    "Where did you bastardse from, huh?" He muttered as he took a fighting stance. Upon speaking, the monsters suddenly halted and then, they all lifted their heads quickly and stared directly at Arthur.


    "..." The boy felt a chill run down his spine from these stares. But, he still kept hisposure.


    ''Well, I was looking for monsters either way.''


    At that moment, the monsters sprung into movements, rushing at Arthur. Their sudden speed burst almost took him by surprise. But, Arthur quickly channeled his mana before he fused his Sanguine de. Then, he dashed forward.


    *CLING*


    Reaching his first target, Arthur hit it with the sword. However, his arm immediately felt a strong vibration from the impact. Looking over his shoulder, the monster''s head burst open like a ss te before the monster stumbled to the ground dead.


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed level 24 Ice Lake Spirit.]


    ''Ice spirit?'' Arthur frowned. ''So these things are rted to theke itself. Ugh! That doesn''t matter now! The problem is they are really resistant to sword attacks! That hit hurt my hand!''


    Clenching his teeth, Arthur quickly dodged a second monster before he stabbed it. However, the sword barely cracked through its thick crystal body. Arthur felt his arms taking the blunt hit.


    So, he quickly kicked the monster away and dodged a third one that tried to stab him from behind. At the same, two other spirits lunged at him. Arthur didn''t have any other option but to quickly throw a kick in the air, sending the two flying in the air.


    "Ouch!"


    However, Arthur felt a stinging pain in his leg. Looking down, he noticed a considerably big injury going around his ankle.


    ''Great¡­''


    The boy then looked up and all he could see was hordes and hordes of Lake Spirits, all rushing toward him from all angles.


    The true battle had begun.


    A//N: Thank you all for the gifts, golden tickets and ps. Let''s keep it up!

 Chapter 202- True Test

    Sucking in a very cold breath, Arthur focused on his surroundings. The injury was minimal so it didn''t really matter at that moment. There was a way bigger problem at hand that he needed to deal with.


    The hordes of monsters attacked Arthur at the same time. There was no way for him to escape. So, he immediately activated ''Lonesome Warrior''s Howl'' and ''Soul Fear'' at the same time.


    Immediately, a loud roar coupled with a strong wave of energy exploded from his body, sending most of the spirits stumbling back in fear. The effect of Soul Fear immobilized the closest ones and stunned many of the other monsters.


    Arthur immediately took that opportunity and dashed forward, slicing through several targets in quick session. Notifications popped up in his retina quickly only to get ignored the moment they appeared.


    ''This hurts! Each hit feels like I''m swinging at a hard wall!'' Arthur clenched his teeth as he kicked and sliced through his enemies. Not only was their body nature annoying to slice with a sword, Arthur knew that his Sanguine de was sustaining damage constantly with each hit.


    [Ding!]


    [Ding!]


    [Ding!]


    [+1 Health.]


    It took the monsters a few seconds to regain theirposure, during which, Arthur had already killed almost 7 of them. His speed had increased again and his monstrous strength made him appear like a deadly ghost, rushing through the masses of Lake Spirits.


    Once they finally lost the sense of overwhelming fear, it was chaos again. The monsters quickly chased after Arthur like crazed beasts. Swarms and swarms of these spirits manifested out of thin air as they encircled him from every direction.


    ''Great. I can''t create any kind of space.'' Arthur clenched his teeth as he dodged a sharp sh to his neck before he grabbed the monster''s head and smashed it into the ground. Then, he grabbed the rest of the body and threw it at two other monsters.


    At the same time, Arthur was constantly manifesting blood arrows as if there was no tomorrow. The area around him turned into aplex of flying projectiles that kept hitting their targets. The arrows turned out to be quite useful as they were able to kill a good number of spirits.


    Meanwhile, Arthur himself didn''t really focus on that as he kept fighting the dozens and dozens of monsters attacking him. His reaction speed was luckily considerably faster than most of them so he was able to dodge the attacks in time. However, with their sheer numbers, Arthur quickly started getting overwhelmed.


    *BANG*


    Punching a monster, Arthur stabbed the second one with his left w before he kicked a third monster in the face. Another monster sneaked up behind him and shed his back.


    "Ugh!" The boy groaned before he turned around and punched the monster square in the chest, bursting through its body.


    ''It really got me. That attack took at least 5% of my health.'' Arthur clenched his teeth. ''Not good, not good at all. I need to find a path out of this mess.''


    Looking around him, all Arthur could see were swarms of these spirits closing up on him like a horde of zombies.


    As he was thinking of a way out, Arthur kept fighting to the best of his ability. The more he killed, the more monsters manifested around him.


    The wind swept through the area and the piles of crushed crystal bodies started growing in number.


    Minutes passed in the same state with Arthur moving through the swarms of monsters, killing everything in his path. At some point, his mind stopped thinking and only his instinct was working. He was at a point where he didn''t even need to think for his body to take the right decision, like an automatic killing machine, programmed to fight hordes and hordes of enemies with amazing efficiency.


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed 10¡­]


    [Ding!]


    [You have leveled up.]


    [+2 Bonus Points.]


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed 12¡­]


    [+4 Strength.]


    His stats kept rising at breakneck speed, crushing through one level, and then another one in a matter of minutes. It took him days to go from level 24 to 26 and now he was up to level 28 in a matter of 30 minutes. The number of monsters he was killing was simply that ridiculous.


    However, the damage Arthur was sustaining grew along with it as he exhausted his stamina and mana rapidly.


    "Ugh!"


    What were at first superficial scratches turned quickly into deep, bloody injuries all across his arms and legs. The sharp limbs of the Lake Spirits were simply brutal. However, Arthur was still quite shocked.


    ''The Sharded Skull Armor set is insane! It''s deflecting most hits!'' He thought to himself.


    Although the situation was extremely bad, it would''ve been way worse had it not been for Arthur''s powerful armor. It was capable of stopping most attacks from his enemies, easily deflecting or absorbing them without any dents or cracks.


    It was safe to say that Arthur would''ve already been dead had this armor not been active. But, it was still consuming mana to stay active which put an extra toll on his mana bar.


    "Hah¡­ Hah¡­"


    The boy dodged another attack that almost sliced his head and then barely sidestepped another one that almost cut his leg open. Arthur was growing exhausted and he couldn''t find a way out.


    ''Goddamit!''


    Swinging his sword, Arthur killed another monster that almost stabbed his chest before he kicked another one. But, a third monster, for the god knows what time, sliced his leg, almost making him fall to the ground.


    ''They''re coordinating their attacks to get me trapped! How could it get any worse than this?!''


    Arthur was already on the edge. He had been fighting for almost 45 minutes without stopping and the number of these monsters was only increasing. It was as if theke was manifesting these things by the dozen.


    ''Maybe if I can somehow create an opportunity to escape¡­ All I need is just a small op-''


    At that moment, several spirits attacked him at the same time.


    "Ugh! Can you give me a second to think, goddammit?!" He yelled loudly. The frustration Arthur felt at that moment had reached its threshold. He had enough of these monsters that kept popping up in his face wherever he looked.


    Arthur''s yell echoed in the empty iceke to the point where even Arthur was surprised that he had yelled that loudly.


    Then, for the first time, the monsters suddenly halted their steps, all at the same time. Their frozen expressions were as nk as ever. However, Arthur immediately felt something wrong with their behavior.


    ''Why did they stop? Was my scream that intimidat-''


    *BADUMP*


    At that moment, Arthur heard a soul-shaking noise in his ear. The sound was akin to a deep ripple¡­ing from the most horrifying ces imaginable. Like a twisted heart beat of an ancient being or the cry of a horrifying beast, echoing across the vast area.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    *BADUMP*


    Looking around him in a hurry, Arthur couldn''t pinpoint the noise. It wasn''ting from any of the monsters nor from the wind and the snow. However, each time that ripple echoed in his ears, Arthur felt his limbs grow cold and his face slowly paled.


    *BADUMP*


    ''What is this? Where is iting from?''


    Even as he tried to breathe in and out and calm himself, Arthur was starting to panic. The deep feeling of unease welled up in his heart.


    ''Where is it goddamit?! What am I listening to?!''


    "Show yourself!" He yelled in a not-so-calm manner. He was at his wits end and he couldn''t keep himselfposed anymore. There was only so much Arthur could handle and this fight, as short as it was, took a toll on his mind as it only dragged on and on, without any positive oue in sight. Now, there was another mysterious noise and possibly even more trouble on top of the trouble at hand.


    It was getting out of control!


    *BADUMP*


    Then, at that moment, he saw something. It happened in a split second, but he still saw it and quickly realized¡­ The reason he couldn''t pinpoint the noise wasn''t because it came from nowhere or because it was too far. Instead¡­


    It came from beneath.


    *BADUMP*


    A//N: Thank you all for the gifts, golden tickets and ps. Let''s keep it up!

 Chapter 203- The Darkness Beneath

    It had been almost three weeks since Arthur took his very first step into the Divine Realm. During which, Arthur faced many threats. Some of them were simply dangerous, while some were terrifying and dangerous. He even met extremely strong people who could easily erase him from existence if they wished for.


    However, none of that couldpare to the feeling he had at that moment. A feeling so immensely strong, he had to actually take a moment to catch his breath. After all, the thing that just moved right beneath his feet was aplete and utter nightmare. The shadow that swept right under his legs was unimaginably huge,pletely dwarfing Arthur inparison.


    Arthur''s body froze as if it was shelled in ice and his blood almost stopped moving in his veins.


    ''What¡­ What was that? Something¡­ Something moved beneath me!'' He thought to himself as he blinked and then quickly looked up. All the spirits around him had lost all will to fight him and they simply turned around and started walking away in unison.


    "H-Hey¡­" Arthur tried to speak, but was there really a point in talking to these things?


    Then, as if he garnered the wrong attention, the looming shadow moved under his feet again, vanishing into the reflection of the ice. That was when Arthur''s heart sunk in and he felt all his senses going off, telling him one single thing¡­ Run!


    Without wasting a single moment to even think or contemte, Arthur dashed forward at top speed. He used every single ounce of energy left in his body to elerate as fast as he could. Cutting through the waves of spirits that continued walking slowly like dolls. They didn''t seem aware or afraid of whatever was moving beneath them.


    ''I need to run! I need to get out of here now or I''m dead!'' His mind told him again and again like a resonating warning. At the same time, not that far away from Arthur, the shadow suddenly shifted direction on its own before it started rushing toward Arthur.


    The boy couldn''t see where it was but his overwhelming fear had already taken over and he could only think of running like a maniac. Luckily, no monster stopped him the entire time so he could move as freely as he could.


    ''I can make it! it! The shores are not far away! I just need to get out of these swarms of spirits and I will be fine!'' He thought to himself as he moved left and right, dodging the spirits to the best of his ability. That naturally slowed him down considerably.


    *CRACK*


    Then, he heard a crack right behind him. Looking over his shoulder, and much to his horror, Arthur saw that shadow not that far away, and right above it, a crack manifested on the ice. It was small at first but then quickly expanded everywhere in a chain of reactions, each one creating a bigger crack and then spreading like aplex web of destruction.


    *BADUMP*


    *BADUMP*


    *BADUMP*


    Along with it, the thumping noises continued growing stronger and stronger, matching Arthur''s heartbeat at some point. Along with it, the cracks grew deeper, more damaging to the thick sheet of ice. It didn''t take long for the first parts of the ice to break apart and for the water beneath to emerge slowly. Its dark color was eerie, almost as if that water had been trapped beneath the surface for so long, that it lost most of its characteristics.


    The cracks quickly expanded everywhere, easily matching and outruning Arthur.


    ''Screw it all!! Screw it all!!'' He yelled in his head as he closed his eyes and simply focused on running. However, deep down, he knew that outrunning this abomination was a pipe dream. The cracks were simply too fast.


    Meanwhile, all the Lake Spirits were caught in the destruction as theke started swallowing them one by one like flies. The bigger cracks made them slip before dragging them down to the abyss beneath. Arthur watched that scene and he could only imagine himself being the next one in line.


    ''Where is the shore?! Where is the shore?'' He opened his map and tried to pinpoint his current location. But, unfortunately, he was still at least a few minutes away from the shore.


    ''There is no time left for a few minutes!!''


    A secondter, the cracks finally reached Arthur as he almost slipped into an open crack. However, he quickly regained hisposure and started hopping from one individual piece of ice to another.


    He jumped left and right, trying to control his stability and momentum. However, it quickly turned out to be something extremely hard. Not only because the cracks were happening randomly and the pieces that snapped were also random and unpredictable, but also because liquid water had now reached the surface which meant¡­ The ice was slippery.


    It only took a few moments before Arthur''s foot slipped on the surface and he found himself falling back. His eyes widened as he tried to regain his bnce. But, it was far toote.


    ''No!'' He screamed in his head as he mmed into the ground and then tried to quickly stand up and continue running. However, as if it exactly predicted that, the shadow suddenly swept right beneath him. Its speed was so fast, that it created a wave of water that pushed the ice up and made it spread wider and wider.


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    Arthur was swept along with the wave, his bodypletely soaked in icy cold water. However, he didn''t care as he stood up and tried to jump to the safest area around. Then, the second wave arrived and it made Arthur fall again, this time right between two cracks.


    Quickly, his hand grabbed into the edge, trying to hold on. The slippery nature of the ice didn''t help much and the constantly moving parts around him, smashed into his body from all angles, threatening to crush his body with their immense weight.


    ''What should I do? Think, think¡­ Th-'' Even though Arthur would usually be able toe up with some kind of idea, this time¡­ His wits didn''t help him.


    As he struggled to keep himself afloat as the water rose. The boy''s eyes coincidentally looked down at the ck water and that was when everything halted. All the noise, the struggles, even the heartbeats and the thumps.


    Once he saw that huge eye, shining right under the surface of the darkness, everything waspletely wiped clean from his head. There was no fear anymore¡­ Only an eerie coldness filled his body.


    Arthur stared at that eye for a second, then two seconds¡­ He couldn''t look away and it didn''t seem like it intended to look away. As if his mind was carried away, Arthur didn''t even realize that his hands were slipping.


    Then, he lost his grip and his body started falling down, immediately getting swallowed by the dark water. All that was visible was that eye and even it slowly closed and vanished, getting covered by the moving sheets of ice.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    A//N: Thank you all for the gifts, golden tickets and ps. Let''s keep it up!

 Chapter 204- Cold

    Everything around Arthur turned extremely dark extremely quickly. He stopped breathing as he found himself under the surface of the water, unable to even control his fall. The water was extremely cold, to the point where Arthur felt his muscles spasm and his skin quiver. The feeling was extremely ufortable.


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    ''I can''t see¡­'' Throwing his hands around, he opened his eyes. Everything around him waspletely dark, down to even his own body. He could not see beyond a few centimeters away from him.


    Quickly, Arthur activated ''Wretched Crawler''s Eye'' to counter this horrifying situation. However, the skill could barely expand his vision to mere feet away from him. But, even then, the boy still held his breath and kept looking around him, searching for the monster.


    He had seen it as clear as day. He had seen that eye of nightmares that stared at him from beneath the surface. That eye, itpletely absorbed his attention as if it was some kind of ma, and not in a good way at all.


    That eye had given Arthur a feeling so dreadful, he waspletely numb. It was the worst feeling he had ever experienced even though he had been through a lot of bad things before. But, that simple stare was iprehensibly evil, vicious, and cold. Colder than even the freezing water he was in.


    His eyes wandered left and right, searching for the monster. But, there was no trace of it left. The thumping had also stopped, making Arthur even more anxious.


    ''It could be very close¡­ It could be anywhere around me, staring at me and I can''t see it. I need to get out of here.'' He thought to himself. If it wasn''t for the cold water dropping his heart rate, his heart would''ve been beating at double the normal rate or more.


    Adrenaline rushed through his veins, keeping him extremely alert. After a few seconds of searching, Arthur finally looked up, or at least looked where he assumed was the surface before he started swimming as fast as he could.


    ''Did it leave me behind after it got bored? Ugh, who cares?! I can reach the surface!'' Moving his arms as fast as he could, he swam closer and closer to the surface. But, when he was barely a few meters away from his target, he felt a chill run down his spine.


    *BADUMP*


    The sound returned, way louder than ever. Arthur''s eyes widened in fear as he looked down. His mind was racing to keep himposed and aware. But, all he could see was a sea of darkness.


    ''Screw this!!''


    Arthur quickly resumed his swim to the surface. Upon getting closer, his eyes started searching for a crack where he could emerge. After all the damage the sheet of ice sustained, it had basically turned into a chaotic mess asrge ice chunks smashed against one another, flipping and turning with each passing second.


    Arthur looked left, then right, trying to pinpoint a safe spot he could emerge from without threatening to crush his body into pieces.


    *BADUMP*


    The sound was growing louder and louder as Arthur battled against time. He had to find a way out of this disastrous situation and quickly.


    ''Goddamit!'' He cursed in his head before he decided to simply try his luck and just emerge from any open hole he could find.


    *BADUMP*


    Swinging his arms as fast as he could, Arthur got even closer from the surface. He was eager to finally breathe as his lungs didn''t hold much air at that moment.


    *BADUMP*


    Arthur stretched his arm forward to touch the surface. But, just when he was about to reach it, Arthur''s eyes widened as he felt something touch his leg. Looking down, he realized that a weird tentacle hadtched onto his leg.


    The tentacle looked like that of an octopus with big suction cups. However, it waspletely ck in color, almost merging with its surroundings. It wrapped around his ankle very tightly, pressing against his skin as if it wanted to fuse with it.


    Arthur''s face paled as he realized what had just happened. The monster had made its move and it was perhaps the worst thing that could''ve happened.


    ''No!!''


    A split secondter, Arthur was pulled down with immense force as if it was pulled away by a racing car. The surface quickly vanished form his vision and he was dragged deeper and deeper into the abyss, getting swallowed by the dark water. Air leaked out of his mouth in that moment of panic. But, even then, Arthur still manifested his Blood ws and tried to attack the tentacle.


    *BADUMP*


    Much to his horror, Arthur''s ws did no damage at all. He shed the tentacles several times, trying to get rid of it. But, his ws felt like they were trying to cut through diamonds, it simply wasn''t working.


    The air in Arthur''s lungs was depleted even faster, leaving him hungrier and hungrier for a breath. Coupled with the extremely cold water, his situation could''ve not been any worse¡­ Or that was what he thought.


    ''You have got to be kidding me! Am I really going to die like this?!'' He cursed again and again as he struggled for his dear life. But, was there really anything he could do?


    ''I still can do something!!'' He cursed as he formed a ball of Frost me. Although the mes were basically a form of ice attack and this monster was basically living in below 0-degree water, Arthur had no other options in mind.


    The blue me weirdly manifested without a problem. Then, Arthur quickly threw it at the tentacle. The me hit its target, quickly covering it with ice. Shockingly, the attack seemed to have worked as the tentacle unwrapped from his leg.


    ''Yes!!'' Arthur''s eyes lit up and then quickly yanked his leg out. Without wasting a single moment, he started swimming up like his life depended on it¡­ and it did.


    ''Please, just give me a few seconds to get out! I can''t breathe anymore!!'' Arthur clenched his teeth as he swam like a maniac. He wasn''t a good swimmer before so all he could do was shake his legs and move his arms to the best of his abilities.


    But, as if fate was mocking him, before he could even make a distance, his arm was suddenly grabbed by a tentacle. Then, his left leg was grabbed, then his arm, and then his torso sessively in less than a second.


    ''What?!'' Arthur''s heart sank. ''More than one?!''


    The monster had seemingly used one single tentacle when it captured him, tricking him into believing it only had one. If the first attempt was a hard struggle, then the second one was simply impossible for Arthur. The monster was simply leagues above him in power to the point where he could only sumb to the trap he found himself in.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    All he could do was stare up,pletely mortified. Deep down, he understood that¡­ He had lost. Then, like a defeated prey, the tentacles dragged Arthur down to the abyss.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 205- Throne Tomb (Part 1)

    ''... I can''t breathe¡­ Anymore¡­'' Arthur thought to himself as he felt his body grow limp as he lost all energy to move or resist. He was already exhausted from fighting all those spirits and now, he didn''t even have the luxury of breathing to actually fight the abomination that caught him.


    The cold water slowly turned his skin into an icy shell, rigid and lifeless. He didn''t know how he was even able to remain alive this long. But, here he was, slowly dying as the monster dragged his body down to the floor.


    He couldn''t even open the options and try to log out as he was still in the midst ofbat which doesn''t allow him to actually exit. The game simply wanted him to experience the full horror of dying in the hands of a nightmarish monster.


    The monster dragged him down for almost three minutes straight while Arthur was barely able to hold whatever air was left in his lungs. Due to his evolved state, Arthur could easily hold his breath for almost 8 minutes if he remained still¡­ 5 minutes if he was active¡­ And 4 minutes if he was doing extremely taxing actions.


    So, by that calction, Arthur had merely 30 seconds at most before he sumbed to the water and drowned which was perhaps far less merciful than dying at the hands of whatever creature he ended up angering.


    ''Well¡­ I at least tried. I would say this was a good attempt to fight something that is clearly levels above me in strength¡­ It isn''t aplete failure¡­'' Arthur tried to ease his pain and bitterness with some positive thoughts. Even as he was drowning, he could only draw a small smile. ''I froze one of your tentacles, bastard. A kid did that to you when you''re clearly stronger than me and I''m fighting underwater.''


    As he was like that, the tentacles suddenly started rotating him 180 degrees, making him face the opposite direction which was the bottom of theke. Theplete darkness made it impossible to see anything beyond a certain small distance. But, Arthur''s instincts immediately told him that he was very close to the main body of the monster.


    Somewhere in the darkness ahead was the horrifying creature that he saw moving beneath his feet a few minutes ago. The shape he saw earlier didn''t resemble anything he had ever seen before so he could only wonder what this horror looked like.


    Slowly, the tentacles continued dragging him down, getting closer and closer to the target. Arthur''s heart started beating faster as he stared ahead without blinking.


    ''Is it an octopus? A fish? Something else? An abomination straight out of a horror fantasy?'' He asked himself. The possibilities were simply endless and Arthur was certainly not ready for them.


    However, what he saw after thatpletely shattered every single image he drew in his head. Nothing he imagined or could''ve imagined reassembled what he witnessed at that very moment and it made him almost leak out all the air he had in his mouth.


    There, a few meters away from him, the monster''s main body appeared in his vision. Right there, floating in the darkness of the water was a giant throne-like structure made out of solid rock. The throne was at least several dozen meters in height and width, appearing like a tower.


    Greenery and other sea life had already thrived on this ancient structure, showing how ancient it truly was. However, what was truly shocking to see was the creature sitting on that ancient throne.


    Arthur could only describe the creature with one word¡­ Mortifying. The monster was almost as big as the throne itself, appearing akin to a humanoid creature. The monster was motionless with its eyes closed, indicating that it wasn''t feeling anything. It''s two arms and countless tentacles floating around it were the only things that seemed to be working as they kept wiggling on their own.


    The monster itself lookedpletely dead with a body so skinny, that the bones were defined under its pale grey skin. Large scars could be seen across its entire body, many of them looked like sword injuries.


    ''...'' Arthur could not describe the feeling he had at that moment, seeing this bizarre creation. A giant strapped to arge rock throne in theplete darkness of theke. What in god''s green earth was even that?


    It didn''t even appear like something that should exist. The aura around its dead body, and the weird tentacles protruding out of its arms and torso were simply akin to parasites eating away at its ancient husk.


    Seconds passed in that suffocating silence before the tentacles tried to bring him closer and closer to the dead giant. That was when a third important detail appeared in Arthur''s vision.


    On top of the giant''s head, there was a golden, cracked crown, loosely attached to its head. The crown looked in a horrible state,pletely wrecked by the years and years of exposition to water and ice.


    ''... Is this monster some kind of king or queen?'' He asked himself as the tentacles dragged him to the monster''s eye level.


    Eventually, it stopped when he was exactly right in front of its face. Arthur couldn''t move as he waspletely frozen so he simply watched in eerie anticipation to what was about to happen. A few arduous moments passed before something finally happened. The monster slowly opened one of its giant eyes¡­ The same eye Arthur saw earlier in the darkness.


    That weird feeling of horrifying charm this eye had was simply iprehensible. It was red in color, appearing almost majestic if not terrifying.


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    "..."


    Arthur and the giant stared at one another, in silence. Then, the monster slowly opened its mouth, leaking out an ancient voice akin to a groan. Its sheer depth and power shook the water around them.


    Arthur tried to cover his face from the shockwave but he was still hit hard, losing his bnce.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    ''What the hell is that¡­?'' He asked himself.


    Then, the monster made another sound, this time more akin to an iprehensible noise than a groan.


    ''Ugh! Is it trying to say something?! I don''t understand at all!''


    The noises didn''t seem random at all, almost sounding like some kind of ancientnguage that Arthur couldn''tprehend.


    ''Can we please go back to fighting? That''s a lot simpler!'' Arthur cursed.


    However, as if the situation wasn''t already confusing enough, Arthur suddenly heard a familiar clicking sound in his ear. The monster stopped speaking instantly as if it also heard that noise.


    ''Huh? Is it hearing the shard too? Wait, why did the shard even react now?'' Many questions popped into Arthur''s head. But, he didn''t bother to remain like that as he quickly opened his menu and made the shard manifest out of his inventory.


    Almost immediately, the shard appeared extremely bright, shining like the sun in the darkness.


    The monster''s eye visibly widened upon seeing the shard and Arthur could see that as clear as day. The tentacles instinctively pulled him away from the giant a little.


    Then, it suddenly clicked in Arthur''s head.


    ''Wait¡­ Is this shard doing something?''


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 206- Throne Tomb (Part 2)

    The bright light of the shard kept expanding bigger and bigger, illuminating the dark water brightly. It was so shiny in fact, that Arthur had to squint his eyes not to be blinded by it. At the same time, he felt the tentacles wrapped around his body slowly loosening and retreating as if they were scared of that divine light.


    ''Woah!'' Arthur''s face lit up with shock. He could''ve never imagined the shard was going to activate on its own again, and then immediately attack the giant and its tentacles. It seemed the light wasn''t something this creature liked.


    Staring directly at the light, the monster tried to stay as far away as possible from it.


    ''What if¡­'' It didn''t take a second for Arthur to understand what he should do. If the shard was truly protecting him from the monster, then that means this is a huge opportunity to escape.


    Without hesitation, Arthur turned around and started swimming up as fast as he could. The air in his lungs had already reached a critical stage several seconds ago so he was not in a good position. Meanwhile, the giant finally woke up of its trance and noticed that Arthur was escaping.


    So, instinctively, it tried to reach out for him, only for the tentacles to stop when they felt the light of the shard on them, burning their skin to a horrible level.


    ''It''s working! I can make it out!'' Arthur thought to himself. He was seeing a glimpse of hope in his survival and it was not that far! He had to just reach the surface. But, the distance to the surface wasn''t small either.


    With that, Arthur continued swimming with the tentacles chasing him at a good distance, not to touch the light of the shard. Arthur knew that as long as he kept it near him, the monster could not touch him.


    ''I''m close, I know I''m close! Come on!'' He thought to himself as he clenched his teeth. The pain of suffocation was rising and even though it was nowhere near the real pain of actually suffocating, it was still an ufortable feeling in the game.


    Fifteen seconds passed in that state before Arthur noticed something. The clicking sound the shard was making had started subsiding. Looking to the side quickly, he saw the light imitating from it weakening in real-time.


    ''What?! Already?!'' He almost screamed. ''No, please not now! Just a little bit more! Hold on a little bit more, shard!''


    As he swam like a maniac, the light went down slowly, like an ember of fire dying down with time. At the same time, the tentacles seemed to realize that something was happening and the burning light was growing weaker and weaker. So, they started closing the distance again, trying to figure out if it was safe to try and take down Arthur again.


    ''Just a little bit more!''n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Up ahead, Arthur was starting to see glimpses of light reflecting on the surface, indicating that he was close again. But, right behind him, the tentacles were now a few feet away at most, wiggling their way toward him.


    At this point, the shard was almostpletely dead. The few rays of light left were barely enough to cover Arthur. Then, as he expected, the shardpletely died down.


    ''Fuck!'' The boy cursed and then quickly threw the shard in his inventory and started using his arms to swim faster.


    Upon seeing the light vanish, the tentaclesunched forward like arrows, intending to grab Arthur again.


    In a single instance, it became a race. If Arthur can reach the surface or if he would end up being caught again. It was the same exact situation as a few minutes ago. Arthur is against a monster that is simply positioned above him in power. However, this time was a little different. The hope in Arthur''s eyes was burning as strong as ever.


    ''If you think I will fall twice, you''re dreaming!'' His eyes flickered with a strong light as his arms moved faster and faster as if he was manifesting energy out of nothing and that was not too far from reality.


    Arthur''s stamina bar was already on the edge and his body was riddled with injuries. He should''ve not been able to swim that fast usually. But, there was a hidden power in the game that had no quantifiable measures.


    The power of adrenaline and thrill. That rush was very much present inside the game and Arthur had used it countless times before. That strong rush of energy thates to the person when they''re in immediate danger. The human body unlocks the limits it set up for normal cases and the person ends up doing things they should''ve not been able to do in normal circumstances.


    All the excitement, fear, and hope merged together and the result was¡­ Arthur broke through his limit again.


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    *Swish*


    Like a sh, Arthur swam through the dense water, crossing the distance in less than a second. This time, he didn''t bother to even look for a safe spot to escape, he simply went for the nearest spot.


    ''I''m there!''


    Closing his eyes for a moment, Arthur broke through the surface, emerging on top. His mouth immediately took a very deep breath, something that shocked his body back into life. Then, his eyes quickly looked around and spotted a big ice chunk. Quickly, Arthur grabbed into it and climbed up.


    At the same time, the tentacles reached him and tried to grab into his leg. However, once they got close, they saw an ember of blue mes fly toward them. The Frost mes caught into the tentacles, freezing them up. The limbs could only shake before they retreated back into the water.


    Arthur shook the water from his face and looked around him as he opened the map. ''Where am I?! Quickly, I need to escape before they try again!''


    Fortunately for him, his cursor indicated that he was very close to the shore. In fact, from that position, he could see the beautiful end of theke he had been searching for. It seemed his battle with the monster underwater had dragged him closer than he expected to the shore.


    So, he quickly stood up on his feet and started running toward it. Jumping from one cier to another without looking back. He didn''t want to even know what the monster was trying to do. All he wanted was to reach the shore and leave that hell.


    ''I''m there!''


    A few jumpster, Arthur found himself on the thick snow, outside theke. But, he didn''t stop at all till he was several dozen meters away from theke. Looking back, Arthur didn''t see any tentacles chasing him and the ce was as quiet as ever.


    "Hah¡­ Hah¡­ Hah¡­" Even as he was breathing heavily, he kept examining theke and waiting. After a cruel 30 seconds, he finally realized that the monster might''ve lost any intention of chasing him.


    "Is it¡­ Is it really over?" He asked himself before he dropped to his knees. He coughed loudly, spitting out all the water he swallowed. All the exhaustion he umted came back to him like a train.


    Slowly, he fell on his back and looked up to the sky, still in a daze. Everything that just happened felt like some kind of out-of-body experience. It did not feel real. The fear, the tension, the monster''s appearance, and Arthur''s survival. Everything happened in a mere 10 minutes at most yet the impact it left on Arthur was deep.


    "What¡­ What was that¡­ What was even that¡­" Putting his arm on his eyes, he groaned. "This is a sick joke¡­ A really sick joke, game."


    Clenching his fists, Arthur mmed his hand on the snow as he red up. After all that fear finally settled down a little, Arthur was outraged. "What kind of sick fuck thinks of such a monster and implements it?! Do you want to give people heart attacks?! I''ve never been more scared for my life before!"


    Even though the boy was very much aware his death in the game was not that big of a problem, he was still running for his life as if he was really going to die in real life. The sensation was morbidly real and he could not deny that.


    ''A giant strapped to a stone throne underwater¡­ Why is it strapped to that throne? And why the hell is it there in the first ce? Besides, those scars on its body¡­ Did someone fight that abomination and seal it there?''


    A thousand questions popped into Arthur''s head with no answers. The mystery of this giant was by far the most confusing. However, unlike the other mysteries Arthur came across, this one¡­ This one precisely he did not want to discover or unravel at all.


    Staring at the now calmke, Arthur simply sat there, trying to recover from the mental and physical shock he sustained.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 207- Shockwaves Across The World

    Your journey continues at empire


    Meanwhile, outside the tower.


    "Woah! It is done! Hey, I, look!" Fiy eximed as he lifted up the huge piece of paper he finished scribbling on before he turned around to I who was talking to the rest of the group about their ns.


    "Hm?" The girl turned around. "Did you finish the drawing?" She asked.


    "Yes! Well, this is the initial n. We are still open to modifications and additions if we need them. What do you think?" Handing her the paper, the two waited excitedly for her thoughts. They had been working on this design for days now to ensure that it was perfect and befits the greatness of this group.


    "I want to see too!" Herculia peeked from the side.


    "Hey, let me take a look!" Emmy replied as she peeked over I''s shoulder.


    Meanwhile, Danny simply walked to the side and tilted his head to see. Then, the group wentpletely silent as if they were frozen in time. Nobody made any reactions for a few seconds which made the two dwarves a little confused.


    "... This¡­" Herculia muttered with a frown.


    "Umm, is it bad?" Serko asked timidly, feeling terrified of what they thought of it.


    "It''s¡­" Emmy looked at them. "This is amazing!!"


    "..."


    "Is this what our headquarters will look like?! You two are geniuses!"


    "Is this even possible to pull off?" Danny muttered to himself. From what he could see, this was perhaps the most interesting building design he had ever seen in both worlds. It was so unique and so mesmerizing, he didn''t even think it was possible to build it here or in the real world for that matter.


    "Of course! We don''t design things that we can build!" Fiy nodded his head. "We can do it."


    "You did great, Fiy, Serko." I turned to look at them with a soft look on her face before she patted their heads. "For now this is more than perfect. We rely on you to help us build it."


    "Mm! We will!" Their eyes twinkled with happiness as they nodded their heads eagerly. Their motivation to build this ce was now over the roof seeing how the others felt toward it.


    "I want Arthur to see the design too," Serko said.


    "Now that I think about it. Where is Arthur? I didn''t see him the entire day." Herculia frowned as he rubbed the back of his head.


    "He usually shows up here. I hope he''s ok." Emmy muttered with a worried tone. She knew how reckless Arthur could be and with how he looked the entire day, she felt like he wasn''t really the usual Arthur she knew.


    The only one who wasn''t worried was naturally I. She had a good idea of where he was.


    "Don''t worry about him. Knowing Arthur, he is probably already there." She said as she walked to the window.


    "There?" Danny raised an eyebrow.


    "I''m talking about the tower. He most likely already went there." She said.


    "Already? That bastard really preceded us! When hees back, I will show him!" Herculia clenched his teeth with a grin. "But, I cannot me him. I can''t wait to enter the tower either."


    "Now that I think about it. When are we really going to enter the tower?" Emmy asked.


    "Maybe tomorrow. We still have to check thend and then buy the necessities before we go there." I replied calmly as she sat down on the sofa.


    "Hey, guys, take a look at this."


    At that moment, Danny cut the conversation off and grabbed everyone''s attention. They all looked at him.


    "Hm? What''s up?"


    "Open¡­ Open the Gifted Rankings." He said in a weirdly shaky tone.


    A little confused, they all still did what he asked and opened the rankings. They had a hunch that it had something to do with Arthur. However, upon taking the first look, everyone was shell-shocked.


    "... Am I seeing things right?" Emmy asked.


    "... Yeah, I think so¡­" Herculia replied in a daze. "What the hell is he even doing?"


    Even Danny waspletely stunned by what he saw. The ranking was simply¡­ Ridiculous.


    ''Arthur¡­'' I blinked. Nobody knew what was going through her head. After all, this was truly something only he could pull off. Something only that maniac is capable of doing.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    [3- ckde: 5581 Points.]


    [2- DarkMoon: 8745 Points.]


    .


    .


    .


    [1- Unknown: 17452 Points.]


    ***


    At the same time, the real world was going haywire. Divinity Online had another shocking development that turned the media upside down and sent shockwaves across the entire world.


    ''Persona'', the mysterious number 1 yer in the entire world had done it again. They had done something so ridiculous it could not be exined. In a matter of a few hours, he had gained 5000 points¡­ The most points gained in that short period of time since the game started.


    The forums and social media tforms were raging with discussions about this sudden burst of points Persona had.


    "This can''t be real!! 5000 Points in three hours?!"


    "How is that even possible? How many monsters did he kill? Did he defeat a boss?!"


    "I have been watching Persona for a few days now. He hadn''t added that many points in a while and then suddenly he gets 5000 points out of nowhere¡­ Something is suspicious."


    "I smell ''cheating''..."


    "Cheating?! My God Persona isn''t a cheater! You are just jealous he is better than everyone else by a mile!"


    "My big daddy Persona! I love you!!!"


    "Wait, guys! We can''t just jump to conclusions!"


    "He is almost double the second ce¡­ It ain''t even apetition anymore. Persona had made the game a joke!"


    The conversations happening amongst the yer base were as heated as ever. Many thought Persona was a cheater and their proof was the sudden, unexinable jump in points that shouldn''t be possible.


    However, the people who rooted for Persona defended him tooth and nail. After all, all they had seen from this mysterious yer was achievements and achievements. This was not the first time Persona had done something ridiculous.


    But, the biggest effect this historical event had was on the biggestpanies in the world. Those in power and those who have money and see Divinity Online as a huge pie they must take a slice of, they were frothing from the mouth.


    "Find him! I don''t care how much money you need! Find me this yer now!"


    "We need to sign him up for our gaming organization! No matter what!"


    "Persona¡­ He will definitely show up sooner orter! Such a person cannot remain in the shadows forever."


    All these CEOs and businessmen across the world had one simple goal¡­ To find Persona and make him join their projects for the game. If they can make such a yer the face of their project, the money and influence they will gain is simply iprehensible.


    The rest of the top yers were all affiliated with some entity in some shape or form. Whether it is a family, a n, apany, or a gaming organization. They had contracts worth millions and millions and resources to back them up like no tomorrow.


    However, the sole strongest yer waspletely anonymous, with no real information about them.


    And just like that, the name Persona spread far and wide and people started hearing more and more about this yer.


    As for Persona himself,pletely oblivious to all of the chaos he had just created, was returning to the settlement¡­ Tired and cold.


    "Fuck this weather!"


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 208- Gains And Warnings

    Arthur dragged his tired body through the thick snow, making his way back to the settlement. Even though he had already drunk three stamina potions to recharge, he still felt quite tired after the trip he had.


    His mind was still thinking about that encounter and what he saw. He could not get it out of his head and will probably never be able to forget it. After all, that deep horror he experienced could''ve never been any more real.


    On the way, Arthur came across several groups of wandering deer. The monsters noticed him too and immediately charged at him, intending to dissect him to pieces. After all, Arthur looked quite injured and tired.


    However, what happened after that was simply¡­ amazing.


    *Swish* *Swish*


    Like a ghost, Arthur vanished from their vision, appearing right behind his target with his sword in his hand. A momentter, the deer''s head fell off its shoulders cleanly before the entire body crumbled down.


    "Fuuh¡­" He exhaled. Looking back at the dead corpses, Arthur clicked his tongue. "It''s not the time for you, idiots. Read the room."


    In a matter of seconds, Arthur had killed 6 deer and it was not even close. After all, this Arthur wasn''t the same Arthur of a few hours ago. After fighting those Lake Spirits and killing countless of them, he had gained a lot of stats and levels, pushing his power even further.


    Although the increase wasn''tpletely ridiculous, the mechanism of powering up in the game changes at that level. At first, increasing stats was considerably easier since the enemies were weak but at the same time, each point didn''t have a huge effect since the level of power was still marginal.


    However, as the yer grows stronger and stronger as the stats be harder to obtain, naturally, each point will start having a stronger effect. Arthur did not know if this was a real mechanic implemented in the game or if it was simply his feeling, but he didn''t care.


    ''As much as I''m traumatized from thatke¡­ This trip had been really fruitful. For a first day in the tower, I''m satisfied with my progress.''


    Gaining several levels, leveling up some of his skills, gaining more knowledge and experience, and more importantly¡­ Seeing something that gave Arthur a huge p in the face.


    That giant was perhaps the single most important moment for Arthur in the entire game. Facing something so overwhelmingly stronger that he had no other choice but to run for his life gave Arthur a wake-up call. The boy was starting to get toofortable in the Divine Realm and he was starting to take things as a silly joke.


    However, that was far from the truth. The Divine Realm was a horribly dangerous ce and Arthur hadn''t seen that yet. This giant was simply his very first encounter with a monster truly of a different league.


    ''It''s the first goddamn floor of the tower, man¡­ If this is the kind of creature Ie across on the lowest floor¡­ Then¡­'' He slowly looked up at the sky. ''What is waiting for me above?''


    Just the thought of it sent chills down Arthur''s spine. He had to p his face a few times not to remain in that state.


    ''This is why I''m far from ready to tackle down huge tasks. I''m still far too weak for that. This is my first day in the tower so I must work hard. Really hard!''


    With that in mind, Arthur saw the settlement gates up ahead. He had finally reached his destination after walking slowly for a while. Stopping in front of the gates, he rested his hand on his sword and wiped the blood off his face.


    "Open the gates!" He yelled.


    Immediately, he saw two guards peek at him from above the walls.


    "State your name!"


    Find your next adventure on empireN?v(el)B\\jnn


    "I''m the Gifted One! Just open the door!" He replied.


    After taking a second look, the two guards were taken aback before they quickly walked away.


    A few secondster, the gates opened and they walked outside.


    "Show us your identification document again, please." The guard warily approached Arthur as if he was still suspicious.


    ''Huh? Can''t he see that it''s literally me?'' Arthur exhaled a small breath before he pulled the scroll out. He didn''t bother to argue back as he was too tired to do that.


    Reading through the scroll, the man nodded his head. "Wee back, sir. We apologize but this is a routine check to make sure everyone who enters the settlement is truly who they im they are."


    "Huh? Are t-"


    "Please, go ahead." The guard cut him off and then headed back inside.


    ''... Very weird if you ask me¡­'' Assuming that it was just a safety measure, Arthur walked inside the settlement. The time was still not night so the settlement was active. But, the first thing Arthur did was head back to the chief''s office. He had something to talk about with that man.


    ***


    "Ah, a good, steamy coffee on a cold day. Nothing is better." Logus muttered as he set down his cup on the table and looked at the window silently, taking a well-deserved break. He had been working sincest night non-stop.


    Being the chief of the settlement required him to sign a lot of paperwork. From shipment of goods like food and clothing into the tower, to signing approvals of weapons and raids into the different parts of Frozen Peak.


    He also had to n along with the mercenaries for their expansions in the future and their ns topletely control the first floor. Even though this particr floor was the easiest and least dangerous, it was still not fully under the control of the empire.


    ''Sigh¡­ I want to sleep.'' Logus thought to himself as he closed his eyes for a moment. ''Just a few minutes to take a nap won''t harm nobo-''


    At that moment, the door to the office was kicked open, startling the man out of his dazed state.


    "Huh?! What?! Where?!"


    Looking up, he noticed someone standing in front of the table.


    "S-Sir?! Y-You''re bac-"


    "Cut the crap, Logus." Arthur replied coldly. "Did you send me to theke to kill me?"


    "What? Excuse me?"


    "I almost died because of your advice!" Arthur clicked his tongue angrily.


    "... I¡­ What? I really¡­ Can you please exin to me what happened? I''m really confused, sir." Logics adjusted his sses and tried to calm him down. He noticed that Arthur had many traces of blood on his body, indicating a really brutal battle. "Do you want a cup of coffee?"


    "No! Exin to me what the hell is that creature I saw in theke."


    "Creature? What creature?"


    "A giant monster sitting on a goddamn stone throne!" Arthur replied. "Wait, why am I even exining that to you? You should be the one telling me about it. That thing almost killed me!"


    "..."


    For some reason, Arthur noticed a very confused look on Logus'' face as if he heard something weird.


    "So? What is that monster?"


    "... Sir? Uhm, I don''t know if you''re really ok or not but¡­ Nothing lives in thatke¡­ It''spletely dead."


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 209- As Real As It Gets

    "What¡­?" Arthur frowned. "What do you mean theke has no monsters? I have encountered hundreds of them!" He said.


    The boy waspletely confused as to what he heard. Even if Arthur ignored the giant, he had also encountered dozens of Lake Spirits that almost killed him. Yet, this man was trying to say theke was dead. That made no sense.


    "What? Hundreds?!" Logus'' eyes widened. "Are you¡­ Are you sure of what you''re saying, sir? This is serious."


    "Yes, I encountered arge giant underwater and hundreds of weird ice creatures that almost killed me twice! What the hell is wrong with thatke?"


    "..." Logus blinked as he slowly adjusted his sses. He waspletely taken aback. "That can''t be¡­ Thatke had been dead for hundreds of years now. Due to the nature of its water, nothing could live there. Even more than that¡­ You said you encountered a giant, right?" He asked.


    "Yeah, it looked like a humanoid giant."


    "... Well, I don''t know if you''re aware of this but¡­ Giants have gone extinct a long time ago after the age of the shard." Logus exined. "They are only present in tales and legends, sir."


    "..." Arthur stared nkly at the chief,pletely speechless. "Extinct? So, not a single one is left in the world?"


    "Yes. Nobody even knows how those things look. So, Are you really sure you have encountered some kind of illusion? Illusion could happen on the first floor frequently."


    "... Illusions?" Arthur slowly sat down on the chair as he stared at the ground. He tried to think through what he heard. ''An illusion? No, that can''t be¡­ That feeling¡­ That feeling is too real¡­ That creature is real¡­''


    Slowly putting his hand on his chest, Arthur recalled that dreadful horror he experienced. If it was truly an illusion, he would''ve never felt that level of dread seeing that giant face to face. Nothing could convince him that what he experienced wasn''t real.


    For a second, Arthur closed his eyes as he sucked in a deep breath. Then, he slowly stood up and looked coldly at Logus who was curiously waiting for the boy''s response. The boy then smiled ndly and said.


    "Yes, it must''ve been some kind of illusion then." He said in a mysterious tone.


    "Oh, then yeah. My apologies if you found yourself in a dangerous situation. As I said, this floor is no silly joke, it had killed too many people to even count and we rarely could retrieve any of their corpses. You have been lucky, sir."


    "I was very lucky indeed."


    "But, just in case, I will send some mercenaries to check theke if you want. After all, if what you said is true, then this isn''t something we can ignore and could potentially be a huge threat to us." The man said.


    Meanwhile, Arthur walked to the door and opened it. "No, don''t let anyone go anywhere near theke for now. It''s for your best interest."


    "My best interest?"


    "Yes, if you don''t want to lose your job. Just don''t do that." Arthur said coldly as if he was threatening the man before he finally walked out of the office. "See youter, Logus."


    Then, he closed the door before the man could even say anything. Slowly, Arthur''s smile vanished and turned into a serious look.


    "... Extinct, huh? Interesting¡­ Very interesting¡­" He muttered as he walked through the corridor. Whether that giant was truly one of the giants the man was talking about or not, Arthur believed this encounter wasn''t for nothing.


    Even if he didn''t want to ever see that creature ever again in his life, he knew that this isn''t going to be feasible. Sooner orter, he will have toe back to thatke and see for himself what this is all about.


    After all, if finding a member of a race that went extinct hundreds of years ago wasn''t a world-shaking event, then he didn''t know what it was.


    "I will have to meet that thing again in the future¡­ Sigh¡­" He clicked his tongue and then smiled. "Well, that will be a lot of fun for sure."


    ***


    After that, Arthur left the office and headed toward the heart of the settlement. He still didn''t intend to leave the game yet as he had to first go and check the rest of the ce for future reference.


    The snowstorm had already started getting violent and the vision was way worse than before. Also, the number of people moving around him has lessened considerably as they quickly hid from the extremely cold temperature.


    Meanwhile, Arthur was also freezing and shaking. His clothes hadn''t dried yet after falling into the freezing water so his body temperature was really low, almost dangerously low.


    ''Damn it, even in the game, feeling cold sucks!'' He shuddered as he continued walking through the street, exploring the settlement. There were many buildings, most of them had no signs on the front to indicate their purpose. However, Arthur figured that they were simply office buildings or some other facilities.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "I wonder where the plot ofnd should be¡­ Hmm, preferably distant from all other building to avoid any annoying onlookers." He muttered. "Somewhere like there for example."


    Arthur knew that this base they would build inside the tower would y a huge role in their future ns. Not only because it makes things convenient, but it also had a huge tactical advantage for the group. After all, they are literally based in the heart of the most important location in the empire, right under the Royal Pce."


    ''We may or may not create some trouble for the Royal Family so this base will be a huge help¡­ Perhaps we can even expand from it and take over the entire first floor.'' He grinned.


    "Oooh, this is going to be exciting." He muttered.


    "What are you looking for?"


    At that moment, Arthur heard someone speaking behind him. The voice came out of nowhere, but Arthur had already felt someone approaching him for a few seconds now. Turning around, he saw a familiar face.


    "Hm?" Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Aren''t you that guy from earlier¡­ Uh, what was your name again?"


    "... Sergi." The man replied as his face grew visibly darker.


    "Oh right! Sergi, yeah! Sorry, I''m really not that good with names, you see." Arthur smiled coldly.


    "So, what are you doing out in such a strong storm?" He asked.


    "I''m just, you know, roaming the settlement and getting familiar with it for the future."


    "Oh, so you''re intending toe back often?" The man asked in a weirdly mysterious tone.


    "... I think that''s very obvious, Sergi. I''m not done with this ce yet."


    "..."


    ''What is wrong with him acting weirdly? Is he sick or something?'' Arthur asked himself. Even earlier, the man seemed to act quite odd and the boy noticed that.


    But, what the man did nextpletely took Arthur aback. Slowly, he approached Arthur and stared directly into his eyes. The boy immediately noticed the tant hostility in his re. His eyes were wide open andpletely filled with what Arthur could only describe as¡­ Hatred.


    "I suggest you leave the tower and nevere back, Cursed One."


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 210- Anti-Gifted

    Arthur blinked slowly as he stared at Sergi. His eyes slowly squinted as the silence took over the ce, leaving only the sound of the wind.


    "Leave?" Arthur asked coldly. He had already noticed the underlying threat in his voice. Then, there was thatst word ''Cursed One''. That particr word reminded him of something he heard not that long ago.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    That was what Vincent told him when they first met. He talked about the people who hated the Gifted Ones and how they''re the biggest threat they might face in the capital. That was when it clicked in Arthur''s head and he realized everything.


    ''Is he¡­?''


    Seeing the look of anger and hatred embedded within Sergi''s mind, Arthur could only take a moment of silence.


    "Yes, you people are not wee here in the tower. You cannot tarnish this Divine ce with your hands." Sergi said in a cold tone.


    "... And who are you to tell me what I''m supposed and not supposed to do?" Arthur retorted. He didn''t like how Sergi was talking to him like he was some kind of devil. It was almost as if he thought Arthur was not even human but rather an inferior creature.


    "I''m warning you, Cursed One. If you do not want to end up in trouble, leave this tower and this city and nevere back. There are other ces fit for you people¡­" Sergi said as he lifted his hands up, indicating that he wasn''t going to do anything yet. "We do not need you bastards to try and ruin our great empire. You are only a cause of destruction and a bad omen for this great kingdom. We will make sure to kick you all out of ournds."


    "..." Arthur stared at the man silently, not replying to anything he was saying. He could see a hint of insanity in his expression, indicating that he truly believed every word he said.


    ''Is this some kind of cult he''s a part of that brainwashed him into thinking I''m some kind of monster? It definitely looks like it.'' He mused as he exhaled a small, tired breath. Thest thing Arthur wanted to deal with at that moment was a fanatic who wanted to exile him.


    "Sigh, listen here man, I don''t know what they told you and I frankly don''t care. But, here is what''s going to happen. I am going to do whatever I want and you will mind your own business. How about that?" Arthur asked with a cold grin.


    "... You!" Sergi was immediately outraged by the tant disrespect. "This is myst warning. If you don''t leave, your life here will be hell."


    "Oh yeah, ehem, I totally understand you." Arthur smiled as he turned around to leave. "Well, I wish you good luck. Also, if you dare and try to do anything annoying, I''m going to kill you. Consider that a promise."


    "..." Sergi felt a chill run down his spine when he saw that cold, emotionless re in Arthur''s eyes.


    Experience more on empire


    ''That bastard! He isn''t showing any fear at all! What does he have to be that confident?! But, he will regret it! I will make sure he does!'' Sergi clenched his teeth as he red at Arthur''s back while he was walking away.


    "I need to tell the others as soon as possible¡­ The Gifted Ones are starting to arrive¡­ The end is near¡­" Staring into the white world ahead of him, Sergi sucked in a cold breath before he turned around and started walking, his mind set on what he was supposed to do.


    ***


    "Pfft, this is such a stupid situation. I mean, it was bound to happen sooner orter. But, now I have to keep in mind that a bunch of people want me kicked out or dead." Arthur muttered as he stopped in the middle of the road and shook the snow off his head.


    He felt a huge headache just thinking about this problem that appeared out of nowhere. Now that Sergi knew he was a Gifted One, he would do everything to try and kick him out. However, what was even more frustrating was that he couldn''t really do anything to Sergi yet or all his ns would be ruined.


    ''We have already killed two mercenaries before and we somehow escaped without a problem. If I kill another one, there is no guarantee I will be spared this time around.''


    But, that didn''t mean Arthur was going to let him do whatever he wanted. Now that he was aware, if Sergi tried anything funny, Arthur would take that as a good enough reason to kill him and perhaps send a warning to all of these anti-Gifted people.


    ''When that timees, he better pray I don''t get my hands on him.''


    With that in mind, Arthur finally ended his exploration and headed back to the heart of the settlement. His task for the day was done and he wanted to spend the rest of the night studying for tomorrow''s test.


    ''Hmm, how do I leave the tower again? Oh right¡­ The prince told me I simply need to think of lea-''


    Before he can even finish the sentence, Arthur is immediately swallowed by darkness. When he opened his eyes again, Arthur saw the gates of the tower slowly opening for him.


    "Well, that was fast¡­" He muttered as he slowly walked toward the exit.


    The light of the world weed him with open arms and the cold, icy temperatures of the Frozen Peak vanished as he felt apletely warmer environment.


    ''Fuuh, finally back to the warmer capital! I''m happy!''


    Looking around him, Arthur noticed that the two guards he met earlier were there. The trio stared at each other silently for a few seconds before Arthur finally spoke.


    "... Good work, both of you."


    "... Ah, yes! Thank you."


    Nodding his head faintly, Arthur walked past them as he bid them farewell and walked through the Shard za. On his way, he saw some mercenaries getting up the stairs as they headed to the gates. They all eyed him weirdly but nobody spoke to him as they quickly scurried to their tasks.


    ''It''s safe to say some of these mercenaries are also a part of this Anti-Gifted cult. I cannot trust anyone.'' He mused.


    It was just one single interaction that made every single mercenary around him a suspect. They could all be his enemies for all he cared and he would never tell unless they outright say it.


    ''... Damn it, if I have to fight all these people, I''m going to lose my mind. I will never be able to take another step into the Divine Tower again in my life and the princess doesn''t seem like he will be able to do much about it. After all, it''s not like they''re vocal about their intentions.''


    Arthur was almost certain that all the danger he might face wouldn''t be here in the capital as it was under the supervision of the Royal Family. If those people wanted to get rid of him, they had to do it somewhere where nobody could see.


    ''And what''s better than the ce where the most people vanish and their corpses are never restored?'' Arthur snorted coldly. ''It''s inside this tower itself.''


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 211- The World Wants Me

    After that, Arthur left the Shard za and headed back into the city. The time was already well into the night and the Colosseum was seemingly still active with the cheers of people echoing across the entire capital.


    Arthur, however, didn''t stop to listen as he continued on his path till he reached a good spot where he could log off.


    ''I wonder what the others are doing now. Oh well, I will tell them what happened in a few hours. Time to actually study or I will be screwed.'' He thought to himself as he quickly logged off the game and exited the capsule.


    Walking out, he stretched his limbs with a satisfied sigh and looked down at his body. Again, he noticed the subtle improvement in his physique and the minor increase in his height. The development was going as smoothly as ever or even better in fact.


    "I wonder at which height I will stop. I hope I''m not just going to keep growing beyond 2 meters or worse. That will be counterintuitive." He muttered as he hopped a few times, feeling immense energy coursing through his body.


    After that, Arthur walked toward the bed and he picked up his device. "I should send I a message about to-"


    The moment he opened the device, Arthur was met with several messages from all his friends.


    Herculia: "Where are you, Arthur? Answer the goddamn phone."


    Emmy: "Arthur? Call me as soon as you log out."


    I: "Call me."


    "... Huh? What''s up with them?" Arthur muttered as he rubbed the back of his head. "Did something happen?"


    Although Arthur was a little confused, he still checked the rest of his notifications and quickly, he started realizing that something was really off.


    Since he was following many big media pages and newspapers, he would receive daily notifications about the biggest headlines in the world, mainly anything rted to DO. However, at that time, the notifications were¡­ odd.


    "... Why are they all talking about Persona?" He muttered.


    Every single headline had the name ''Persona'' stered on it. Slowly, Arthur felt a sense of coldness wash over his heart.


    ''Oh no¡­ What did I do?'' He asked himself as he quickly opened one of the random headlines as he quickly read through it.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Then¡­


    "WHAT?!!" He yelled as he took a step back. "... 5000 Points in a few hours?! What¡­ How did I increase that fast?"


    With a dazed look, Arthur sat down on the bed and stared nkly at the screen. He waspletely confused. After all, the headlines soundedpletely ridiculous. If there was one person who knew how hard it was to get 5000 points, then it was Arthur. His first 5000 points took almost a week for him to get yet he somehow got the same amount in less than half a day.


    "... I did kill many monsters. But, is that really enough to get that many points?" He muttered. "Or maybe it is because I met that giant? I mean, the game did say that it would calcte points based on actions we do and not just the enemies we kill. So, meeting a member of a supposedly extinct race of creatures does make the number more usible¡­"


    In either case, Arthur''s name had just exploded even more into the scene. Scrolling for a few seconds, he realized that he was the most searched name in the entire world on the search engine.


    Everyone was talking about him, even the big media tforms that millions and millions of followers. Persona had be the center of all attention. Find adventures on empire


    "A 20 million bounty had been offered by Technolink CEO for anyone who identifies Persona and brings them the proof¡­ 20 Million?!! Give me the money! I will tell you where he is!" Arthur blurted out. "Wait, why would I tell them about my ce? I''m Persona!"


    Throwing himself on the bed, Arthur stared at the ceiling. "Great, I''m more popr than ever now. I wonder how long it will take them before they realize who I am. I mean, there aren''t really any leads I left behind. But, you never know what these people are capable of."


    Although Arthur was shocked that his name had exploded even more, he wasn''t really upset over it. After all, this was something he expected to happen sooner orter. However, his next step was still aplete mystery to him.


    ''The world fame is very dangerous and I know nothing about it. I cannot take a decision blindly. I need to ask people who understan-''


    That was when it hit him. "People who understand? I know damn well who I should ask!"


    Quickly, Arthur grabbed his device and entered his chatting app where he quickly tapped the call button in the group chat.


    The phone rang exactly twice before the first person picked up.


    "Arthur! There you are!" Herculia yelled as he opened the camera.


    "Hey, big guy. Sorry, I didn''t see your message soo-"


    "Enough with that nonsense! What the hell did you do, Arthur? The inte has been flipped upside down because of you!" He yelled. "Your name is literally on every news channel, video, forum! Hell, I have seen the pope talking about you!"


    "Well, it''s a long story¡­"


    "Then start telling me! Or actually, wait for the others, they''re going to pick up soon."


    A few secondster, the second person answered and it was Emmy. She was as confused as Herculia if not more. Then, Danny joined and he looked as if he had seen a ghost with how pale he was.


    "Where is I?" Emmy asked.


    "She will answer soon," Danny replied. "She said she had to make a quick call."


    Almost immediately, the fourth andst person finally picked up the phone.


    "I!"


    "There you are!"


    "I have been waiting, Arthur." She said.


    "Haha yeah, a lot of stuff happened and I only exited the game a few minutes ago."


    "So, what did you do?"


    Slowly, Arthur took a deep breath and then looked at the camera. He knew that there was no reason for him to hide anything from what he experienced and that made him feel at ease. He had people he could truly trust and could tell them everything.


    "Well, just before I start. I will warn you, this is perhaps the craziest few hours I have ever experienced. So, brace yourself." He said.


    Hearing that, the four of them immediately tensed. For Arthur to say that this was the craziest experience he had was a huge statement. This was the same person who fought a burning monster on top of a wrecked skyship in the middle of nowhere and won. He had seen enough weird things to fill three lifetimes or more.


    "So what happened was¡­"


    Then, Arthur slowly went through every single event he experienced ever since he logged in and what he had done.


    Everyone listened silently, trying not to cut him off when he was still talking. However, Arthur could see their expressions slowly shifting as he went through the story. But, right after he took his first step into the tower, the group simply couldn''t imagine what they were about to hear.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 212- Hints

    Slowly, Arthur continued through everything he experienced, from meeting Deka and the others to going out, hunting, reaching theke, and then everything that happened in theke.


    The group tried to stay silent but they could barely keep it together as the story went crazier and crazier. Arthur watched as their eyes widened and their mouths hung open as if they heard something straight out of a nightmare.


    Eventually, Arthur reached the end of the story with his interaction with Sergi which brought him a lot of unnecessary trouble.


    "... And, that''s basically it¡­" He said as he shrugged. "I''m still unable to forget what I have seen in thatke and I hope none of you should ever experience such a thing. It was really¡­ terrifying."


    Even as he was trying to sound normal, Arthur couldn''t stop his voice from shuddering with pure fear. This was something that would stay with him his entire life.


    "..."


    For the next several seconds, nobody spoke as they tried to digest whatever they could of this story. Eventually, the first person opened their mouth.


    "No wonder you increased 5000 points that quickly¡­ You have been through a lot in those few hours." I said as she exhaled a small breath. "I didn''t think you had been through all of this."


    "Yeah, I''m still wrapping my head around everything," Arthur replied as he rubbed the back of his head.


    "That''s¡­ Insane, Arthur! What the hell?!" Herculia yelled. "You saw a Giant underwater?! That is so cool!"


    "Herculia! If it was cool, Arthur wouldn''t be this terrified! Imagine swimming inplete darkness and then seeing a giant creature that tried to kill you."


    "... Now that you put it that way¡­" The big guy shuddered. "Yeah, I''m sorry, that was a little disrespectful of me."


    "No, no, it''s fine. It was indeed a cool experience for what it''s worth. As much as I was terrified, that thing definitely looked majestic. Almost like a King sitting on a throne."


    "You did say that it had a crown on its head. So, maybe it is indeed a King or a Queen of some kind." Danny replied.


    "That was what I thought too. But, I couldn''t tell. Even the man Logus seemedpletely skeptical of what I told him."


    "To think there is a Giant Royalty underwater. I wonder why it was trapped there or if that''s its natural environment." Emmy muttered.


    "It doesn''t sound like it''s there willingly from what Arthur said. Whoever trapped it there must be some kind of a demon. I cannot imagine how you can even go about trapping something that massive under freezing water.


    Arthur listened silently as the conversation went back and forth for a while before he said. "The biggest hint I have as to what happened is this shard. It had saved me by exuding its light and stopping the monster. Whatever it is, it''s extremely sensitive to the Shard''s Light. Something tells me this can lead us somewhere."


    "Yeah, that shard had been helping you so far. I wonder if it''s consciously trying to keep you alive." Emmy said.


    ''Consciously, huh? Well, the timing was too perfect to be a coincidence so I can assume it was indeed trying to help me. But, why? It''s not like I''m its owner or anything. If anything, I just found it randomly and kept it stashed the entire time. Maybe it is reacting to the tower itself and trying to fuse with the rest of the shard.''


    Arthur closed his eyes as he tried to think for a moment. He knew that with time, things would be revealed and the shard would show him its true intentions. It was simply a matter of how long that will take.


    "Arthur?" I called for Arthur when she noticed that he had gonepletely silent.


    "Hm? Ah, sorry, I was just thinking. In any case, that ident was fortunately not a problem and I was able to escape. My problem now is with this man named Sergi. He is clearly not harboring good intentions toward us and he will be trying his best to make us leave." He said.


    "He sounds like a scumbag if you ask me. Why not just kill him?" Herculia clenched his teeth. "Just give me a few minutes and I will leave him a broken mess!"


    "No, that will be a horrible idea. He isn''t just anybody, he is a Royal Mercenary, and killing him is akin to waging war against the Royal Family or at least a sign of disrespect." Danny replied. "He is protected."


    "Dammit! It''s always these bastards that end up being safe!"


    "What do you think, I?"


    "... We have merely established a rtionship with the Fourth Prince. We cannot cause any trouble yet."


    "Yet?"


    "Yes, this man is bound to do something and we must stay alert for when that happens."


    "I want to see him try! I will knock his teeth out of his mouth!" Herculia grumbled.


    "Don''t forget, he''s not alone. There is an entire legion of people who think exactly like him and they''re basically everywhere. Unless we somehow find a way to identify who hates us and who likes us, we cannot trust a single person." I said. "Understood?"


    "Yes, we got it."


    "Good. For now, let''s end the conversation. I am sure everyone has to prepare for the test. Especially you, Arthur." I stared at Arthur silently. Her eyes spoke far more than her mouth could ever do.


    "Wait, you''re right! I forgot to actually start studying!" Immediately, Arthur panicked as he realized that he spent almost 30 minutes just talking.


    "Ok! I''m sorry guys! I need to go now!"


    Without wasting a single moment, Arthur hung up the call, leaving the others stunned.


    "That guy¡­"


    "Sigh¡­ He will never change, is he? Haha, that''s the number 1 for you." Emmy said as she looked at I, only to realize something shocking. Her cold friend had a visibly soft smile on her face. It was not very easy to see as I rarely smiles, but Emmy knew her friend well and that was indeed a smile on I''s face, and not just any smile¡­ A very soft one.


    "I?"


    Immediately, I''s smile vanished as she returned to normal.


    "What is it, Emmy?"


    "..."


    ''Was I imagining things? I swear I saw I smiling at Arthur¡­ I''ve never seen that look on her face before.'' Emmy waspletely taken aback to the point where she didn''t know how to react.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "Uh, it is nothing. Ehem, in any case, I think we should also end the call here. We need to study too."


    "Right! See youter, folks!"


    "Later."


    After that, everyone hung up the phone. Emmy slowly stared at the ck screen of the phone, a little confused.


    "Did something happen between those two? Now that I think about it, they seem closer than before¡­ Hmmm¡­" Even though she knew this was just a hunch, Emmy could not stop herself from drawing a wide grin.


    "Thest person I expected¡­ I, you''re thest one I expected¡­ Fufufufu, this is going to be very interesting."


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 213- Undesired Encounter

    After closing his phone, Arthur stood up and stretched his limbs. "Ok, time to actually get serious. I don''t have much time left before the test. I need to revise everything I learned so far."


    With that in mind, Arthur sat down on the chair and pulled out his device before putting it in the assigned socket. As the holographic screen popped up, Arthur quickly opened his documents and other necessary study material and then cranked his fingers.


    ''Let''s see how much my intelligence and focus had increased after a while.''


    Then, Arthur started reading the content attentively, making sure to memorize everything he could. Almost immediately, the boy realized something¡­ He wasn''t having any major trouble understanding the study material at all. In fact, as he continued reading and recalling everything he learned so far, he found himself quickly memorizing all this information after reading it twice or three times at most.


    His brain felt clear and light, ready to store heavy information as if it were nothing. Arthur couldn''t believe it. His stats had truly pushed his mental capacity to a whole new level and it wasn''t even close. He felt smart and focused.


    ''Well, I''m still stupid so that is not entirely urate. But, if I can understand all of this so easily, it isn''t going to be that hard after all.''


    This new revtion made Arthur even more motivated to study and so quickly, he got engrossed in work.


    Time passed slowly and the night quickly passed as the sun started rising. During that time, Arthur went through every single thing he studied in the academy and even things he had studied in previous years. A few hours were more than enough for the boy to feel fully ready for the test.


    ''I was so terrified of this test. But, I''m really getting too smart! Hahaha! There is no test that will terrify me anymore!''


    Resting his back against the chair, Arthur smiled widely. "Ok, time to get ready for school. If I don''t ace this test, then I should just leave this academy."


    After preparing himself and eating a quick breakfast, Arthur took his Sonic Board and headed to school. Since it was getting closer and closer to winter, the morning was very cold so Arthur had to wear a scarf to cover his neck and the lower half of his face. He also wore a beanie to cover his hair.


    ''Damn it, I hate that this body can''t handle cold as good as my game character. I hope I getpletely immune to the temperature at some point.'' He thought to himself as he adjusted his scarf to cover even more of his face, leaving only his eyes visible.


    With that, Arthur reached the tform and parked his Sonice Board. It was still very early into the day so not that many people had arrived there. Not even his friends as they were probably still preparing themselves.


    Stopping on the stairs, he looked around him. The ce was very quiet and serene so he took a moment to breathe the fresh air.


    ''I wonder if snow can fall on this ind? The city would look mesmerizing with snow covering it.'' He thought to himself.


    After a few minutes, he finally turned around and walked to the elevator to get to the next floor. One of the elevators was pretty much empty so Arthur walked into it.


    ''It''s weird being alone on an elevator this big.'' The boy shook his head with a dry smile as he rested his back against the ss and took his device out to scroll through random things. However, as the gates were about to close, he heard a few footsteps approaching him. Looking up slightly, he noticed that someone had walked into the elevator.


    ''Oh well, so much for being alone.'' He rolled his eyes as he continued scrolling through the device, not bothering to even look at this person.


    However, weirdly enough, this person stopped in the middle of the elevator and stared directly at Arthur for a few seconds.


    ''Hm? Are they staring at me?'' He frowned as he slowly looked up, intending to ask if they had a problem. However, when his eyesnded on this person, he froze for a second.


    That person was very familiar to Arthur unlike what he expected.


    ''Wait, isn''t that¡­ Isn''t that the creepy guy I warned me about? What was his name again, uh¡­ La- Lamenter! Right! That''s his name!'' He thought to himself.


    Arthur didn''t forget the boy who appeared next to him a few days ago when he sat down to eat lunch. He had left a deep impression on Arthur.


    ''Is he staring at me because he recognized me?'' Arthur frowned subtly before he slowly looked down at his phone, trying to pretend as if he didn''t know who that person is. ''My face ispletely covered, there is no way he recognized me, right?''


    Optimally, Arthur wanted not to talk to this person as he took I''s warning seriously. That girl rarely feels a threat and yet she specifically warned him not to even look in Lamenter''s direction. If that was not enough to tell him that he was a huge problem, then he didn''t know what did.


    A few seconds passed and the tension grew heavier and heavier between the two. Arthur tried to stay rxed and pretend he waspletely clueless about what was happening while Lamenter simply stared at Arthur.


    ''Come on, can this elevator go any slower?! Dammit!'' The boy cursed inwardly.


    But, eventually, the elevator reached thest stop and it opened slowly. So, Arthur took that opportunity and tried to leave as quickly as possible while pretending like nothing happened.


    ''This guy is too creepy. I don''t even want to know what is running through his head. Goodbye, bastard.''


    However, as he was about to step out of the elevator, he heard Lamenter speak. "How is I doing?"


    "..." Arthur frowned as he stopped for a moment. ''Great. He knew exactly who I was! Do I look that obvious?!''


    Inhaling a small breath, Arthur continued walking, not responding to Lamenter. ''Just do what I said, no need to put your nose in a matter that doesn''t concern you. I just need to mind my own business for once.''


    Arthur kept repeating those words in his head like a mantra. He knew that if he stayed there for another second, he would get too curious for his own good and end up talking to that guy when he shouldn''t. So, his best bet was to simply leave and not respond at all.


    However, nothing was preparing him for what Lamenter was about to say.


    "Knowing her, she probably told you not to talk to me. She''s very much as cautious as ever."


    "..."


    ''Don''t turn around, Arthur! Just continue walking, you moron!''


    "However, did she really tell you why she doesn''t want you to talk to me?"


    "..."


    That question immediately made Arthur stop as he looked over his shoulder. Looking at Lamenter''s face, all he could see was a casual, rxed look as if he had figured out exactly what Arthur was thinking.


    The two made eye contact for a few seconds before Lamenter continued. "You probably are curious as to why I hates me or perhaps¡­ Who am I in the first ce? I can tell you my side of the story if you want."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "..."


    Lamenter examined Arthur''s expression and he could see a hint of curiosity sh across his eyes. He immediately understood that he had gotten Arthur hooked.


    "I am not really as bad of a person as you might think. Me and I simply have our differences and we will soon reach an agreement that satisfies her and satisfies me. In the meantime, I''m simply trying to fix my image so that people don''t misunderstand me. So, what do you think? Do you want to have a small chat?"


    Then, it wasplete silence for a few moments. Lamenter waited for Arthur''s reply.


    At some point, he heard Arthur exhale a small breath before he turned around and walked toward Lamenter until he stopped right in front of him, staring directly into his eyes.


    Lamenter squinted his eyes, waiting for the boy to speak.


    "If you think¡­" Then, Arthur opened his mouth and whispered.


    "Hm?" Lamenter raised an eyebrow.


    "If you think that the nonsense you nned to spout will make me suddenly change my mind about you. Then, you''re underestimating me a little too much, Mr. smart ass. Keep your stories to yourself."


    Then, Arthur tapped Lamenter gently on the shoulder before he turned around and walked away, leaving the boypletely stunned in his ce.


    ''...'' His mouth hung open as he watched Arthur vanish somewhere. It took him a few seconds to regain hisposure. But, surprisingly, Lamenter didn''t seem offended at all. Instead, a small smile appeared on his face.


    "Interesting¡­ Really interesting."


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 214- Test

    Walking through the corridors of the institution, Arthur stopped when he was certain he walked far enough. Then, he looked behind him. He was trying to make sure that nobody was looking at him before he slowly rested his back against the wall.


    ''Sigh, this is so annoying!'' He thought to himself. ''That bastard figured me out too easily. I was almost tempted to listen to him.''


    The fact Lamenter tried to drag him into a conversation so easily was terrifying. He had given Arthur a reason to talk and stay. Something as important as the reason for I''s clear hatred toward this person.


    ''Who the hell is he? He is seriously dangerous and I can''t figure him out at all.''


    So far, Lamenter was the only person Arthur truly could not understand at all. He was almost akin to something he couldn''t grasp, something that kept wiggling out of his grasp whenever he tried to capture him. He could see why I saw him as a huge threat.


    ''Another person added to the long list of things I should keep an eye on. Tsk, this is such a headache. I can''t have a break from all the annoying pests that keep bothering me¡­ I just want to y the game and kill monsters, for god''s sake.'' Exhaling a small breath, Arthur finally pushed himself off the wall and started walking again.


    It seemed as long as Arthur stood out, the trouble was bound to follow him. The world of DO and the world of the powerful people was simply not a peaceful ce. He was bound to face all kinds of evil that wanted to take him down or rob him of everything he cherishes and Arthur knew that very well.


    That was why, even when he felt really annoyed, he still didn''t question why people sought him this much. He was indeed important¡­ Very important and time will only make him even more important.


    ''I can only deal with this situation or I''m not worthy of standing up to I and the others. If they want to bother me, I will show them what it''s like to y with me.''


    Feeling even more determined than ever, Arthur walked into the ssroom where he took his seat and waited for the lesson to start.


    Eventually, students started walking in, including I who simply gave him a nod of acknowledgment and took her seat.


    A few minutester, Theodore walked in, turning the boiling ssroom quiet in an instant. Everyone visibly tensed up as they realized that it was time for the test. They had spent the entire night studying and some looked visibly exhausted but nobody was ready to fail.


    Their ss rankings were very important and any loss of points could very much kick them out of the ss. Especially Arthur who was at the very bottom of the ss currently and needed to secure a higher position, away from the red zone.


    "Good morning everyone." The professor said. "I believe everyone is ready for today''s test. The very first one you will go through this year."


    "..."


    Some nodded their heads while others remained silent,pletely focused on trying to remember everything they revised.


    "Before we start, I''d like to exin a few things. First of all, this test won''t be about any specific subject but instead about everything you have learned so far. A general test where we will assess your capabilities and your ability to focus during lessons."


    ''A general test? So, they will ask us about everything¡­ That''s a little tricky.'' Arthur thought to himself. ''But, I feel fresh and ready.''


    However, the same can''t be said for everyone else. The students looked even more tense, with some visibly shaking as they realized they might be in huge trouble.


    But, as if he didn''t even care about their feelings, the professor walked behind the table and rested his arms on it.


    "Second thing is, any use of your device or any other form of cheating will get you immediately kicked out of the academy and that is effective upon proving that you did indeed cheat. So, please do not try that as it is never worth the risk."


    The cold tone made the students flinch. Naturally, they knew that cheating was punishable and that was mentioned in the guidebook they received. However, the fact that cheating instantly expelled them from the academy was in and out of itself a terrifying punishment.


    ''Now even those who are stupid enough to try won''t even try. It''s simply not worth the risk at all.'' Arthur scoffed slightly. Although he was a true believer in ''It''s not cheating until you get caught'', he also didn''t like to take the easy way when he could aplish something with his effort.


    "Now, shall we begin?"


    For a second there, many gulped down a mouthful of saliva. Then, as if fate was mocking them, their holographic screens opened on their own without their devices being hooked to the table.


    The screen had a single title on it ''General Test #1'' in bold lines.


    "In exactly 1 minute, the page will turn and you can ess the questions. There are 100 ''Multiple-choice'' questions that you have two hours to answer. Each question is one point so the test is out of 100. To pass the test you must have at least 50 points."


    After listing all the information necessary for the students, Theodore looked at the clock before he looked back at his ss.


    "Start."


    ***


    "... Hnng! My neck hurts¡­"


    Arthur groaned as he stretched his arms. Looking up, he exhaled a small breath of relief, and then a small smile formed on his face.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    ''That was actually not that bad. I was able to answer so many questions.'' He thought to himself.


    Unlike what he expected, the test was surprisingly easy in his eyes. Although the test asked about all the subjects, even the ones rted to Divinity Online, it wasn''t anything he didn''t know already. All the information Arthur memorized was useful and he didn''t forget many things.


    In fact, by the time Arthur reached thest question, he still had 15 minutes left. This was somethingpletely new to him as he had never actually been good enough during tests. Yet, here he was, doing great on his very first one.


    Arthur could''ve not felt any more satisfied with his effort. On the other hand, the rest of the students had mixed reactions to the end of the test. Some were happy, some were sad and some were simply emotionless.


    One of those people was I. Arthur had seen the girl go through the test so quickly that she finished almost in 30 minutes and simply sat there for the rest of the lesson, just staring out of the window.


    ''... She''s just on a whole different level.'' Arthur thought to himself as he stared at her silently. Even though he was proud of his achievement, he knew that he was still far from great. If he wanted to reach that level, he had to continue working hard.


    ''... Reach that level? Pfft, I might be good at the game, but I''m definitely never going to be that good in academics.''


    "Arthur."


    At that moment, he heard I calling for him.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 215- Someone I Knew (Part 1)

    Arthur turned to his friend who had already stood up and approached him. "How did you do?" She asked as she leaned next to his table.


    The rest of the students watched that scene with their mouths hanging open. They could not believe I would be that close to someone, let alone a guy.


    ''If I was in his ce, being looked at by her from up close¡­ I don''t think I will be able to keep a straight face.''


    ''Lucky bastard!!!''


    ''Die! Die! Die! Die! Die!''


    ''I''m going to use dark magic on him and curse him!''


    Naturally, the male students were cursing Arthur to high hell from all angles. They could not believe someone could be that lucky in life and still get away with it. Their jealousy was slowly turning into hatred without them realizing it.


    However, the target of these deadly res waspletely unbothered by it. He knew how these people looked at I so he didn''t care. In the end, they simply could never be in his position because they aren''t hil.


    ''Say I''m lucky all you want. I never asked for this nor am I letting it go. I is my friend.'' He thought to himself as he stared into the girl''s eyes.


    "So, how did you do?" She asked casually, her hands resting on the table.


    "Better than I expected. Didn''t find many problems answering the questions. Though, I''m not going to get a full score." He shrugged.


    "Well, it is still the first test. It is good you performed well." I nodded calmly. "I''m sure you will improve tremendously in theing days."


    "To be honest, as long as I''m passing the tests, I''m satisfied. But, I will still work harder to make sure I get really high scores. I can''t risk my ranking or I will end up in trouble."


    "That''s the spirit." She said as she turned around to go back to her seat. But, at that moment, Arthur lifted his hand to call for her.


    "Hey, I¡­"


    "Hm?" The girl looked over her shoulder.


    "..." But, before the boy could speak, he stopped and then thought for a moment. "Actually, it''s nothing¡­"


    "..." I frowned. "Is everything ok?"


    "Yeah, yeah, I just forgot what I wanted to say." He nodded.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "..."


    Although I didn''t believe his excuse, she still didn''t try to push him any further. Arthur was very much aware that she was ready to listen to him no matter what and the two trusted each other to always be clear and honest with each other. That was how their friendship worked. Trust above everything else.


    "Ok, if you remember, just tell me." She said, then walked back to her seat.


    Meanwhile, Arthur simply sighed. ''I can''t tell her about Lamenter now, as she is in the middle of lessons. It will be too long of a conversation and besides¡­ She already has too much on her mind. I will simply avoid himpletely and things should be fine.''


    Making up his mind, Arthur noticed that the professor came back to start the second lesson so he shook all those thoughts out of his mind and focused.


    ***


    The second ss passed quietly and the bell rang, announcing the end of the first half of the day. Arthur and I left the ss to head to the cafeteria for lunch. They met with the others along the way and the group reached their destination a few minutester.


    Quickly, they scattered across the ce to gather whatever they wanted to eat. This was silently the favorite time for everyone, including I. The food being served by the academy was top-notch even by the high standards. It was so good, it almost was weird how good it was.


    In a sense, it reminded Arthur of the delicious food in the game. Although that one was good because mana amplifies the vor and makes it way more rich.


    ''Hmm, what should I get today? I''m feeling more carnivorous today so maybe some chicken.''


    As he was contemting his options, Arthur heard some people talking next to him. As they were walking, he could see from his peripheral vision that it was a group of girls. They carried several trays as they seemingly headed to the tables to take a seat.


    However, one of them didn''t see Arthur and without realizing it, she bumped into him and lost her bnce.


    Arthur''s instincts quickly kicked in as he looked to the side. He saw the girl''s tray shaking as the tes were about to fall. So, he quickly and precisely grabbed her hand, stopping her from falling, and then held the tray with the other hand, stopping its potential fall.


    ''Well, that was a little dangerous.'' He thought to himself. ''Though, my reaction speed is really looking sharp. I wouldn''t be able to move this fast usually.''


    "Woah!" The girl made a small scream as she held into Arthur''s arm.


    "Easy there, Miss." He said as he pulled her up. "You almost fell."


    "... O-Oh, I''m really sorry. I wasn''t loo-" As the girl was about to apologize, she suddenly halted as she stared at Arthur with squinted eyes. For a few seconds, her expression was as if she was stunned.


    "You¡­" She slowly pointed her finger at him. "Have we met before?"


    "Hm?" Arthur raised an eyebrow. Taking a second look at the girl, she was quite the pretty girl with very beautiful blonde hair and green eyes. However, Arthur couldn''t remember meeting someone like her before.


    ''I would remember if I met a pretty girl before.'' He shrugged.


    "No, I don''t think so. Maybe you mistook me for someone else."


    "Elise? Are you ok?" Her friends quickly surrounded her when they noticed the scene.


    "Mm¡­ Yeah, I''m fine." She nodded her head and then looked at Arthur again. She seemedpletely distracted by him. Her mind raced through countless memories in her head and then, in a sudden moment of realization, her eyes widened greatly.


    "Wait¡­ Arthur? Is that you?" She asked in a quiet tone, almost unable to believe herself.


    "... Uh, yeah that is my name," Arthur replied, even more confused than before.


    Upon hearing that response, the girl''s face lit up slowly. "You attended Glorian Primary School, right?"


    ''Ok, what the actual hell?'' Arthur blinked silently.


    "Yeah¡­ I did attend that primary school."


    ''One of my least favorite ces in the world.'' He thought to himself. ''A dark piece of the past I don''t want to even remember.''


    That was when the girl''s mouth slowly hung open as she took a step back. "Oh my god! It''s you, Arthur!!" She eximed.


    "What? Elise? Do you know that person?"


    Her friends looked equally confused as they didn''t know why she was this surprised to see him.


    "... I''m really sorry, but I really cannot remember you at all," Arthur said. His memory from primary school consisted mainly of horrible bullying and loneliness. He rarely talked to people and spent his time alone so it was just brutal.


    "It''s me! Elise! We used to read books together in the library after school every day!" She said.


    "Read books¡­ School?" Arthur squinted his eyes. Then, as if her words activated a deeply hidden piece of history in Arthur''s head. A piece of memory so distant and so vague, that he couldn''t believe he still remembered.


    Then, slowly, an image of a girl formed in his head. Someone he didn''t even talk to or consider a friend. But, weirdly enough, a sense of warmth slowly filled his heart.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 216- Someone I Knew (Part 2)

    "Elise?" Arthur frowned. "... Now that I think about it. I do recall someone with that name."


    "It''s me!" Elise smiled widely when she noticed that Arthur was starting to recall who she was. She was a little worried that Arthur might not recognize her since it had been such a long time and so many things changed after so many years.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "But¡­ That Elise was a timid girl with sses, wasn''t she?" Arthur tapped his chin. The image of the girl in his head was that of a very shy, in girl who was as much of a loner as he was. She wore big sses and kept to herself the entire time.


    That was why perhaps the two got along without ever talking. They just shared the one single hobby they had, reading books. Arthur liked reading fantasy books as a kid. He loved traveling through those magnificent worlds, imagining himself being the adventurer discovering all of that.


    It also gave him an escape from the real, boring, and brutal world. He couldn''t count the times he wished he would wake up one day and find himself in one of these beautiful, magical worlds¡­ As far away from where he was as possible.


    He recalled the two spending that time after school, just reading their books and sharing the room silently. They didn''t talk, barely even introducing themselves to each other or having any long conversations. Just two people enjoying their time away from everyone else.


    For a second, Elise pursed her lips as if she was a little embarrassed. Then, she nodded her head. "Yes, that girl with sses¡­ It was me." She said.


    "What? What are you even talking about, guys?"


    Her friends listened to the conversation without any context and couldn''t even understand what was happening.


    "..." Arthur''s eyes widened slightly. "That''s you?!"


    ''This is the same girl? What? Am I hallucinating?''


    Looking at the current Elise and the one from memory made Arthur''s brain almost halt thinking. The difference was simply tremendous. From a shy and timid girl with average looks to a stunning, outgoing beauty with positive energy.


    "Yes! I''m d you recognized me!" Elise smiled brightly. "It has been such a long time, Arthur! I can''t believe you''re also here in the academy!"


    ''... Talk about a glow-up. She really changedpletely.'' Arthur didn''t know how to react to this sudden truth. However, he still smiled slightly.


    "Yeah, it had been a long time. And yes, I was able to join the academy." He replied.


    "Elise, you have a looot to exin, girl!" Her friends red daggers at her as if she had done something horrible.


    "... S-Sorry, I will tell you everythingter."


    Then, Elise turned to face Arthur. "You have really changed a lot too. I couldn''t recognize you quickly. Wow, you''re really dashing!"


    ''Ayyy, is this what I think it is? Did a girl find me attractive?!'' Arthur thought to himself as he tried to keep a calm expression. However, deep down, thispliment from Elise hit Arthur where he least expected. After all, this was the very first time someone from the opposite sex had given him apliment for his looks. Arthur almost wanted to cry.


    "Thank you, thank you. I tried to work on myself and here we are." Arthur replied in a not-so-humble humble manner.


    "Hehe, but you''re still the same person I remember." She tapped his shoulder casually.


    "Arthur?"


    At that moment, the group heard someone calling for Arthur behind them. Turning around, they were all stunned to see a familiar face.


    "Hm? I?"


    "..." I stared at Arthur then at the girl tapping his shoulder and her eyes squinted a little.


    "M-Miss I!" The girls immediately flinched in surprise. "W-We''re huge fans!"


    "..." I stared at the two excited girls staring at her and nodded. "Thank you." Then, she turned to Arthur. "We were missing you at the table. Aren''t youing?"


    "Oh, I will be there in a second. I was talking to Elise here so I lost sense of time." He said with a shrug.


    "..." Weirdly enough, Arthur noticed that I didn''t seem that pleased as she nodded her head and turned around to leave. "I will be waiting."


    Then, she walked away without looking back. Arthur didn''t know why she was colder than usual, but he didn''t think much of it as it was still I.


    "Wow, Arthur, I didn''t know you were friends with Miss I!" Elise''s eyes shone with a bright light. "That is really amazing! I have always been a huge fan of her!"


    "Haha, yeah, I don''t know how that happened either. In any case, as you heard, I should be leaving now. I have to eat lunch."


    "Oh, of course. But, I still want to talk to you. Can you give me your contact information?"


    "... Yeah, sure. Hold on a second."


    ''Wow, this is really going so quick! What the hell is going on? Calm down, Arthur. You shouldn''t panic and keep it together.'' He breathed out faintly as he fought the outrage in his head.


    Pulling his device out, Arthur exchanged contact information with Elise and added her as a friend to his shortlist.


    "Great! I will send you a messageter! We should go out sometimes and have a chat!" She said with a wide smile.


    "Mm, I would love to do that." He nodded.


    "Ok, I won''t waste any more of your time now. Have a nice day, Arthur! It''s really nice to see you again!"


    With that, the girl bid him farewell with a smile and walked away with her friends. The boy waved at her slightly with aplicated expression. He really didn''t know how to deal with this sudden development.


    ''Someone I barely knew from primary school met me again and now she''s a beautiful, extroverted girl, and even more than that, she still remembers me somehow. Talk about a cliche storyline.'' He rolled his eyes. ''Well, it''s not like we are going to date or anything.''


    The idea itself sounded silly in Arthur''s head so he just erased itpletely and then turned around. "Let''s just focus on the most important thing¡­ Food!"


    With that, he continued picking up his dishes and then headed to the table where his friends sat. Upon reaching them, they all stared at him silently.


    "Sorry for making you wait, guys. I met someone I knew and had to chat to them for a while." He said.


    "Who is she?" Emmy asked with a mischievous smile. "I sawughing while talking to her."


    "Hey, don''t even think about it. I barely even know her. We used to read books together back in primary school and that''s it. I don''t even know how she remembers me."


    "Hahaha! My boy Arthur is really popr with girls! Good on you, man!" Herculiaughed as he tapped his shoulder roughly.


    Meanwhile, I was silently eating food as if she didn''t want any part of the conversation.


    "So, what did you guys do?" Emmy asked.


    "Nothing, really. She wanted my contact information, I gave it to her and I guess she wants to invite me out for a meal to catch up."


    *Cling*


    At that moment, I''s spoon made a slightly loud noise as if she dropped it.


    "My apologies."


    "..."


    A//N: How many super gifts for a jealous I? :3 LOL

 Chapter 217- Someone I Knew (Part 3)

    With that, the group continued eating lunch normally. Although Arthur was a little confused as to why I seemed quite out of it the entire time, he still didn''t ask her and simply ate his lunch as usual.


    At some point, I seemed to return to normal which assured Arthur that nothing was wrong. After that, they all returned to the ss to continue the rest of the day as normal. The lessons were of the same nature with moderate progress through the curriculum.


    It made people forget the nerve-wracking test from earlier today and it gave them room to breathe and move forward. Even those who didn''t do well decided to simply focus on getting better rather than on what they did wrong.


    With that, the day reached its end and the students started leaving the institution to return home and rx. They were waiting for that moment eagerly.


    ''Fuuh, the training today was a little more intense than usual. But, I''m still improving considerably with each session. I might need to visit the training area in the game again.''


    The first time he went there, he was able to acquire a very important skill that pushed his swordsmanship to a whole new level. Arthur knew that training was as important as actual battles so he didn''t intend to forget about it anytime soon.


    "Are you leaving, Arthur?" I asked as she approached him.


    "Hm? Oh yeah, let''s go." He said.


    The two left the training area and headed toward the main building.


    "What are your ns for today?"


    "Hmm, I''m going back inside the tower and heading north this time. I want to discover more of the first floor before you guys arrive. Then, I will show you the piece ofnd I think would be perfect to build our base inside the tower."


    "..." I nodded her head. "I really appreciate you securing that for us. It is really important for the future but it wentpletely out of my ns." She said.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    When I heard that Arthur had found them a good piece ofnd inside the tower, I was very delighted as realized this small yet extremely important detail had went over her head in a rare case of mishap from her side.


    "Don''t worry about it. I''m here for you guys whenever you need me. That''s the least I could do. Anyway, what about you? What are you going to do?"


    "The material we need to build our headquarters will arrive today at the area we have chosen so I''m going to check them, and make sure we arepletely safe for the dwarves to start the construction process."


    "Hmm, I trust that you will keep Fiy and Serko safe." Arthur smiled. "Those two must be quite excited to finally start building our new ce. It is quite dangerous that we kept them in that hotel for such a long time. Hopefully, nothing bad happens before they fully move to the new ce."


    "I will make sure they are safe as long as they''re near me." She said. "By the way, how is that ''n'' of yours going? The huge one you told me about."


    "..." Hearing that, Arthur pursed his lips. "Well, it is currently postponed. I have to meet a few important people before I can start moving with it. When that happens, I will get really busy so I will tell you."


    "Understood."


    With that, the two reached the main hall, intending to take the elevator. However¡­


    "Arthur! Here! Here!"


    They heard someone calling for them. Turning around, Arthur saw none other than Elise waving at him from the other side of the hall. Her face was full of smiles as she approached him in a hurry.


    "Oh, hey." Arthur greeted her back with a wave.


    "Good evening, Miss I!" Elise greeted I with the same positive energy. I simply nodded her head faintly.


    "I was waiting for you! I have some free time so I thought we could leave the academy together. I want to invite you over for some coffee or tea if you''re avable now."


    "... Now?"


    "Yeah¡­ Is it no good?" Elise''s smile slowly faded as she realized Arthur might be busy.


    "Uh, well¡­" Arthur looked over his shoulder at I. "I have around an hour of free time now so I guess we can go."


    "Really? That''s great! Yes, an hour is more than enough!"


    ''I can read all her emotions on her face. She''s really something else.'' Arthur smiled dryly before he turned to I.


    "Well, I guess we should separate here, I. I will send you a messageter." He said.


    "..." The girl didn''t reply as she stared at him.


    "I?"


    However, the girl simply looked at Elise. "You don''t mind if I join you two, do you?"


    "... Oh, you want to join us, Miss I? Of course! I would actually love that!" Elise pped her hand happily.


    "What? You wannae too, I?" Arthur walked closer to I and whispered to her. "Aren''t you going into the game?"


    "I can spare an hour of time. There is no reason to hurry." She said calmly.


    "..."


    ''Why does she look extremely focused as if she''s about to go to battle?'' Arthur blinked with a confused look. He really didn''t understand what was wrong with I that day. She was acting really odd.


    Then, a weird idea came into his head out of nowhere that made him visibly cringe. ''Is she annoyed that I''m talking to Elise? Surely not, right?''


    Arthur knew I very well, or at least he believed he did and something like this was simply not a part of her character. I was too mature to have such feelings based on what he saw. She has extremely good control over her emotions and she rarely losesposure. There was simply no way she would be jealous or annoyed by Elise.


    ''That would be quite ridiculous if it''s the case. But, I know for sure it''s most likely just because she''s in a sour mood. Maybe it''s one of those bad days.'' He shrugged. In the end, he cannot just jump to conclusions without any proof or that will create huge misunderstandings and that waspletely unnecessary.


    "What are you two whispering about, hm? Am I intruding on something?" Elise asked with a cheeky grin. She looked quite amused by how close Arthur and I seemed. ''I have heard about this new person in Miss I''s group but to think it''s Arthur¡­ What a coincidence. He had really changed during all these years¡­''


    The quirky, silent boy she remembers from her childhood was nowhere to be seen. The Arthur in front of her was far more confident. The way he carried himself and the look in his eyes. He waspletely different.


    "Nothing. We have enough free time to go for a coffee." I replied.


    "I''m really d I came at a perfect time. I know you two must be quite busy being S-ss students!"


    "Very busy indeed¡­"


    "So, what are we waiting for? Let''s go! The food is on me!" Elise said as she walked to Arthur''s side.


    "Mhm, yeah we should move."


    With that, the trio left the academy on foot and took their sonic boards.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 218- Someone I Knew (Part 4)

    "Here we are! My very special ce!" Elise said with a smile as she stopped her Sonic Board in front of a random building in the city.


    "Oh, a restaurant?" Arthur asked. "I thought we were going to a cafe or something like that."


    From what he could see, the restaurant looked smaller inparison to the other ces he had went to. But, it certainly looked very cozy and quite empty as it was in a calm section of the city, away from the main streets where most students go.


    "Oh, it is great and quite empty most of the time so it''s perfect for us to have a chat without anyone annoying us," Elise said.


    ''Well, that would certainly be perfect. I would stand out wherever she went so if it''s quiet, it would spare us the headache of all the students who want to talk to her.'' Arthur thought to himself as he looked at his silent friend. ''I never understand how she can handle being this popr so calmly. It''s really amazing.''


    Arthur tasted some of that poprity through his alter ego Persona and yet he was already feeling a little overwhelmed. He can''t imagine how he will handle being known as Arthur in the real world.


    Yet, I was living that life without any apparent problems. Arthur assumed that she learned how to handle it because she was born into that life. Being the descendant of an extremely influential family, she most likely had to live that life and nothing else.


    In other words, she had no other choice but to ept the fact that wherever she went or whatever she did, people would always look at her. She never tasted a moment of peace where she didn''t have to worry about being the target of an enemy or a pawn in a giant scheme.


    People see the gold and the luxury I was living in, but forget that all of thatfort was simply a cascade that hid a very horrible life filled with anxiety. A single mistake could end her life. She had no room to actually try, she must do everything correctly every single time.


    Just thinking about that made Arthur feel a little bitter. He knew that I''s life had not been easy at all and he didn''t even hear any details yet. Knowing his friend perhaps suffered till she reached this point didn''t sit well with him.


    "Arthur?" I noticed that Arthur was looking a little dazed so she called for him.


    Her soothing voice shook him off his thoughts and made him realize that he had been standing there silently the entire time and the two girls had already reached the ss doors.


    "Oh, wait for me!" He said as he rushed after them.


    "..."


    "Hehe, that''s so much like you, Arthur. You used to disconnect every now and then." Eliseughed.


    "Hey, I was simply focused on reading the book. Don''t go around spreading misinformation about me." Arthur retorted with an exaggerated angry face.


    "My apologies, mister. I stepped my boundaries." Elise tapped his elbow.


    "Good. I shall not excuse this mistake next time."


    Watching the two speaking, I squinted her eyes before she opened the door and walked inside.


    "Hey, I, wait." Arthur realized she had already left so he followed her. The interior of the restaurant was quite soothing with simple furniture and decorations with tame colors that blended well to create a ssic yet also familiar vibe. It didn''t have the luxurious and booming aspects of the rest of the city.


    ''This ce was probably made for people who hated exaggerated luxury andfort and were seeking a very simple experience.'' Arthur thought to himself.


    He could see a few students sitting around. Mostly couples who choose this ce to have some peace of mind. The atmosphere was quite romantic due to that fact.


    However, upon seeing who walked in, the students werepletely shocked. After all, I''s familiar face had already spread across the entire student body.


    "Is that¡­"


    "Oh my god¡­ She looks so beau- Ouch!"


    Many of the male students werepletely entranced by I''s ethereal beauty which garnered them strong res from their partners. The entire atmosphere of the ce turned tense due to that.


    Arthur watched the scene amusedly. ''These guys will have a very interesting evening for sure.'' He thought to himself.


    "Here, this seat is perfect." Elise guided them to a spot away from the rest of the students and sat down. Arthur sat facing her with I next to him as if it was the most natural spot for her.


    A secondter, a waitress approached them and gave them the menu. Looking at it, Arthur realized that the restaurant served quite a variety of food from all over the world. They didn''t have any noticeable specialty.


    "What are you getting, Arthur?"


    "... Uh, I guess the burger and fries look good."


    "Nice choice! What about you, Miss I?"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "The chicken curry."


    "That''s really delicious too! I''m going with a chicken curry too."


    Hearing their orders, the waitress wrote them down before she walked away. After that, Elise finally turned around to look at Arthur as she rested her arms on the table.


    "So, tell me, Arthur. How was life? It has been so many years and it seems a lot has changed."


    "Indeed. Well, to be honest, everything happened so quickly so I''m still trying to wrap my head around everything." Arthur smiled as he rested his back on the chair.


    "Oh, what happened? Tell me." Elise said as she stared at him with eyes full of curiosity.


    "Well, after primary school, nothing really happened. I simply continued living as usual. My grandmother died around halfway through my first middle school year so I had to move out to the city."


    "Oh¡­ I''m¡­ really sorry to hear that." Elise''s eyes flickered with sadness.


    Meanwhile, I simply listened with her eyes closed. Nobody knew what was going through her head at that moment.


    "Haha, it is fine. In any case, I moved to the city and lived alone. I also started working part-time jobs to pay my bills and other necessities. I was able to graduate middle school safely for the most part. There were some problems here and there but things were fine." He said as he rested his hand on the table. "Uh, around that time was when Divinity Online was announced and I was able to get my hands on a capsule. From that point on¡­"


    Arthur''s face turned serene as he smiled widely. "My life changedpletely."


    "..."


    Elise and I stared at Arthur silently. That look on his face simply captivated them in a unique way. Something about the sheer happiness in his eyes was simply mesmerizing.


    "Everything that happened after was a blessing in my life. I was able to be a better person, meet good people, and befriend them. I was epted in their group and treated just like an equal."


    "..." I''s eyes flickered with a hint ofplicated emotions before they vanished as quickly as they appeared.


    "... I''m still taking my very first steps in this new world and perhaps many hardships are awaiting me. But, I am grateful for having this second chance at life again. It had been nothing but a st." He said.


    "... Arthur¡­"


    Elise waspletely speechless. The words she heard resonated deep with her heart. After all, those words came straight from Arthur''s soul and he meant every single one of them.


    Although he might forget every now and then, he will never forget that moment when he received the capsule. It was truly the life-changing point he was seeking his entire life. The moment when those doors opened wide for him.


    He could not believe that after a month or so, he was now in apletely different ce in life. A ce he always sought but deep down didn''t think was possible. Yet, in a moment of fateful irony, he was pulled out of the abyss and into the light and was given a chance to hold on to that light for as long as he could.


    All of that came to him out of nowhere and most of it didn''t make any sense yet. But, Arthur didn''t really care. Whoever the person that gave him this opportunity might be, evil or good, he still wanted to thank them for this opportunity.


    ''You gave me something I only dreamt of. Even if you want to harm me, I will still thank you for doing this. But, I will still beat your ass if you try to take everything from me again. I will work hard to earn all of this even if I didn''t work hard to get the opportunity.'' He thought to himself.


    "Well, that is basically the entire story." Opening his eyes, Arthur said. "Very quick and sweet."


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 219- Huge News!

    "... Wow¡­ I''m¡­ I''m a little speechless¡­"


    It took Elise a few seconds to get herposure back. That was when she realized that her eyes were tearing up. So, she quickly wiped them so as not to embarrass herself. For some reason, Arthur''s story truly touched her heart and she couldn''t stop the tears from falling.


    After all, how can she not feel something after hearing everything he went through? For someone to lose their only support in life at such a young age and then have to learn to survive on his own in a cruel world that won''t spare him. She could never imagine how hard it must''ve been on him.


    Yet, even then, Arthur didn''t talk about that time as if it was a curse. If anything, it seemed as if he was equally grateful he experienced that harsh life and she didn''t know why that was what she felt from his words.


    ''How can he be grateful for that? He must''ve been through hell. What blessing did he find in that?'' She asked herself with a confused look.


    "I didn''t know you went through all of this¡­ It must''ve been a really tough journey so far." Elise muttered.


    "It had its ups and downs for sure. But, it was fun and that was what matters to me." Arthur shrugged. He did struggle a lot and he did question himself a lot, but Arthur had never really stopped trying, even when things looked like they will never change for the better.


    Meanwhile, I simply looked at Arthur silently the entire time. She was already aware of most of this, but there were some new parts in there she was hearing for the first time and she could only keep staring at him.


    The way he talked about her was really weird. It made her feel somethingpletely new¡­ something she never experienced before in her life. She didn''t know that he was that grateful for being a part of their group.


    ''What a weird person he is¡­'' She mused silently. For a moment, a small smile appeared on her face before vanishing quickly.


    Meanwhile, Arthur waspletely oblivious to her thoughts as he was still talking to Elise. He didn''t even realize that he had made I smile.


    "Anyway, enough about me. I want to know what you''ve been doing since primary school." He asked.


    "There is really nothing that exciting about my life. After primary school, I left the city and moved with my parents somewhere else for my dad''s new job. I was able to attend a good middle school and our financial condition only got better and better. I was even able to acquire an FIC and y the game and here I am¡­"


    "Hmm, it''s nice to know that you''ve been doing well. You have really worked on yourself and changed a lot."


    "Hehe yeah, I had to reinvent myself. I was sick of living a friendless, lonely life. It didn''t sit well with me."


    ''So you became the exact opposite of that. That''s impressive.'' Arthur thought to himself. He knew very well a change of this degree required a serious reflection on life and not just a different hairstyle and clothes. Even he couldn''t change himself that much so Elise was truly impressive in that regard.


    "What about you, Miss I?! I have always wanted to talk to you! You''re one of my biggest inspirations!"


    I, who was simply listening to their conversation, looked at Elise. "I appreciate your kind words."


    "When I saw you a few days ago for the first time here. I was so shocked, you look even prettier in real life! I fell in love!"


    "..."


    Watching Elise bombard I withpliments made Arthur smile. The girl seemed genuinely excited to meet her idol and couldn''t stop herself from showering her with praises.


    For a second there, Arthur could swear he saw a difficult look on I''s face as if she didn''t know how to handle this situation.


    ''I guess even I can''t handle this much energy for too long.'' Arthurughed to himself.


    "By the way, what''s your ss in the game, Elise?" He asked, trying to divert her attention from I.


    "Oh! I''m an assassin ss yer! What about you?"


    "Swordsman," I replied without batting an eye. In reality, her ss was a special ss ''Gravity Weaver'' which gave her the power to control gravity. However, because of its special nature, I didn''t want to reveal it to Elise as she could potentially spread that information.


    ''Arthur shouldn''t reveal his ss either. I hope he catches on¡­'' She looked to the side calmly.


    "I chose warrior," Arthur replied with an awkwardugh.


    "Oh, nice! I''m surprised you two don''t have special sses. I thought all S-ss students had special ones."


    "... Not really. As you can see, we are not."


    "Sigh, yeah, I understand that it was just a rumor spread amongst the lower sses. Honestly, S-ss students seem so far away from all of us. Hehe, the rumors being spread around are already over the top."


    "Heh, what kind of rumors?"


    "Eh, too many to count. How you are all actually not humans but some kind of superior race that came to earth to live amongst us."


    "What?" Arthur frowned. "Who would believe this nonsense?"


    "They would," I replied. "Rumors are a good way to feed people''s imagination so even if it sounds ridiculous, they will believe it."


    "Exactly. I have seen people create fan clubs for S-ss students and garner dozens of fans. They already have one of you, Miss I."


    "..."


    "A fan club of I, hahaha? This fun-"


    Before he could evenugh, Arthur felt a re on his back that almost tore him apart.


    "Ehem, sorry." Arthur coughed dryly. He didn''t even need to nce at I to know what kind of look she had on her face.


    "I am really sorry, Miss I! You have too many fans to count. They are creating entire group chats dedicated to you."


    "Ehem, well, we should move on." Arthur coughed awkwardly.


    ''Can''t you see that she''s not amused? Do you want us to die?'' Arthur didn''t know whether tough or cry at this situation. Having fan clubs with many people who just want to talk about you is simply terrifying. The things people do for their obsession are simply unimaginable.


    As he thought of a different topic, Arthur felt his phone vibrate.


    "Hm?"


    Pulling it out of his pocket, he noticed that he had received a news notification. He usually has his device on mute not to bother him whenever he''s busy but since it waste into the day, he had it back on.


    Casually, he opened his phone to check the news, only for him to freeze for a moment. His expression turned nk.


    "Arthur?" I noticed the weird look on his face. "Did something happen?"


    "..." The boy pursed his lips as he slowly put the device down and looked at her. "Huge news."


    "What happened?"


    "... The second batch of yers had arrived at the capital." He said in a mysterious tone.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

 Chapter 220- Ego

    "..." I blinked slightly. "They arrived at the capital? Already?"


    I would be lying if she said that she wasn''t taken aback by what she heard. She was aware the yers were bound to arrive soon, but it happened so suddenly that it took her a moment to take the news in.


    "Yeah¡­ Many newspapers are picking this news up. ''The second group of yers had made history. Five new yers have joined the first batch in the Capital Of Glory a week after the historical moment.''"


    "Wow! This is huge news!" Elise eximed. "I have been wondering why nobody reached the capital yet after the first few did."


    "I heard that it''s incredibly hard so that''s why," Arthur replied calmly as he scrolled through the article silently. His mind was working quickly, piecing things together.


    "Are there names known?" I asked.


    "No, I can''t find any names here. They just said new yers have arrived at the capital. But, if I have to guess, they''re probably a part of the top 10 or 20 yers in the world. There is no other way they could pull that off unless they''re that strong."


    Arthur knew the sheer difficulty of tackling such a journey so unless the yers were creme de creme in terms of power. He could not see it being anyone else. I seemed to reach the same conclusion too.


    "It seems things are about to get really exciting, really quickly." Arthur licked his lips. ''I have been waiting for the yers to finally arrive. Took their sweet time.''


    Arthur knew that the moment yers reached the capital was the moment things would take a turn to chaos. Everything he learned so far made it even clearer that a huge sh between different sides was bound to happen and the results won''t be nice.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    ''I need to be ready for that moment more than ever now.'' He thought to himself.


    At that moment, I stood up. "I''m sorry, Elise. But, we have to leave now. There are some things we need to do urgently." She said calmly.


    "Oh? O-Of course, please go ahead. We can n our dinner for another time." She smiled awkwardly.


    "Thank you for understanding. Arthur, let''s go." Pulling Arthur''s arm, she basically dragged him out of the restaurant.


    "I will send you a messageter, Elise. Have a nice day."


    Bidding her farewell, he got on his Sonic Board with I. He didn''t even need to ask why I had suddenly decided they must leave. After all, this situation wasn''t as simple as one would think.


    "We need to get into the game now. Things are moving faster than I expected." I said coldly.


    "Yeah, we have to elerate things a little. yers are going to quickly take over now." Arthur replied as they moved through the street.


    ''All it takes is a small flick and the fire will ignite. yers had found a route to reach the capital.''


    "What are you going to do now, I?"


    "I''m going to move the two dwarves and that little girl to the new ce and help them build a wall around it to cover it from unwanted attention. Then, I will try to learn who these new yers are. I have a bad hunch about their identity." She said.


    Deep down, something told I that she might not like who these neers are and her hunch was the fact that their names weren''t revealed yet. After all, apart from Arthur, most of the top yers had their names known to the world so the newspapers should''ve already been aware of who these yers are.


    The fact they didn''t mention it meant that all these yers had their identities hidden inside the game or¡­ Someone had stopped the newspapers from revealing their name to the world.


    If it was the second option, then I almost knew who might''ve done that. So, all she could do was hope that she was wrong.


    "Then, I will see youter¡­" Arthur said as he noticed the urgent look on I''s face.


    With that, the two separated and went on their way. Arthur quickly reached his apartment and walked inside.


    "I don''t have time to eat so I need to take a shower and quickly get into the game." He muttered as he started undressing quickly and got into the shower.


    A few minutester, he jumped into the capsule with his hair still wet as he didn''t bother drying it. Closing his eyes, Arthur logged in and found himself in the city.


    It was still a little earlier than when he usually logs in so the night didn''t fall yet. Looking around him, things looked quite normal.


    ''... I wonder where those yers are. It''s going to be extremely hard to find them.''


    Then, without waiting, he started walking through the street, heading to the apartement. He was a little worried about the kids so he wanted to make sure they were fine.


    ***


    At the same time, outside the game. I walked into her apartement in a hurry. She quickly put her stuff on the table and walked into the bathroom to wash her face. However, at that moment, her device suddenly started ringing.


    "Hm?" Turning around slowly, she looked at the ringing phone with a nk expression.


    Then, she walked back and picked it up, checking if Arthur had called her. However, upon seeing the name on the screen, her expression froze for a moment. The entire room wentpletely quiet and the atmosphere around I dropped a few degrees in temperature.


    Anyone who walked into that room would''ve felt as if a demon was inside. Yet, as if the device was mocking her, it kept ringing rhythmically.


    Eventually, I tapped the answer button and slowly lifted the device to her ear.


    "How did you ess my device?" She asked immediately without any hesitation. She knew very well who that person was and she didn''t want to even speak to them.


    "I always have my ways, I. It''s never too hard for me to find you." The voice replied calmly.


    "..." I''s face grew even darker. "It''s you, isn''t it? You''re the one who made it to the capital¡­"


    "..."


    The caller didn''t reply for a good few seconds before they said. "I told you before, didn''t I? If you are truly looking to achieve your goal. You have no one else but me to help you. You''re prolonging the inevitable, I."


    "..."


    "You can keep trying again and again, and in the end, you know deep down things will only progress when you take my hand. It''s all a matter of time before you end up having to choose between what you want and what you think."


    The caller''s tone was filled with certainty and a strong hint of sarcasm. It was as if they were simply stating the obvious.


    "This same confidence you have will be your downfall." I took a deep breath and said. "That ego you fueled will only end up sending you to hell and if that doesn''t do it¡­ I will send you to hell myself."


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 221- Detection

    After saying those words, I cut off the line without hesitation. She didn''t want to hear anything else that person was about to spout as it was only the same stuff she had heard again and again for years now.


    Looking at her device''s screen slowly darkening and then turning off, she bit her lower lip till it drew blood. The frustration she was feeling at that moment was simply unimaginable.


    "You''re never getting what you want¡­ Never¡­" She muttered to herself as she threw the device on the bed and turned around. "Even if it meant I have to throw my life away for it¡­ I will drag you to hell with me."


    As much as this development wrecked her head, I didn''t lose sight of what she needed to do. No matter what happens in the future, she wasn''t going topromise for anyone or anything. She must reach that goal or everything will simply copse on her head quickly.


    This was her life''s purpose and her task¡­ No ce for failure.


    ***


    Arthur arrived at the hotel and quickly walked into the room, looking around him to make sure nobody was watching him. Since hisst trip to the Divine Tower, his senses had expanded quite a lot which made him capable of covering bigger areas with far more precision.


    He knew that he was still far from detecting every single individual but he was already bing quite the tough target to ambush as he was able to sense far smaller details with a higher sess rate.


    ''Nobody seems to be close by. At least not close enough to be dangerous.'' He thought to himself as he walked into the room.


    "Arthur!"


    "There he is!"


    "We have been waiting, man!"


    Inside, Arthur found the two dwarves, Sora, Herculia, Emmy, and Danny waiting with sour looks on their faces.


    "Sorry, I came as soon as I saw the news," Arthur said as he patted the two kids. "Where is I?"


    "She didn''t arrive yet," Emmy replied. "We have been waiting for a while.


    Arthur nodded his head and didn''t ask any further. He assumed that I was simply getting prepared to log in. Instead, he looked at Fiy and Serko.


    "You two. Prepare yourselves, we are going to leave the hotel." He said calmly.


    "What? Now?" Serko asked.


    "Yeah, this ce isn''t safe anymore. We will move to the new ce where the headquarters is going to be built. It should be safer since the piece ofnd is far away from unwanted eyes."


    "... Understood."


    The two dwarves didn''t waste time as they quickly walked into the room to prepare. Sora followed them inside to also get ready.


    "Man, to think it took almost a week for these yers to arrive. We have really done something impossible." Herculia said. "They cannotpare to us."


    "I wouldn''t say that''s really enough to say they are way weaker than us. They could''ve simply taken their sweet time finding the best path to the capital. Don''t forget that we basically went in blindly but with some luck and a lot of good decisions, we were able to make it out intact." Danny replied. "I don''t think these new yers are simple and we will see that soon."


    At that moment, they all heard the door to the hotel open as I walked in.


    "..."


    For some reason, just a single look at her face made everyone go silent at the same time. After all, they could see it as clear as day¡­ A look of a very sour mood. Even I''s usually calm aura was now far more perturbed than before.


    "I''m sorry for making you wait. I had something to deal with," I said as she approached the sofa and sat down.


    "... Is everything ok, I?" Emmy asked worriedly. She had rarely seen I in such a state before.


    "I''m fine. It''s just¡­ a very annoying problem has happened." She said. "Lamenter had arrived at the city."


    "... What?! That guy?" Danny frowned.


    The entire atmosphere shifted when they heard that name from I. Lamenter, the name of a demon everyone feared. They knew how much of a disaster he was whenever he showed up out of nowhere.


    "Lamenter? This guy again?" Arthur rolled his eyes. "He is a very creepy person, I tell you. He has been after me this entire time and now he''s at the capital¡­ Great."


    "That bastard! I have been itching to punch him for so many years now." Herculia clenched his fists. "He is definitely nning something."


    "..." I slowly closed her eyes as she thought for a few moments. Her mind went through countless possibilities before she opened them again, feeling a little clearer.


    "It is fine. Even if he is now far closer than I anticipated. He still has no influence on the capital yet. He will have to establish connections and build his presence. We will use that to our advantage. We have taken huge steps ahead of everyone else and we can''t lose that. The headquarters need to be built as soon as possible."


    Even if that was her intention from the start, I understood the importance of their new guild more than ever. If they can quickly create this new entity in the capital, Lamenter and the others will find a hard time rivaling them.


    This was a single opportunity with a very limited time span. But, I was going to make sure it worked.


    ''We might need to sacrifice some things. But, we must finish before Lamenter can do anything palpable.''


    "We are ready!"


    At that moment, the three children came out of the room with bags on their shoulders filled with all their belongings.


    "Good. There is no time to waste. Let''s go. The construction material should''ve arrived today." I said. "Here, put these hoods on your heads to cover your faces. We can''t let anyone see you."


    After putting on the coats and hoods, I made sure the kids werepletely hidden with no chance of their hoods being pulled by the wind.


    After that, she looked at her group. "Me and Danny will take Sora with us. Arthur will take Fiy, and Herculia and Emmy will take Serko and we will move there from separate directions so as not to catch anyone''s attention."


    "Understood."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    After that, I pinpointed the location on the map for everyone so they didn''t get lost. Because the group were friends in the game, they had the same features as the Bluelink and could easily send each other locations through the messaging feature.


    With that, one by one, the group walked out of the room and vanished somewhere. Thest ones were Arthur and Fiy who made sure to stay for as long as possible to not make it suspicious.


    "Are you ready, Fiy?"


    "Mmm!"


    "Haha, good boy!" Tapping his friend on the head, Arthur took a look outside and made sure everything was clear before he let Fiy walk out.


    The two quickly left the hotel and found themselves in the busy streets. Fiy naturally got closer to Arthur as he felt the presence of so many humans around him. The natural fear he had from these creatures came back to him.


    "Don''t worry, I''m here. Nobody will know who you are." Arthur said.


    "..." The boy looked at Arthur through the hood before he nodded his head.


    "Now, let''s go."


    Crossing the street, the two headed into the city center. The location of their piece ofnd was on the other side of the of the region so it was a rather long trip on foot.


    ''Nobody seems to be looking at us so far¡­ Good.'' Arthur thought to himself.


    "Let''s hurry a little, Fiy," Arthur said.


    ***


    Meanwhile, at the same time, a little farther away, I and Danny took a sharp left turn and moved to a different section of the city. Sora walked right in between them, making sure her head was low and she waspletely silent.


    She tried to keep herposure under the fear of being surrounded by so many people.


    "We will move up till the end of this street and then take a sharp right," I said. "The others should arrive around the same time as us."


    "Got it," Danny replied as he kept an eye on one side of the street while I kept an eye on the other side.


    The situation seemed calm so far. No one was chasing them and certainly no one was staring at them.


    However, as they were walking, the trio passed close to a certain person. The moment they walked past him, he suddenly halted as if he froze. He stood like that for a few seconds before his head slowly turned around and looked at the trio with wide eyes. Then, his eyes shifted to something under his shirt.


    "... It can''t be¡­" He muttered as he tapped his chest. "Is it?"


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 222- Headquarters (Part 1)

    "The situation is calm so far," Arthur muttered as he took a look at the path ahead of them. They had been walking for almost 30 minutes and nothing had happened so far. They kept taking longer and longer routes, going from one street and emerging from another just to make sure nobody was following them.


    "We''re almost there, Fiy." He said to his dwarf friend with a smile on his face. "We made it."


    Hearing that, the dwarf felt all the tension leave his body as he nodded his head. He had been extremely worried the entire time that something would go wrong and they would end up in huge trouble.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    But, surprisingly, things went as nned and nothing stopped them. It was truly a very rare instance of a n working perfectly.


    After making sure things were clear, Arthur moved with Fiy through the street toward the other side. Their current location was on the very outskirts of the city, far away from the popted areas and in a rather remote neighborhood so not many people were walking around them.


    In fact, Arthur and Fiy hadn''t seen a single person for the past few minutes as they walked through the dark streets of the city. The atmosphere was cold and a little eerie but still better than the crowded areas as it wasn''t as risky.


    "There¡­ See that empty area. That''s where our headquarters will be." Arthur said as he pointed at the spot.


    Fiy looked up, seeing the open piece ofnd Arthur was talking about. It was quite massive, almost 500 square meters in size. It waspletely t and covered in dirt and some weeds.


    "Wow¡­ This ce is nice!" Fiy muttered as he rushed toward the area, his eyes sparkling with excitement. After all, in his eyes, this barren piece ofnd was like a hidden treasure. His mind was already starting to imagine what kind of building they would create. "This is perfect for our ns! The nature of the dirt is also good for construction and it won''t copse even with rain or floods!"


    "Really?" Arthur asked curiously. He didn''t how Fiy figured that so quickly but he was still delighted to hear the news.


    "Yeah! This is exactly what we''re looking for. We won''t have to waste time building precise foundations because of the dirt."


    "That''s really good news," Arthur replied as he looked around him. "Look, the material is stacked over there."


    On the other side of the area, the boy saw huge stacks of construction material put in an orderly fashion. It almost filled half the ce with wood, stones, and even material simr to cement. Large steel bars stacked up creating a small hill along with various construction equipment.


    "Is that everything you need, Fiy?"


    "Hmm, I need to first check everything before I can say for sure. But, there is a lot of material so it''s most likely going to be fine!"


    "Now that I think about it, everyone should arrive at any moment now."


    Since the two had taken arguably the shortest route out of the group, he knew the rest would arrive in a few moments at most.


    Then, as if to prove his assumptions, he heard a few footsteps approaching the piece ofnd. Looking behind him, he saw Herculia and Emmy arriving along with Serko.


    "Hey there. Did anyone follow you?" Arthur asked as he watched Serko join his friend. They excitedly explored the ce while he talked to Emmy and Herculia.


    "No, we made sure to keep an eye on our surroundings," Emmy replied.


    "Good, I had a bad feeling that someone might be following us but I guess we are fine now."


    "Where are I and Danny?"


    "Hm? They should be here at any moment." Herculia replied. "They took the longest route so it might take some time."


    With that, a few minutes passed as the group waited patiently for I and Danny toe. The more time passed, the more they started to worry as it was nearing the limit of how long it should''ve taken for them to arrive.


    "Did¡­ something happen?" Emmy asked worriedly.


    "... I hope not," Herculia replied.


    Meanwhile, Arthur simply looked at the path they had agreed on. ''They will be fine. Unless there was some serious threat, they should arrive at any mo-''


    Then, as if he had predicted the future, the trio emerged from the street, all looking fine.


    "Huh, that was a little too nerve-wracking." Emmy exhaled a long sigh of relief.


    "I know it¡­" Arthur smiled as he approached the trio. "Took you some time there, guys. Did something happen?"


    That was when he noticed rather peculiar serious looks on their faces that made him immediately frown.


    I stopped in front of him and said. "We were being followed by someone." She said.


    "What?" Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Is he here?"


    "No¡­ We changed our route and quickly lost him. He isn''t chasing us anymore." Danny replied.


    "Do you know who it is?"


    "No, I couldn''t see him in the huge crowd around us. He knew how to hide from us." I shook her head.


    "Wait, then how did you figure that someone was chasing you?" Arthur asked in a confused tone. He knew that if someone was standing in the middle of a huge crowd, it was damn near impossible for them to detect that person unless they decided to reveal themselves.


    They simply weren''t at that level yet and it was going to take a long time to reach that level.


    "It wasn''t us who detected him," Danny replied as he crossed his arms.


    "Hm? Then wh-" Before he could even finish his sentence, his eyes fell on Sora who waspletely silent the entire time, visibly shaking with fear. Slowly, Arthur''s eyes widened with realization.


    "Did she¡­?" He asked.


    To which I nodded her head faintly. "She started panicking and shaking. Then, she told us that someone was following us and she pointed at where he was."


    "... Interesting." He muttered as he slowly crouched down to Sora''s level. "How are you feeling, Sora?"


    The girl almost flinched when she noticed someone approaching her but when she realized that it was Arthur, she rxed visibly.


    "Mmm¡­ I think¡­ I''m fine." She replied.


    "So, what happened?" He asked.


    "I¡­ I know I hid this from you but¡­ I can feel when one of my abductors is nearby¡­" She said.


    "Oh? And how do you do that?" He asked. The fact that Sora specified that she could feel her abductors and not all people made it Arthur raises an eyebrow. He didn''t know if that was just a coincidence or if she truly could only feel them and no one else.


    "Mmm¡­ I don''t know how but that''s how it is¡­ I always could feel their presence as they were approaching and that''s how I was able to constantly escape. That feeling¡­ I had it again just a few minutes ago." She said as she held her chest tightly.


    Sora hated that feeling so badly. It was ufortable, cold, terrifying, and also a sign of a huge threat. She had felt it again and again for a long time to the point where whenever she felt it, her body froze and her mind stopped thinking.


    She felt her throat tighten and she couldn''t breathe. Her mind told her that the threat was there, hiding in the thousands and thousands of people around her. But, she couldn''t see him. She could feel his presence approaching but couldn''t pinpoint it.


    But, luckily, I noticed that and quickly spoke to her. The fear in Sora''s eyes was simply shocking. After a few questions, the girl was able to mouth out what she felt and I immediately took measures.


    She didn''t even bother to ask why or how as it didn''t matter at that moment. Immediately, they moved into the second n and changed their directionpletely. She picked up Sora and started moving quickly.


    After a few turns, the girl was able to regain herposure and she started telling them where he was and if they were getting farther and farther away or not.


    With that, they ended up losing him after moving far away.


    Sora told him everything that happened, from that point till they reached their current location. Arthur listened quietly as he nodded his head. He had many questions but he decided not to ask them yet as the girl was clearly still in shock.


    When she finished, he looked at, examining the pale expression on her face. He could not imagine the trauma and the fear that came back to her at that moment. It was something only she understood.


    "Hey¡­" He slowly put his hand on her head as he patted her gently. "Don''t worry, Sora. He will never find you. I promise you that. You''re in safe hands with us."


    He smiled gently at the girl, giving her a moment of peace she most definitely needed. Staring at his soft look, Sora waspletely taken aback. Then¡­ without realizing it, she started tearing up.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 223- Headquarters (Part 2)

    Slowly, tears fell from her eyes as she impulsively jumped into Arthur''s arms and she started crying silently.


    "..." The boy was quite taken aback for a moment as he looked at the little girl. Then, a small smile appeared on his face before he slowly put his hand on the back of her head, patting her gently.


    "... I was really scared¡­ Hick!" The girl muttered through her tears. Nobody could truly fathom how terrified she was that she might get caught again. She imagined the hell she escaped returning far worse.


    Even though Sora was quiet and timid, she still enjoyed her time with this group of people. They were very nice to her, feeding her, protecting her, and giving her a reason to look forward to tomorrow. She was deeply grateful to them for truly opening this new life for her.


    When she was at her lowest point, ready to die just to escape this hell once and for all, Arthur appeared like a beacon of hope and pulled her out of that darkness. It didn''t make sense how such a thing could happen when the world had told her again and again that she was nothing but a worthless tool.


    Even her own family threw her away when they realized that she was of no purpose nor did she truly fulfill what they expected. Her soul shattered again and again into small pieces and all she could do was watch from the side as if it wasn''t her problem.


    "It''s ok. Everything will be fine. You were very brave there." He replied in a calm tone. "You were actually a huge help because we would''ve not known what could''ve happened if he got too close. Good job, Sora."


    "... Mm¡­" The girl nodded her head as she slowly pulled away. Arthur then gave her a tissue to wipe her face and nose.


    I and the others watched the scene with warm looks on their faces. They all felt really bad for the small girl for going through all of this at such a young age and yet still be able to keep hoping and trying. That kind of strength was truly rare.


    After calming her down, Arthur stood up and looked at his group. "Well, now that we made it. I think we should immediately start working and building the ce. We don''t have time at all. Some annoying rivals arrived at the city and they will try everything they can to actually take over. We can''t let them do that¡­ This city¡­ No, this entire empire is now our yground." He grinned.


    Then, he pointed at the ground. "Let''s y it right."


    "Hell yeah!" Herculia yelled excitedly. "We won''t let those bastards get a room to even breathe!"


    "Fufufu, calm down, Herculia. We don''t want to make too much noise."


    "Hmph, we will just destroy them if they try to stop us." Danny scoffed arrogantly.


    "As you heard Arthur, we have to start work immediately. Fiy, Serko." Calling for the two dwarves, I noticed that they had already started work, putting the n on the ground as they examined it thoroughly.


    "Ok! Perfect, we have enough material for the building process!" Fiy eximed as he slowly rolled his sleeves. "We can start."


    "Do you guys need our help?" Arthur asked. "The more people the better, after all."


    "Mm, we have to work together."


    Quickly, everyone surrounded the two dwarves and the two boys started giving clear instructions to them. Their innocent personalities and cheerful energy were reced with serious and focused demeanors.


    The sudden shift was surprising but it also gave the group an idea of how much the two dwarves took this project seriously. They have been perfecting the n for several days now even though with their skills, a day was more than enough to draw the entire n.


    Yet, they wanted it to be perfect, down to the smallest details. It was their gratitude to Arthur and the others that drove them to put their heart and soul into this project.


    With that, the group then scattered into the ce, each with their own task in mind. They first picked up the materials and then started bring them to their right ces.


    Meanwhile, Fiy and Serko moved at horrifying speeds, quickly starting to dig the ground using the shovels provided to them. Their speed was simply iprehensible. It was as if whenever they had to build something, they turned into bolts of lightning, moving at a horrifying pace as they did their tasks perfectly.


    ''I can never understand how they can do this¡­'' Arthur stopped for a moment to stare at them.


    "They might not even need our help¡­" Herculia muttered. "Well! Let''s hurry boys! We can''t ck!"


    The team quickly elerated their working effort as they moved through the entire ce, quickly setting the foundations.


    "Hey! Herculia! Catch this!"


    "What?!" The big man looked to the side, only to realize that Arthur had thrown arge stone at him.


    "What the hell?!" He quickly dodged the rock at thest second.


    "Hahaha!"


    "You were about to kill me, bastard!" He yelled.


    "Hmm, a small rock like that one wouldn''t even take down your health, rx." Arthur shrugged.


    "Rx? Come here!" He yelled as he ran after him.


    "Hey! Stop ying around, you two!" Emmy yelled at them.


    "... Sorry¡­"


    The atmosphere was quite positive as the group shared jokes andughs while working. Slowly, time passed as a wall of wood started rising from the ground, covering the entire area.


    The wall wasn''t thick nor strong and its intention was simply to hide what was happening inside from the people''s eyes. Fiy and Serko were the main workers on the project and their safety required such a wall to keep them from unwanted eyes.


    After exactly 5 hours of work, the entire wooden wall was built, reaching almost 20 meters in the air.


    "Fuuuh¡­ We are finally done!" Arthur exhaled as he wiped the sweat off his face. He was truly exhausted after several hours of work.


    "But¡­ We''re done¡­" Herculia threw himself on the ground. Arthur also sat down as he rested his back on the big guy''s stomach.


    "Now, this should be enough to hide the ce from the eyes. As long as we make sure nobody gets too close, we should be fine." I said. "Is this enough, you two?"


    "Mm! We are definitely safe here!" The two nodded their heads. "Now, we will start actually working on the building itself."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Aren''t you like¡­ tired?" Arthur asked with an almost horrified look on his face. The two dwarves had done the most work by far and yet they looked the least tired of the entire group.


    "Hm? We are fine! Hehehe!" The two dwarvesughed. "You guys can rest while we start!"


    Then, as if they didn''t even care, the two resumed work as quickly as when they started. Nobody could understand where all that energy came from but they didn''t bother to ask. They were happy they had Fiy and Serko in their group.


    "..."


    "... They''re built differently¡­" Herculia muttered.


    "Duh, they''re dwarves." Arthur elbowed his friend''s stomach as he replied.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 224- Headquarters (Part 3)

    Some time passed quietly as the group watched the dwarves continue working silently. The two didn''t seem that affected even after working for almost another hour after the group stopped. Eventually, they halted and finally took a break too. They could''ve continued working for a few more hours but I didn''t let them push themselves.


    She knew that the dwarves were actually capable of far more than this. But, she wanted them to save their energy as they had to work a lot for the next several days and they needed breaks to keep their stamina in good condition.


    With that, the day finally came to an end and Arthur and the others had to leave as usual. After making sure the entire ce was secure and no small holes were there for people to peek inside.


    "Make sure not to leave the ce after we leave, got it?" I asked. "Nobody shoulde here now. But, just in case something bad happens when we''re not here. Here, I have bought something for you three." She said as she pulled something from her inventory and gave it to the two dwarves.


    "These are protective amulets I bought yesterday. If something bad happens, channel mana into them and they will create a barrier around you for a while. As long as you infuse it with mana, it will keep you safe from most normal threats. It will also work as a tracker in case one of you gets lost and I can find you again."


    "There is such a thing being sold?" Herculia asked curiously.


    "It exists. But it was expensive and could only be used once. But it''s perfect to keep you three perfect till tomorrow since we will be able to spend the next three days with you." I exined.


    ''Oh, right, it''s the weekend so we won''t have to attend the academy for the next several days starting tomorrow.'' Arthur thought to himself as he looked at the time. ''Well, hopefully, we will be able to finish most of the building in the next few days.''


    All they had to do was simply leave the three children there for the night and return the next day. All they can hope is nothing bad will happen.


    ''We would''ve returned them to the hotel but the risk is simply too big now that we know those bastards chasing Sora will search the entire city for us. It''s too risky to move now.'' Arthur thought to himself.


    He knew the entire city had turned into a huge trap at this point. He didn''t know how many people were actually looking for Sora but he didn''t want to find out either.


    "Mm! We will be fine, don''t worry! We will protect Sora with our lives!" Fiy replied with a confident look on his face.


    "That''s right! Leave the rest to us and go rest, guys!"


    "Good boys! I know we can rely on you!" Emmy patted their heads gently.


    With that, they all bid the trio farewell and left the ce to log out of the game. The three children stood near the door, staring at it silently.


    "They''re gone¡­" Fiy muttered as he turned around and looked at his twopanions. "Well, time to eat dinner!"


    "Mmm! We do have some soup, right?"


    "Yeah, I will put it to heat up."


    Since Fiy was the best cook out of the three, he had been taking care of the food for the trio every night.


    The other two set up their mattresses and sat down on them, watching Fiy cooking.


    "Hey, Sora! Do you want to y a game?"


    "A game?" Sora asked.


    "Yeah! A game! We y it a lot me and Fiy."


    "Wait, do you mean ''That'' game?" Fiy asked.


    "Mhm! I used to beat you a lot in it!"


    "... Hey! I''m not that good at it! It''s not fair!"


    "W-What is it?" Sora asked curiously.


    "It''s called ''Rock, Paper, Scissors''." He said with a smile.


    "Rock, Paper, Scissors?" The girl raised an eyebrow.


    "Yeah, it''s really simple but fun!"


    After that, Serko went ahead and exined the entire game to Sora. This game was an invention the two kids made when they were still in the forest to spend time and it was a lot of fun so they kept ying it.


    "So, do you want to y?"


    "Sure¡­"


    "Good, ok put your hand like this."


    "Like¡­ this?"


    "Yeah! Now¡­ Rock, paper, scissors!"


    Then, the two put their hands out. Sora had clumsily chosen paper while Serko chose rock.


    "What?!"


    "Pfft! You lost!"


    The boy was shocked because of it. He was certain he would win since he always had a good feeling about what someone would choose in the game.


    "I won?" Sora asked.


    "Good job, Sora!" Fiy said.


    For a second there, the girl looked at her hand and then at Serko''s hand before her eyes flickered with a weird glint.


    "A-Again!" Serko said. "Rock¡­ Paper¡­ Scissors!"


    ''I will this time! It was just luck!''


    However, much to his shock. Sora chose paper and he chose rock again and he lost.


    "Hahahaha!" Fiyughed even harder as he watched the dumbfounded dwarf amusedly.


    "Again!"


    The two yed a third, then fourth, and fifth time. Yet, every single time, Serko lost and he didn''t know how. The girl didn''t even seem to be aware of how the game fully worked yet.


    "How¡­ Just how¡­" Serko muttered in surprise as he stared at Sora. "Are you perhaps an expert at this, Sora?"


    "Uh¡­" The girl looked quite delighted she won but she also didn''t know why she was able to win so effortlessly. "I don''t know¡­ I just follow my feeling¡­"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "..." The two dwarves stared at her silently as if they didn''t understand what was going on.


    "A feeling? Wow, your instincts must be quite sharp then! We have finally found someone who can win against Serko!"


    "Tsk! I guess it is my loss! We have found the new champion, Sora!"


    *p* *p*


    The two pped for the girl happily. Meanwhile, Sora watched with a stunned look on her face. Then, slowly, a faint smile formed on her face. She would be lying if she said she didn''t feel proud of herself at that moment. Winning the game felt really good and it was apletely new experience to her. She had never even tasted sess before in anything so it was truly refreshing.


    "Anyway, time to eat dinner and go to sleep. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow! The building won''t build itself!"


    "Yeah!"


    Cheering, the trio took three bowls of soup and were about to start eating food. However, at that moment, they suddenly heard a noiseing from outside. Immediately, they all stopped eating and froze in ce as they looked up. Fiy stared at Serko.


    ''What was that?'' He asked.


    ''... I don''t know. It sounded like someone walking by.''


    ''Should we¡­ check?''


    ''No! Let''s remain silent for now. Maybe it''s just a random person walking by.''


    What made the group even less worried was the fact that Sora didn''t seem to sense anything weird which meant there was no one dangerous outside, at least not for now.


    Unbeknownst to the trio, this noise was simply the beginning of a very long¡­ and horrifying night.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 225- Broken (Part 1)

    Time passed slowly and the silence returned as if nothing happened. The group stayed silent and tense for almost two minutes after that, but, when they realized it might''ve truly been nothing to worry about, they finally calmed down.


    "Fuuh, that was a little worrying. Maybe it was just some animal." Fiy whispered in a low tone, just to make sure that whatever was outside couldn''t hear them.


    "Yeah¡­" Serko nodded. "You didn''t feel anything, did you, Sora?" He turned to the girl.


    "... No, nothing¡­" She shook her head.


    "..."


    The group went silent for a few seconds before they looked down at their bowls of soup. "Well¡­ We should continue eating¡­ probably."


    "Yeah¡­"


    With the still lingering tense feeling, the trio started eating again slowly, this time not as enthusiastic as before. They didn''t know why, but they felt off after that noise as if it wasn''t truly anything to worry about. However, every sign was telling them nothing happened so they couldn''t justify this worry.


    With that, the rest of the dinner passed quietly and quickly. Then, with all the exhaustion they were feeling, they decided to end the day and go to sleep. Each one took multiple nkets andid down on their soft mattresses.


    "Well, goodnight, Sora, Fiy."


    "Goodnight."


    "Goodnight¡­"


    Slowly, everyone closed their eyes as the darkness of the night engulfed them. It didn''t take long for the entire group to drift to sleep. Even with all their worries, they weren''t able to fight back the exhaustion from working hard.


    With that, the night wentpletely quiet again except for the asional snowy wind outside. The weather was very cold but the ce they built was able topletely protect them from the harsh conditions.


    Time passed slowly as the trio slept soundly and the world was as quiet as it could be. It was an hour, then two hours.


    "Hnng¡­ Hnng¡­"


    Sora slowly opened her eyes at some point, still very drowsy. Licking her lips, she realized that she was very thirsty and she couldn''t continue sleeping in that state. So, she rose up and stared around her.


    Then, she slowly looked at the sk of water on the other side of the room. She blinked slowly before she slowly left her warm bed. The cold temperature immediately hit her and she shuddered.


    But, she still walked toward the sk slowly and picked it up. The bottle was almost frozen with some water left inside that didn''t turn into ice. So, she opened it and decided to just empty whatever liquid water was left in there.


    After quenching her thirst, she wiped her mouth and closed the bottle before she turned around to walk back¡­ Only to walk into something robust.


    "Hm?" She was confused for a moment as there should''ve not been anything in her path. Then, she looked up slowly only for her eyes to meet two other eyes, towering over her. Two big, wide eyes that stared at her with a menacing re.


    Sora''s first reaction was confusion. She didn''t understand what she was looking at. But, before she could even take in the sight, a hand emerged from the darkness and roughly held her mouth. That was when fear kicked in and her eyes widened.


    "Mmmm!!!" Her first thought was to move her arms and fight off whoever was trying to suffocate her.


    However, the one standing in front of her quickly grabbed her arms. Then, he whispered. "Don''t you dare move. We have finally found you, broken vessel."


    Those words were akin to a bomb dropped on Sora''s mind as she felt her heart almost stop at that moment.


    ''No!!!''


    The girl tried to struggle through her pain. Her mind was in shambles. But, at that moment, she remembered something she had. Looking down while the two tried to capture her, she felt the amulet on her neck.


    ''The amulet! I can use it!'' She thought to herself. So, without hesitation, she quickly channeled mana through her body while still struggling. The two had pinned her down and they started tying her arms with rope.


    "Don''t resist. You aren''t going anywhere and those friends of yours¡­ We will kill them." The man said.


    However, at that moment, they noticed something weird. Sora''s chest started shining out of nowhere. Then, out of nowhere, an explosion of energy erupted everywhere, sending the two men flying back with a bright sh.


    "Hng!"


    "What the hell?!"


    The energy expanded till it wrapped around Sora''s body before it turned into a green, transparent barrier of energy. The girl didn''t even hesitate for a second as she called for the two boys at the top of her lungs.


    "Fiy!! Serko!!"


    At this point, Fiy and Serko were shaking awake from all the noise.


    "Huh?"


    "What?"


    Because of the grogginess, they took a few seconds to understand the situation. They saw Sora inside the barrier and then their eyes fell on the two men d in ck. Although the two were confused, they instantly understood that they were being ambushed.


    So, they quickly sprung into action. Grabbing their daggers, they rushed toward the two men at horrifying speeds. In the darkness, they almost appeared untraceable.


    *Swish*


    With horrifying uracy, they attacked the two men, aiming to kill them instantly. All their innocence was thrown out of the window. The situation was simply too serious.


    "AGH!"


    Instinctively, both men jumped back, barely dodging the quick attacks with small cuts to their necks.


    "These rats!"


    "Take one! I will deal with the other!"


    Immediately, the two men sprung into action quickly separating and attacking both dwarves at the same time.


    ''They''re so fast!'' The two kids were surprised by their agility.


    *Cling*


    The daggers shed with the swords in the darkness as the two kids jumped back, trying to defend.


    "Don''t test your luck, bastards! You''re as good as dead!"


    *Cling* *Cling*


    ''Strong!!''


    Each hit they deflected shook their tiny arms. Although Fiy and Serko were quick, they weren''t that strong and that was perhaps their biggest weakness. They cannot win in a battle of strength.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    But, they never really needed that strength to begin with. After all, the abilities of a dwarf were far more than just building.


    *Swish*


    "Huh?"


    As the two men tried to overwhelm their tiny enemies, they realized that the two had suddenly shifted their approach. At the same time, the dwarves ducked the swinging swords and ambushed the two men from beneath.


    Their small stature and the darkness around them made the attack far more effective than it could''ve ever been.


    *Swish*


    With a precise thrust, both kids plunged their daggers into the men''s thighs, making them screech in pain.


    ''We got them!'' The two rejoiced as they saw the two men fall to the ground. But, they didn''t celebrate too soon as they quickly lunged at them, aiming to finish the job quickly before they could regain theirposure.


    However¡­


    "Behind you!!!" Sora screamed at the top of her lungs as she watched the scene.


    "Hu-"


    *Bang* *Bang*


    The two kids felt a strong, sharp pain assault the backs of their heads. Then, before they could even register what happened, they fell to the ground unconscious¡­ Blood slowly seeping out of their heads.


    "That was enough."


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 226- Broken (Part 2)

    "No!"


    Sora felt as if someone shattered her heart to pieces as she saw the two dwarves, on the ground, bleeding profusely. The fear she felt at that moment was simply indescribable. Then, a third man emerged from the darkness like a ghost and stared down at the two dwarves coldly.


    His eyes seemed to peer through anything with immense precision. Sora couldn''t see his face nor the expression he had at that moment, but, she recognized that look. After all, most of the horror she witnessed her entire life came from that man.


    Slowly, the man shifted his gaze to his two subordinates, making them visibly flinch. He didn''t need to utter a single word for them to understand what he wanted.


    "They were too fast, boss! We coul-"


    "Shhh."


    Before they could even say any excuse, the man shushed them gently before he slowly stepped over the two dwarves and walked toward them. The two felt their hearts sink in as they realized what was about to happen.


    Stopping in front of them, he crouched down to their level and stared at them silently. The two froze in ce, not daring to move.


    "We will talk when we go back." He said calmly, almost in a soothing tone. But, as if those words were a guillotine, the two paled even more. The worst sentence they could''ve ever heard was just spoken to them and what was about to happen was simply hell.


    But, even then, they still didn''t dare to object or say anything. So, the man stood up and finally turned his head to Sora. The girl felt her entire body shiver from that strong look.


    "It has been a while, Sora." He said as he approached the barrier and then put his finger on it. But, immediately, the barrier deflected his touch with a sharp pain to his fingers. The man retracted his hand and stared at it. "Interesting¡­ It seems whoever brought you here expected something to happen."


    "..."


    "Tell me. Who are these new people you found?" He asked.


    "..."


    The girl didn''t reply as she remained frozen in ce as if she couldn''t move at all. Even though the barrier was protecting her, Sora didn''t feel safe at all. She was afraid beyond words, with all the memories she had inflicted upon her, she was experiencing what could only be described as PTSD.


    The man seemedpletely aware of her fear as he simply shrugged. "Well, either way, your two friends arepletely out of it and your little barrier will run out with time. So¡­"


    Saying that, the man turned around and looked around him before he walked and picked up arge rock on the other side of the room before he put it in front of the barrier, and sat down.


    "We will wait till it runs out."


    As if Sora wasn''t already terrified enough, those words made her almost lose her mind. Tears slowly rolled down her eyes as she stared at the man.


    "Please¡­ Please¡­ Just let me be¡­ Please¡­"


    Her voice wavered as she begged the man with a low tone. She was extremely tired of everything. She didn''t want toe back to that hell. She simply wanted to live life free and be with Arthur and the others.


    Why was she destined for all of this pain? What did she do for the world to be so cruel to her? Is it simply because she existed? Is it really just because she was born into this world?


    ''I''m never¡­ I''m never going to make it¡­'' Looking down, she cursed her life and her existence. She couldn''t understand why she was even still alive at this point. It was indeed far better if she would end her life right here and now.


    ''I can do it¡­ I can just end it all here¡­'' She muttered as she slowly looked down at her hands. It was a few moments of pain and then everything will be over and she will finally be free from this suffering.


    Shakingly, she lifted her hand up, her eyes focused on them. The man seemed to notice what she was doing as he raised an eyebrow.


    "What are you going to end it all?" He asked. "It is useless. You are a vessel, Sora¡­ A broken, useless vessel, but still a vessel. They have gotten rid of you because of that. But, I saw potential in you and took you in. You should never bite the hand that feeds you, girl."


    "..."


    Sora ignored his words as she kept moving her hands up to her neck.


    ''I can end it all!'' The determination in her eyes made the man raise an eyebrow.


    ''Could she?''


    ***


    *One dayter*


    "Damn it, is it always so cold?" Arthur shuddered slightly as he looked around him. The city was as cold as ever, perhaps even colder that day for some reason.


    ''I told me she would be a littlete. I need to go check on the kids.'' He thought to himself before he started quickly moving toward their new headquarters.


    He had made sure to log in as soon as he finished school just because he was worried about them. This was the first night they spent in such a ce. He didn''t forget the ident Sora experienced yesterday.


    Without realizing it, Arthur picked up his pace as he approached the ce. Eventually, he took a turn and he saw the wooden building.


    ''Hmm, it seems intact, good. There was no one that infiltrated the ce.'' He thought to himself.


    Reaching the door, Arthur slowly opened it and peeked inside. "Sora? Fiy? Serko?"


    However, upon seeing the interior of the building, he frowned. There was no one there. Slowly, Arthur pushed the door open and walked inside. He looked left and right.


    "They''re not here¡­" He muttered with a frown. His feeling of worry started growing deeper and deeper. "Guys! Where are you?!"N?v(el)B\\jnn


    He started walking deeper into the building, looking around him. However, when his eyes slowly shifted down, he noticed that his foot had stepped on arge red spot¡­


    Arthur froze for a moment, his heart sinking in.


    ''Blood¡­''


    A//N: Short chapter, was a little busy. Thanks for reading!

 Chapter 227- Broken (Part 3)

    Arthur lifted his foot from the spot with wide eyes. All of his worry, fear, and anxiety hit the roof and flew to the skies as he found himself not breathing for a few seconds. The puddle of blood was simply too big and it waspletely dry which meant that it had been there for a long time.


    "..." Taking a deep breath, he calmed himself as he looked up, his eyes scanning the area around him like a precise machine. He took in every single detail there is. That was when he noticed many things he wasn''t aware of at the start.


    The first thing was the footsteps. He noticed several frantic footsteps all over the ce that belonged to people with different shoe sizes. That meant that apart from the dwarves, there were others inside the building.


    ''This kind of movement¡­ There was a fight that happened¡­'' He crouched down and stared at the footsteps with a deep frown. Arthur was on the verge of losing his mind and panicking. But, he decided to stay calm and take things in quickly and effectively. He knew that if something really bad had happened, he had to move smartly and solve the problem as quickly as possible.


    "Fuck¡­ Someone infiltrated the goddamn ce¡­" Arthur cursed as he stared at the blood spots again. There were two distinct blood puddles with a few other bloody stains scattered nearby. The battle was most definitely very bloody and that only further pushed Arthur over the edge as he stood up.


    "Goddamit! The worst had happened¡­" He muttered as he quickly turned around and walked out of the building and looked everywhere around him.


    ''No traces of blood outside¡­ Did they get covered in snow?'' He squinted his eyes as he clenched his fists and mmed the wall.


    At that moment, Arthur turned around and looked at the other side of the street. He saw I and the others approaching him. They had arrived a few minuteste. Arthur quickly moved toward them as fast as he could.


    "Hmm? Is everything ok, Arthur?"


    "The kids. I can''t find the kids." He said. "There are traces of a battle inside the wooden shelter. Someone or some people had snuck inside."


    Immediately, the group''s face turned pale.


    "What?!"


    "We need to find them. I think it had been hours since this fight happened. We are fuckingte!"


    I was the first to react as she walked past Arthur and headed into the building. A secondter, everyone followed her and walked inside. They saw the blood, and the traces of battle and realized how horrifying it must''ve been.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "... We need to find them¡­ We need to find them now!" Emmy muttered as he held her mouth, her heart beating loudly in her chest.


    Meanwhile, I continued looking around before she turned to Arthur. "Did you see any footsteps outside or any blood traces outside of the building, Arthur?"


    "... No, there are none. That''s what''s confusing me. I have looked outside and all around the area just now. There are not a single trace of them walking out let alone stepping outside." He replied.


    If the kids were indeed kidnapped, then naturally, the abductors need to step outside to leave the ce. However, these weird footsteps stopped in the middle of the shelter. Something didn''t make sense at all.


    "..." I squinted her eyes as she stared around her at the ground. Her mind was linking all the pieces of evidence together as quickly as she could. Although she wasn''t showing it on her face, she was as worried if not even more worried about the kids than everyone else.


    She liked those kids and took them into her group as fellowpanions and friends. If something bad happens to them, she will never be able to forgive herself. So, she had to stay calm and think quickly so they could find them again.


    That was when I noticed a very small yet extremely important detail. In a particr part of the shelter, she noticed a weird umtion of footsteps that walked toward one single direction.


    "..." With a focused look, she walked toward that spot, making sure she didn''t step on any of the footsteps. When she reached the spot, she stared at it silently.


    "I?"


    "Shhh¡­" She shushed Danny quickly as she continued staring at the spot. ''Something¡­ Something¡­ The footsteps¡­ The fight¡­ Why did they walk here? Could it be¡­''


    That was when it clicked in I''s head as her eyes widened. Then, she pulled her amulet and channeled mana through it as quickly as possible, activating the tracking feature. She was already attending to try and use this tool to find the kids. But, now, an even more interesting idea came to her head.


    When she activated the mechanism, an image formed in her head as an influx of information seeped into her brain. A map of the city appeared in her head and then that map zoomed in at a particr spot on it.


    A secondter, I opened her eyes as things finally cleared up in her head and her assumption was spot on.


    Opening her eyes, she coldly looked at the group.


    "I know how they left this shelter without taking a step outside."


    "Oh? How?" Herculia asked.


    "I had this suspicion ever since I walked into the shelter. There didn''t seem to be even any signs of someone approaching the shelter and the fact they appeared and disappeared like that made no sense. However, when you think that one of them has a tool toe in and out without the need to walk in or out¡­ It starts making more sense."


    "What are you trying to say, I?" Emmy asked with a frown.


    "I''m saying¡­ One of these men has a sort of teleportation ability."


    "A teleportation ability?"


    "Yes, and what proved my assumption is the current location of the amulets. They have all been thrown into the river on the other side of the city." She said.


    "They got rid of them?..."


    "Tsk, the bastards knew that the amulets are trackers." Danny clenched his teeth.


    "What¡­ What are we supposed to do now? Our only way of tracking them¡­" Emmy frowned.


    It was good that they discovered what they were dealing with. But, that still didn''t bring them any closer from finding their friends. The city was too massive to search it and it was simply impossible to track them if they simply teleported back to their ce.


    I frowned slightly as she nodded her head. She also knew that her deduction wasn''t really solving the problem even if it took them a step closer to it.


    ''They must''ve left something behind¡­ Any detail¡­ Something we can use¡­'' She thought to herself as she rubbed her chin. All she asked for was a small lead and she knew she could find them. ''Sora, Fiy, Serko¡­ Did you leave us anything to find you? I know you wouldn''t let them get you without fighting back¡­''


    I trusted that those three kids were extremely smart and if they had the opportunity, they would leave behind a trace they could use to get to them. But, where was it?


    At that very moment, where everyone was trying to figure something out. Arthur spoke.


    "Hey guys, you definitely need to take a look at this."


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 228- Broken (Part 4)

    "Hm?"


    They all looked at Arthur curiously. The boy had been silent the entire time, looking elsewhere as if he was searching for something. He was listening to I speaking but also kept looking around, knowing exactly what she was trying to reach.


    They slowly approached him and looked where he was pointing. They didn''t know what else was there to unravel but if it was anything useful.


    "Look at these lines." He said as he pointed at the ground. Looking there, they all saw a weird set of lines going left and right in a rather organized yet also chaotic manner.


    "The way these lines move¡­ They don''t look like they''re just pointless prints." He muttered. Arthur squinted his eyes as he inspected every single detail of the lines.


    "... What even is it then?" Herculia asked.


    "..."


    "..."


    The group continued staring at the lines until Arthur finally snapped his fingers as he was struck with an epiphany.


    "A map! It''s a goddamn map!" He eximed.


    "... A map?" Emmy asked. "Are you sure?"


    "Yes! Look at this particr point, it''s dug deeper than the rest of the lines. That''s where the map starts, which is our current position. Then, the line moves up here, then left, right, and stretches very far." He muttered as he quickly opened his map. "One of the kids drew this! I am certain of it!"


    ''Good work, you guys!'' He thought to himself as he smiled widely.


    "Wow¡­ Those three¡­ They''re always impressing me. Even in such a brutal moment, they were able to leave a trace for us to find them." Danny crossed his arms with a proud look on his face.


    "We have to find them now!"


    Meanwhile, I kept staring at Arthur without blinking. ''The fact he noticed this small detail and didn''t think it was just some random prints¡­ His perception had always been something impressive.''


    I was quite the perceptive person herself, but even she knew she didn''t hold a candle to Arthur when it came to this particr aspect. The boy could see things even she couldn''t see. Something about his eyes was truly magical.


    "It goes¡­ From here¡­" Oblivious to all of that, the boy started tracing the path on his map, going from one street to another as he crossed therge city. Eventually, the line finally stopped at a particr spot. Arthur''s shed with a weird glint. Looking up at his friends, he said in a cold tone.


    "I found them."


    ***


    Far away from where the group was situated at that moment, inside a very dark and humid ce somewhere in the city, Sora slowly opened her eyes as she faintly looked up dazedly at her surroundings.


    "Ugh¡­" She groaned as felt sharp pain assault every part of her body as if she had a strong beating beforehand¡­ Which wasn''t far from the truth. Looking down at her body, she saw traces of blood on her dirty clothes.


    She could feel the pulsing pain from all the beating she suffered. It still hurt a lot and it still was horrifying. After being captured by the men and dragged back to this hell, she was beaten up again and again for several hours before she was thrown into that dark cell and then left there to rot.


    She didn''t know what happened to Fiy and Serko as they were taken somewhere else. They werepletely unconscious and still bleeding when shest saw them.


    The girl stared nkly at the dark wall. No emotions were left in her eyes. Everything she wished for waspletely shattered in front of her eyes. Even the people she trusted were harmed and it was all because of her.


    "..."


    In that dark cell, she watched her life end once, and now she was watching that happen again. But, for some reason, she really couldn''t feel anything anymore. Things suddenly became cold, colder than even the floor she was sitting on.


    She didn''t care anymore about anything. She didn''t care if she lived or died, breathed or suffocated, or even smiled or cursed. She just didn''t want to do anything anymore.


    "..."


    Resting her back against the wall, she closed her eyes and sat there, feeling the pulsing pain in her body. ''I''m tired¡­''


    She pursed her lips as she slowly wrapped her arms around her legs. ''Really tired¡­''


    As she was like that, she heard footsteps approaching her cell from outside. The echo of these steps had be something she heard every single day and was always for one of two reasons, either for another session of beating or to give her some food and both were equally bad.


    Continue reading stories on empire


    However, this time, when the door opened, she didn''t hear someone put a te down or approach her. Instead, she heard two loud thuds. Looking up slowly, she saw two bodies being dropped on the ground.


    Slowly, Sora''s eyes widened as she realized who they were. ''Fiy¡­ Serko¡­''


    "Tsk, to think we would find a bunch of disgusting dwarves inside that ce. What the hell is this? I can''t believe I had to even treat these nasty bastards." One of the two guards said.


    "Shut your mouth. Boss told us to treat their wounds as he was going to send them back to the wall. You better notin in front of him or both of us are dead." The other man replied.


    "Tsk, I know, bastard. Don''t tell me what to do." He said as he turned around and walked outside, closing the cell again as if they didn''t care at all. They didn''t even bother staring at Sora.


    When the girl heard them walk away, she looked at the two kids, and then slowly, she dragged her tired body toward them. An iprehensible look shed across her eyes as she saw their tattered bodies.


    "Fiy¡­ Serko¡­" She muttered as she stopped in front of them. The two were motionless, but she could hear their small whimpers and it only tore her heart apart even more. They looked simply horrifying¡­ Their injuries and the blood spots on her body were a small indication of the hell they went through.


    She was in pain, yet they were in even more pain, unable to even speak. Sora stared at them with a broken look on her face.


    "I''m sorry¡­" She eventually spoke. "I''m really sorry¡­" Tears welled up in her eyes as she kept repeating the same sentence again and again and again. That was all she could think of. She apologized for their pain, she apologized for making them go through hell for her, and she apologized for even existing in their lives and bringing them so much pain for no reason.


    If she simply didn''t exist, things would''ve been far better for everyone.


    "I''m sor-"


    At that moment, she realized that Fiy had lifted his hand slowly and put it on her hand.


    "It''s¡­ fine." He said with whatever energy he had left in his small body. "You¡­ did¡­ nothing wrong¡­ Cough! Cough!"


    Sora stared at him with wide eyes. "No! I-"


    "You¡­ are¡­ our friend¡­ We won''t let them¡­ take you¡­ Believe in Arthur¡­" He said as he held his side, trying to breathe with immense pain.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    But, those words he said, struck Sora strongly. They reminded her of what Arthur told her just yesterday as he smiled at her.


    ''You''re in safe hands.''


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 229- The Red Pearl Incident (Part 1)

    "Don''t¡­ Give up¡­ On yourself¡­" Fiy continued as he slowly drew a smile on his face. A myriad of emotions shed within the girl''s eyes at that moment, seeing the peaceful look on the dwarf''s face.


    She searched for anger, hatred, or even a form of me, but there was none. The dwarf didn''t me her at all even though she was the cause for his pain. She had brought these people upon them and dragged them with her back to hell.


    "Why¡­ Why do you care¡­ I did nothing to you¡­" She replied as tears trickled down her cheeks. She couldn''t understand why this group still epted her amongst them even though she was simply a deadweight. They didn''t look at her any different than how they looked at one another.


    She had never received such a treatment before so it was iprehensible. No one was benefiting from taking care of someone sought after by evil men. That was when the answer finally came to her.


    "Cough cough¡­ We don''t¡­ need a reason¡­ to protect you¡­"


    "..."


    "A friend¡­ is always a friend¡­"


    As simple as the answer was and as innocent as it sounded, it still rang in Sora''s head like a bell. She stared nkly at Fiy.


    "Always¡­?" She muttered. Her face was aplete mess of blood and tears. But, the moment she heard Fiy''s words, a light slowly welled up in her eyes. Sora had been looking for a logical reason, anything that made sense to her mind. She thought she was supposed to be useful to them in order to make all their efforts worth it.


    In reality, the group never needed a reason to help her. They simply saw someone who was about to end their lives, someone in dire need of a hand to grab them and an arm to hold them and they decided to take her in.


    They saw in her a pure soul, tainted by the cruelty of the world and its hostility toward those who are different. In a sense, she was just like Fiy and Serko. They were all different, living in a world that hated them for something beyond their control.


    So, they understood her very well and felt everything she was feeling at that moment.


    "So, just¡­ believe¡­ I know¡­ They wille for us¡­" Fiy said as he held her hand tightly, tainting it with his own blood. "Ok?"


    "..." Sora cried silently as she looked down before she slowly nodded her head. Then, she slowly put her hand on Fiy''s hand as she grabbed it tightly. "I understand¡­"


    ***


    "Are you sure this is the ce, Arthur?" Herculia asked in a whispering tone.


    "Hmm¡­ This is where the tracks stop." Arthur replied as he peeked over the wall, staring at the other side of the street. The darkness of the world had cast a shadow on the city.


    After pinpointing the location, Arthur and the others quickly left the shelter and headed there. The trip took exactly 30 minutes since it was quite far. However, upon reaching the location Arthur assumed they were pointing at, all they could see was arge butcher shop.


    "A butcher shop¡­ That is a little weird¡­" Emmy frowned as she watched the active shop seemingly filled with people. Even at that moment, manyrge carriages were stopping in front of it, carryingrge packages of meat.


    "..." I squinted her eyes. "It is most likely the right ce." She said.


    She didn''t know why, but even the vibe of the shop from this far didn''t sit right with her. She had heard about this chain of butcher shops in the city beforehand. ''The Red Pearl'' as it was called. It had many branches in the entire city, even outside the Snowfall region.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    However, assuming that the people who wanted Sora were an extremely powerful organization, having their business hidden behind a butcher shop is simply very logical.


    "So, what are we supposed to do? We can''t just walk in and ask them to give us Sora and the two dwarves." Danny said.


    "No." I shook her head as she crouched down. "Here is how we are going to infiltrate the building. Danny and Emmy, you two are going to walk through the main entrance. I want Danny to use his Shadow Step to move to the back of the building if possible. We are looking for any suspicious hidden entrances, cells, or anything else that catches your eye."


    "Hmm, got it." Danny nodded. "I can do that."


    "Herculia, you are going to go from the back and try to find a back entrance if possible than enter from there and do the same as Danny."


    "Got it, boss!" Herculia grinned. "I will create a door myself if there is none."


    "Actually, that is a good idea. If there is no entrance from behind, create some noise and then retreat to attract the guards inside. We want to get rid of as many annoying pests as possible." She said coldly before she finally turned to look at Arthur. "You, Arthur, will climb the building and infiltrate it from the top. Meanwhile, I will check every single carriage outside the building to make sure the kids aren''t being transported secretly and then follow you."


    At this point, I knew that the abductors realized that Fiy and Serko were dwarves. She didn''t want to think of what they would do with such a discovery. She simply hoped they wouldn''t kill them and instead decided to send them back where they came from.


    She hated the fact that this was totally out of her control, but that was the truth and she had to y all her cards right.


    "Got it. I will find a way in and find them." Arthur said.


    "I rely on you guys. Let''s get them out of there. Onest thing¡­" She said. "If you find one of the abductors¡­ Don''t spare them. Go in with the intent to kill."


    Although I would usually try to avoid killing for the possible repercussions it could bring. But, nobody understood the rage she was feeling at that moment. If she wasn''t a master at controlling her emotions, she would''ve already infiltrated that ce and destroyed it all.


    Nobody touches her people and gets away with it. They were her pride and a part of her.


    Seeing the fire burning within I''s eyes, the group nodded their heads. They understood the sign clearly. Avoid innocent people, and kill everyone involved in this.


    With that, all five of them quickly scattered everywhere, disappearing into the shadows as if they never existed. Meanwhile, the shop continued working normally as it was reaching thest few hours of work for the day.


    Red Pearl was the biggest supplier of meat in the entirety of the capital. It had its own distribution system, hunters that caught fresh prey, and countless branches across every nook and cranny of the city. The owner of the Red Pearl was also one of the richest men in the empire so the influence of this ce had already exceeded that of a mere shop selling meat¡­ It was arge empire on its own.


    *Ring*


    The door to the building opened with a ring, and two people walked in silently. There were so many people inside that these two didn''t stand out. Looking around, the interior of the building was quite nice, with white tiles and ck tiles flooring the entire ce. The faint smell of cut meat and the sound of butchering knives hitting the boards echoed in the entire ce.


    ''...'' Danny looked at Emmy and nodded his head before the two started walking around the ce, examining every nook and cranny of it with their eyes. Danny was trying to create the most detailed image of the ce in his head to show his ability to work.


    To use Shadow Step, he had to know exactly where he was going to appear. So, they had to make a tour around then leave, and finally sneak in using his ability.


    ''A backdoor¡­ I need to find the location of the backdoor¡­''


    Discover exclusive tales on empire


    It didn''t take him long to finally see the iron door where workers came and went quickly.


    ''There it is. It''s a dozen meters away from the wall. Thirteen meters if I count the distance I will need to use Shadow Step. This is very possible.''


    "Let''s go." He said as he turned around and looked at Emmy. "I know where to go."


    "..." Emmy nodded.


    ***


    At the same time, Herculia walked around the building into the other section and peeked secretly at the backside.


    ''Hm?''


    Surprisingly, he saw two men standing there, surrounding a closed door as they smoked cigarettes or something simr to cigarettes.


    ''... Interesting. I wonder why two guards are standing here, protecting that door.''


    It was getting clearer and clearer for him. This butcher shop wasn''t after all just a butcher shop.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 230- The Red Pearl Incident (Part 2)

    "When is this shift done¡­" Frederick slowly puffed the smoke out of his mouth as he stared up at the dark sky with a dazed look on his face.


    "A few more hours¡­ I think¡­" His friend replied as he rested his back against the wall, looking equally exhausted.


    "Goddamit! A few more hours¡­ I''m freezing in this ce and there is nothing to do!"


    "Shut up, Freddy. You''re lucky you got this job with your stupidity. I was ready to see you homeless by the time you reached 30 years old." His friend rolled his eyes.


    "But now I get paid more than you. See how life goes?"


    "I''m going to kill you one day."


    As the two were talking, they didn''t notice that someone was approaching them until they heard the sound of footsteps walking closer and closer. Looking to the side, they saw a tall individual appearing out of the darkness.


    "Good evening, gents." The young man said with a weird smile.


    "Hm?" Freddy raised his eyes. "Who the hell are you?"


    "Oh, just a passerby." Herculia shrugged.


    "A passerby? Return from where you came from, boy. This is a restricted area." Freddy replied with a strong re. It was not rare for some curious person toe here and their job was to kick these curious bastards away.


    However, this particr boy gave them a different reply.


    "No." He said with a wide grin.


    "What?"


    The two stared at him confusedly. This was the first time someone wasn''t intimidated by their threat.


    "I said leave before I beat you up, kid." The man threw his cigarette and stepped forward toward Herculia. "Listen here. You have a few seconds to leave while I''m still being ni-"


    *BANG*


    Before Freddy could even finish the sentence, his vision was suddenly flipped upside down as he felt an extremely sharp pain assault his face. Then, before he could realize it, he was on the floor,pletely motionless.


    "..."


    His friend,pletely in shock, dropped the cigarette as he stared at Herculia. Thetter smiled at him with the same expression. "You''re next."


    "Wha-"


    *Smash*


    Herculia grabbed his head before he shoved it into the wall, making a loud cracking noise as the man immediately went cold. Then, the entire ce was submerged in silence again as Herculia looked around him silently.


    "Well, that was easier than I expected." He muttered as he dusted his hands off and looked at the door. "Hmm, ok¡­ Time to create some chaos."


    Cracking his fingers, Herculia smiled and stepped forward. If there was one thing Herculia was confident about, it was destroying stuff.


    ***


    Meanwhile, on the other side, Arthur was slowly climbing the building through the windows. His arms slowly pulled him from one window to another, jumping a good distance with each step.


    "Damn, this is a little annoying." He muttered to himself as he looked down at the distance he just crossed. The building was quiterge so it was taking him sometime to actually climb it.


    ''I hope the others found a way inside already. I need to hurry.'' He clenched his teeth and continued his task.


    A few momentster, Arthur reached the top and finally jumped on the ceiling. Looking around him, he saw a few chimneys popping up from the ground and arge iron door on the other side.


    Slowly, he started walking through the empty roof till he stopped in front of the door. That was when he noticed a problem.


    *Cackle*


    "Chains¡­ This door is locked shut." Arthur muttered as he grabbed therge iron chains wrapped around the door knobs, making it absolutely impossible to open with normal means.


    "Hmm¡­ What should I do?" He muttered as he thought for a moment. That was when Arthur''s mind lit up with an idea.


    Channeling his mana, Arthur activated one of his strongest abilities¡­ Frost me. The blue fire ignited in the palm of his hand. Then, Arthur put it near the lock. Immediately, the fire caught into the chains, immediately freezing them with a thickyer of ice.


    "Hmm, ok¡­" Arthur muttered as he waited for the chains to freeze uppletely. Then, he grabbed it from both sides and channeled his mana into his muscles. "Here goes nothing."


    Exerting immense force into his body, he tried to snap the chains with sheer power. He knew that doing it without freezing the chains was impossible even with his 50 points in strength. But, when frozen, it was a different story.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    *Crack*


    It didn''t take a few seconds for him to hear cracks in the chains. Then, in one single instant, it snapped instantly.


    "Got it!" Arthur grinned as he quickly pulled the chains out and opened the doors quietly. "Wait for me, guys¡­ I''ming."


    Then, he walked inside, vanishing into the building.


    ***


    "So many carriages¡­" I slowly walked through the parking area of the Red Pearl, looking around her with a deep frown. There were dozens and dozens of carriages parked there, most of them having the Red Pearl logo which indicates that they were a part of the business.


    Explore more stories with empire


    ''Is all of this just to deliver meat?'' She asked herself with a confused look. She was aware of how huge this business was but the number of carriages was simply¡­ Too much. Something didn''t feel right there and she felt it.


    But, she shook her head and decided to focus on the important matter she came for. ''I hope I don''t find them here.''


    She closed her eyes and expanded her senses, trying to find any traces of her friends'' aura. However, sadly, she could not feel anything near her. There were many people walking throughout the parking lot so it was extremely hard to actually pinpoint anyone there.


    But, I didn''t have any intention of giving up. She was going to look around to the best of her ability.


    So, with that in mind, she continued moving around, peeking here and there. Her senses were working like a scanner, covering the entire ce. However, there was no result whatsoever.


    Slowly, she was starting to think that they may have been truly still inside the building which was the optimal situation.


    *Drop*


    "You fucking idiot! Why did you drop that box?!"


    At that moment, I heard a noiseing from a ce near her. Looking to the side, she saw a man yelling at a younger man with a strong re on his face. Beneath them, there was arge cardboard box that the younger man had dropped.


    "I-I''m sorry!"


    "Go back and get the other one now!"


    "Y-Yes!!"


    With that, the boy turned around and rushed back to the carriage, clearly terrified.


    "Tsk, I don''t get paid enough for this nonsense!" The man ran his hand through his hair before he turned around and walked away, still grumbling under his breath as he walked.


    I wasn''t that interested in the interaction as it was none of her business. However, when she noticed the box left alone¡­ She got a little curious.


    So, she looked around her a few times before she moved toward the box, grabbed it, and then disappeared quickly as if she was never there in the first ce.


    ''I am sorry for the scolding you will receive.''


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 231- The Red Pearl Incident (Part 3)

    After running a good distance away, I stopped and hid behind a corner as she looked over her shoulder. She knew that nobody saw her when she snatched the box and she also knew that they would probably never find her again. But, she was always careful with everything she did.


    ''Better safe than sorry.'' She mused as she crouched and put the box down. ''Now, let''s see what they have in here.''


    Normally, I would assume the box only has meat being transported. However, something within her guts told her that she might be very wrong. The giant business, the legion of carriages they had under their wing, and the weird atmosphere of the entire ce made her raise some question marks.


    So, before she could move on, she had to confirm if her suspicions were true or not. Opening the box, the first thing she found wasrge chunks of meat wrapped in parchment paper and surrounded with ice bags to keep it fresh. Slowly, she pulled the meat and looked at it with her sharp eyes.


    ''Interesting¡­'' She thought to herself. Then, she slowly pulled the second and third chunks until she reached the bottom of the box. However, she surprisingly found nothing worth her interest inside the box. Realizing that, I stood there for a second, a little confused and a little disappointed. Her gut feeling usually never let her down when it came to such things.


    Yet, it seems she waspletely wrong about this particr situation.


    ''I was wasting time.'' She thought to herself as she was about to put back the meat inside the box and leave. However, at that moment, when it was a little close to her nose, I smelled something that made her stop.


    Frowning, she sniffed again, trying to catch this weird smell she just had. Then, her eyes went to the piece of meat again as she got it closer to her nose. That was when her eyes frowned even harder.


    "What is this smell?" I frowned. "It''s sharp¡­ almost too sharp."


    The reason she was confused was because this particr smell didn''t seem to be a part of the meat itself and rather weirdly mixed with it as if it were an external object. It almost numbed I''s nose after sniffing a few times.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "..."


    I didn''t know if this was truly a coincidence or if she was really noticing something very off with the meat. She kept staring at it, unable to find any clues. Until¡­ She finally sighed and gave up.


    ''I can''t waste any more time here. The others need me.'' She thought to herself. So, she put the meat back and then closed the box before she quickly left the area. There had already been at least a few minutes after her group had infiltrated the building.


    As she ran, I was about to open the chat group to send a message to everyone. However, what happened next simply made her stop everything she was thinking about.


    *Booom*


    Looking up, she heard a loud explosion erupt in the distance coupled with a strong shockwave. Her eyes moved quickly to the building where she saw clouds of fog and ash rise from a section of the building. Then, the sounds of cries filled the entire world as everything was submerged in chaos.


    The building had exploded.


    "... What¡­"


    ***


    *A few minutes earlier*


    After entering through the door on the roof, Arthur found himself going down a long set of stairs. He could hear noises of people, presumably workers and customers from up there.


    But, he still made sure to remain careful and silent as he peeked down every step he took. Eventually, he reached the highest floor of the entire building. There, he peeked through a corridor, left and right. There were not that many people there if any at all.


    From what Arthur could see, this area looked like the management section so it wasn''t being visited by many people. However, Arthur still remained careful. ''I should explore this area and then move down. I doubt they will put the kids here.''


    As Arthur was about to make his move, he suddenly heard one of the doors open as a man walked out. Immediately, Arthur hid again as he peeked slightly with his eyes.


    "Don''t evere back here for a raise! I already pay you good enough!"


    He heard someone yell from inside the room at the man d in white and red, appearing as one of the workers and wearing a sanitary mask on his face.


    After that, he closed the door and turned around with an extremely sad look on his face. "Dammit¡­ I hate my life¡­" He grumbled as he started walking toward the stairs, where Arthur was exactly.


    Thetter clenched his teeth as he looked behind him, intending to make a run for it. However, at that moment, he suddenly got an idea.


    "Fuck¡­ I''m definitely going to leave this stupid job. I''m not sta-"


    As he took the turn, the man saw a silhouette standing in front of him. Looking up, he realized that it was a rather young boy. For a second, the man was confused.


    "Huh? What are you do-"


    "Sorry, my friend. I''m about to make your day worse."


    *BANG*


    Saying that, Arthurunched a punch at the man''s face, knocking him down with immense efficiency. The man''s eyes rolled to the back of his head as he fell to the ground. However, Arthur quickly caught him and gently put him down.


    "That will hurt your jaw for a while. But, you will be fine. Use some ice." He said as he quickly started undressing the man while keeping an eye on his surroundings.


    Then, he wore his attire, wrapping the mask around his face to his face properly.


    "Thank you for the clothes." He said with a wink and then turned around and started moving away, leaving the man naked and unconscious.


    Slowly, he walked around the management area, exploring the entire ce, and searching for anything suspicious. However, all he saw were boring offices with people drowning in work inside. The atmosphere was exactly like a normalpany.


    He knew that his friends could be hidden anywhere inside these rooms. However, he knew taking a risk and infiltrating these offices without any usible reason would only put him in a very bad position.


    ''I need to go down first to the lower floors and thene back here if I don''t find anything.'' He decided after a minute of searching around. Then, he quickly turned around and headed downstairs.


    He slowly moved down floor, by floor, finding himself in busier and busier areas where the workers were going back and forth. The smell of meat filled the entire ce and blood stains could be seen everywhere he went.


    Large-looking manual machinery was being handled by workers, cutting and shaping the meat in different sizes for different purposes.


    Arthur watched thisplicated maze of people working with a fascinated look on his face.


    ''Now¡­ Where should I look?'' He asked himself as he was about to start moving, only to feel an arm grabbing his shoulder.


    "Where have you been, bastard?! I have been looking for you!"


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 232- The Red Pearl Incident (Part 4)

    Looking behind him, Arthur saw a tall man ring daggers at him. The boy flinched for a moment, thinking that he got caught. However, the man''s next words put him at ease.


    "We need you at the goddamn furnaces! Now!" The man yelled as he started dragging Arthur back through the busy corridors. "You took your sweet time begging that stingy bastard for a raise, huh? Well, time to work now!"


    ''Furnaces? So they cook the meat here too?'' Arthur thought to himself as he let the man drag him wherever he was going. He didn''t want to raise any suspicion yet and decided to simply see how things would go for now. He knew chaos woulde at some point.


    Eventually, the two stopped in front of closed doors. Then, the man pushed Arthur inside the room. "Go and take your spot! Now!"


    "Yes, sir!!" Arthur made a military salute before he turned around and entered the room. Immediately, he was hit with a strong wave of heat that almost made him stumble back. Looking inside, all he could see was steam and countless workers moving around in a frenzy as if they lost their minds.


    Large furnaces were aligned on the other side as intense mes burned inside of them, slowly cooking the meat. The atmosphere was intense and extremely hot.


    ''Wow¡­ Is this a depiction of hell?'' Arthur didn''t know whether to cry or smile at this sight.


    "Did you get the meatloaf out yet?!"


    "Two more sausages!"


    Slowly walking through the kitchen, Arthur listened to the loud noises and cries of chefs and workers. He was fascinated at how perfectly chaotic it was. There was not a single thing going on in there that seemed remotely organized. Yet, in that chaos itself, they seemed to have found order, ironically.


    "Where have you been, man?! Help me here! I''m struggling!"


    One of the chefs yelled at Arthur from the other side. The boy turned to look at him. "I''m sorry! I had some stuff to deal with!"


    "I don''t give a damn about that! Come help me!"


    Arthur pursed his lips and approached the furnace, the heating from the fire hit his face but it only felt pleasant on his skin as he had been standing in the freezing cold weather for a long time now.


    However, the same can''t be said for the other people as they were sweating profusely and trying to keep wiping their faces with tissues.


    "Get the meat out when it''s cooked and put the next batch in!" The man said before he walked away.


    "Hmm Ok¡­ Sounds simple enough." Arthur muttered as he peeked into the furnace, seeing the meat being cooked slowly. Then, he saw therge peel next to him. So, he grabbed it and slowly moved it inside the furnace to check the readiness of the meat.


    *Cling*


    That was when Arthur''s arm hit something extremely hot next to him. ''Ouch!'' He quickly yanked his arm away and looked at the source of the heat. There, he saw a small iron tube protruding out of the wall. The tube seemed to be connected to the furnace, supplying it with fuel for the fire.


    ''Interesting¡­'' Arthur thought to himself as he curiously touched the tube again. But, the searing hot temperature made him retract it again. He couldn''t even handle that heat with his strong skin.


    ''This is such a dangerous cing of such a thing. Do they want to burn people?'' Arthur thought to himself as he turned around and looked at the other people. No one seemed that bothered by the red tube as they all worked quickly to finish the orders.


    At that moment, Arthur heard a ringing sound in his head. Looking up, he saw that he received a notification from the group chat.


    Herculia: "I''m in. This ce is so full of guards! Is this some kind of military base? I can''t really drag all these idiots out."


    Danny: "We''re almost in. Where are you?"


    Herculia: "I''m struggling to stay hidden and find the perfect position to create some trouble."


    Arthur read the conversation with a cold expression. He was already aware that they might reallye across many guards and that further proved that they were indeed in the right ce. But, he also understood that Herculia could only drag so many guards out before they realized something weird was going on and retreated back into the building which would only cause them more trouble.


    ''It seems we underestimated how dangerous this ce is¡­. Tsk, I need to help him.'' Arthur thought to himself as he looked around him. If he could only grab the attention of some of these guards and then use that opportunity to get Herculia out.


    ''What should I do¡­?'' He hummed to himself, squeezing his mind for any devious ideas. That was when his eyes fell on the gas tube again and for a second, a devilish idea struck his mind. Slowly, Arthur drew a smile on his face.


    ''Maybe¡­'' He looked around him. ''They all are too busy to notice. I can do it.''


    Arthur: "I think I can help."


    Emmy: "... What are you thinking of, Arthur?"


    Arthur: "Just trust me, ok? I know what I''m doing."


    He knew this was a very stupid and reckless idea. But, to truly do what he wanted, unpredictability was needed every now and then.


    So, taking a deep breath, Arthur slowly moved his hand toward the tube and put his hand on it. The horrible pain assaulted the palm of his hand again. But, he bit his lip through the pain and then slowly channeled a very small amount of mana to his hand. He didn''t want to catch anyone''s attention on the off chance they were very sensitive to mana.


    Then, he activated Frost me around the palm of his hand. The fire quickly appeared and vanished, turning into ice around the extremely hot tube. The ice created a small, thin sheet of ice around the hot metal, quickly starting to cool it down.


    ''I learned this in physics ss¡­ When you rapidly cool down an extremely hot metal¡­''


    *Crack*


    ''It bes brittle and easy to crack.'' He thought to himself. Due to the extreme temperature of Frost me and the extreme temperature of the tube, the two powers shed strongly. However, it didn''t take a second for the stronger element toe victorious¡­ Ice.


    ''Then¡­ All I have to do is just crack it.'' Seeing that the part he froze hadpletely cooled down and started cracking, Arthur put his hand on it then with a simple squeeze.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    *CRACK*


    The entire tube crumbled asrge amounts of green gas started leaking out. Seeing that, Arthur took a deep breath.


    "THERE IS A GAS LEAKAGE!!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, catching everyone''s attention.


    "Huh? Gas leak?!"


    "What?!"


    "Everyone! Get out! Hurry!"


    The workers were all terrified beyond words as they stopped everything they were doing and rushed out of the room. The protocol had taught them what to do in case such a thing happens.


    Arthur watched the scene and quickly followed after them, not to raise suspicions. Meanwhile, the gas continued expanding everywhere, covering the entire kitchen. It slowly approached the burning fire around it.


    Then, all it needed was a small park before¡­


    *BOOOOOOOM*


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 233- The Red Pearl Incident (Part 5)

    The explosion sent a strong shockwave everywhere as fire ignited in the air. People screeched as they rushed as far as they could, stumbling on top of one another as they tried to avoid the burning fire.


    Everything inside the kitchen caught in the fire as the gas kept leaking continuously, fueling the mes even more.


    "What the hell?!"


    "The kitchen! The kitchen is on fire!"


    "What should we do?!"


    Panic erupted amongst the crowds as people started rushing toward the location from all ces. They heard the loud explosion and saw the smoke and fire rising in the air.


    ''I think I overdid it¡­'' Meanwhile, Arthur, the cause of the explosion, stood amongst the crowd, covering his face so that nobody would know him. He knew that if they realized that he was the cause of it, they wouldn''t let him go.


    ''I need to get out of here.'' As he thought of that, he heard loud steps as a group of men rushed toward them.


    "What is going on here?!"


    Seeing their attire, Arthur immediately recognized them as the guards. There were at least 8 of them, all carrying weapons in their arms, ready to engage in case they needed to. The speed at which they arrived at the scene was shocking.


    Herculia: "What the hell was that explosion?!"


    Emmy: "Arthur? What did you do?"


    Danny: "Bastard, did you blow up the building?"


    Messages popped in Arthur''s retina from his friends. They had felt the entire building shake from the sheer power of the explosion. Then, the entire building was submerged in chaos as people ran out, thinking the entire ce was about to copse.


    Arthur: "Use this opportunity and search the entire ce. They will be busy for a moment. I''m about to leave the location."


    He said as he started moving through the crowd, slowly getting the mask off his face as he sneaked out of the guards'' eyes and left the area, heading to the lower floors. He knew that with how much destruction there was, they wouldn''t be able to notice that he was missing.


    "Good luck extinguishing that me, gentlemen." He said as he walked down to the lower floors.


    At the same time, Herculia quickly moved in. He knew this opportunity was simply the perfect time to get every single other guard out. However, instead of dragging them out.


    "AGH!"


    *BANG*


    He decided to simply knock them out one by one as there were only a few remaining. At the same time, Danny and Emmy infiltrated the building from the front. In a matter of seconds, they were spread across the entire ce, scouring it left and right for any trace of their friends.


    They knew that they were hidden somewhere, perhaps the least ce they could''ve expected. That was why, they didn''t spare a single spot their eyesnded on. However, with how big the Red Pearl building was, the task was not easy at all.


    On top of that, they knew that they had at most a few minutes before the guards figured out what just happened and thenpletely trapped them inside. They had to move and move quickly.


    ''Where are you guys?'' Arthur moved from one room to another and from one section to another, trying to find anything remotely suspicious.


    ''Where are you?'' Emmy''s face waspletely shifted with worry. The more they looked around, the more time was running out and the more chances they wouldn''t find them.


    "Keep looking around, Emmy. We will find them. I can feel it." Danny said coldly. "We never fail."


    "..." Seeing the confident look on his face, she nodded her head. ''I can''t let anxiety get to me yet.''


    "We will search this area and the-"


    As the two were walking through the corridors, they took a turn to the left, only to suddenly halt as they noticed something.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    ***


    "Not here either. Where the hell is this hidden ce?! Did they bury them?" Arthur clenched his teeth in frustration. He was almost certain the kids were alive for one simple reason. They were simply too valuable for these people to just kill them.


    Sora was sought after from way before for something he didn''t know yet, and Fiy and Serko were two dwarves and he knew how they were seen by people. If there was any chance, they would be transported to the wall again where they supposedly belong.


    ''If I had to think like a viin¡­ Where would I put the hiding cell?'' He asked himself as he stopped to think for a moment.


    His options were endless but he knew it could only be one possibility and nothing else. Somewhere where nobody would look¡­ Somewhere that even Arthur could never fathom.


    His eyes looked around, left and right, taking in all the details of the bottom floor. He knew that this particr floor had the highest chance of having a secret entrance as it would link to an underground area which was presumably what he should be looking for.


    He slowly moved around, tracing the wall and touching everything he saw in hopes of figuring something out. However, nothing happened. He looked around for minutes with no result.


    ''Goddamit! I hate this stupid game they''re ying! Where the hell is this secret entrance?!'' He grumbled as he punched the wall slightly. He was growing extremely annoyed with theck of results.


    ''I don''t have time for this shit! The kids are waiting for me!'' Walking around the room, he tapped one of the cutting machines stationed there. He had already inspected this machine beforehand so he didn''t do it intentionally.


    However, the moment he touched it, he suddenly heard something click. Then, he felt the machine slowly starting to move on its own. The boy was shocked for a second by what was happening as he jumped back.


    "Huh?"


    Therge machine glided on the ground till itpletely moved to the side, opening a dark path into the wall Arthur didn''t see at all.


    "..." The boy stared nkly¡­ His face was frozen. Then, his eyes shifted to his hand. "Well¡­ I spoke too soon." He muttered. "Finally! I finally found it!"


    Without wasting any time, Arthur opened his chat group to tell them about his findings.


    Arthur: "I found the path! Come to my location now!"


    Herculia: "Already?!"


    Arthur: "Yes! I''m about to go in! Follow me when you''re done!"


    I: "I don''t know what you did but I''m on my way."


    Arthur nodded his head with a satisfied smile. ''I''ming for you, guys! Just wait a little bit more!''


    However, before moving, Arthur noticed that Danny and Emmy didn''t respond yet. This entire time, they were the first to respond to any message so the fact they didn''t respond confused Arthur a little.


    Slowly, a weird feeling of suspicion started rising within his chest. ''Well, they might be too busy to respond. I can''t waste too much time.''


    Shaking those weird thoughts away, he turned around and quickly walked into the tunnel. He was now closer than ever to his friends. His anger was slowly rising and his desire to rip the culprits apart for what they did.


    ''They better before fine or I''m going to kill you all!''


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 234- The Red Pearl Incident (Part 6)

    The dark tunnel Arthur walked into immediately engulfed him, leaving him in a ustrophobic path with no exit aside from the one he came from. The atmosphere inside was humid, cold, and extremely eerie.


    He could hear his steps echo around him every second, sounding almost distorted and distant. However, Arthur didn''t bother with that as he kept his focus on his path, making sure nobody was going to ambush him from ahead or behind.


    At the same time, he kept his eyes on the group chat, waiting for Danny and Emmy to respond. The two hadn''t responded yet and that was starting to make Arthur worry. The others had also noticed that the two had went radio silent for no reason at all.


    What made it even more confusing was the fact that their status bars didn''t seem to be decreasing, indicating that they were not fighting or engaging an enemy. So, what could be the reason they weren''t responding?


    ''The two are very strong and smart, they will handle whatever they are dealing with.'' He thought to himself.


    With that, he continued walking through the dark tunnel for a minute or so, growing even more bbergasted at how long it was. He was certain he had already moved out of the building and had gone somewhere underground.


    ''For how long does this tunnel stretch? What am I entering?'' Arthur started slowly feeling a very cold sensation in his heart. He knew that what he was about to see was perhaps worse than he could''ve ever imagined and he prayed silently his suspicion was wrong for once.


    However, upon looking up, Arthur finally saw the end of the tunnel. A closed, metal door with a very small window at the top, barely enough for one to see through. That was when he stopped and looked behind him before he expanded his senses to feel what was beyond this door.


    ''Hm, I can see two people standing near the door. Two guards.'' He thought to himself as he slowly opened his eyes, unsheathed his sword, and got ready for battle. He knew that there were perhaps far more guards inside than outside.


    ''Most of them aren''t that strong so it shouldn''t be a problem to take on many of them. If anything, that''s better. I haven''t fought humans that much.'' He thought to himself as he slowly approached the door and put his hand on it.


    However, almost immediately, Arthur''s eyes widened as he felt a strong electricity current run through his hand, making his muscles spasm. Quickly, he jumped back a few meters.


    ''... Fuck! That door is trapped too?'' He thought to himself as he looked at him shaking his arm. He could feel strong numbness fill the entire left side of his body. However, he shook it all off as he red at the door.


    ''Fine. If that''s what you want. I can y that game.'' He spat out a mouthful of saliva before he took a few steps back. Then, he rushed forward at full speed. When he got close, he stomped down as he delivered all the momentum into his right leg and mmed it against the door.


    *BOOOOOOM*


    The door shook violently and was immediately sted back with immense force. Then, Arthur rushed inside without any hesitation, jumping in as if he was about to y. The two guards had already sensed his presence and got into position.


    However, upon seeing the door get sted, they were shocked beyond words.


    Landing inside, Arthur dashed to the side and stabbed with his sword, aiming for the man''s neck. He didn''t let them have a moment to even regain theirposure.


    "AGH!"


    The man tried to step back instinctively, only for the sword to end up getting lodged into his chest.


    "YOU BASTARD!!" The other man tried to ambush the boy, only to feel something prate his neck from behind as blood exploded everywhere. Before he could even understand what killed him, he fell to the ground, dead.


    "Never turn your back away. An arrow might rip your throat apart." Arthur winked as he pulled his sword out of the other man and looked around him.


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed 2 level 12¡­]


    ''Only level 12? They''re so weak. It''s not even worth it absorbing their blood.'' Arthur clicked his tongue as he kicked one of them out of the way. In reality, Arthur felt so disgusted with these scumbags that he didn''t even want anything to do with their blood even if they were strong.


    ''They can keep that disgusting blood to themselves.'' He thought to himself as he looked around him.


    "Now¡­ What the hell is this ce¡­?" He muttered as he stared around him. The ce he found himself in was quiterge, almost wayrger than he expected. The room stretched for at least 100 meters or so with walls made out of thick stone.


    On the other side of the room was arge door that led somewhere unknown. However, what caught Arthur''s attention was the numerous iron doors on his left and right. The way they looked, rusty and old, and they way they were organized immediately struck Arthur as something very familiar.


    ''Prison cells¡­'' His eyes squinted.


    Dozens and dozens of these cells were built in this ce and Arthur didn''t know how to react to that. ''So it wasn''t only Sora after all¡­ These bastards¡­ What kind of shady business are they conducting?''


    The realization that this Red Pearl butcher shop was simply a facade for the horrible things these people were conducting in the shadows made Arthur almost want to puke. Then, he slowly started walking, approaching one of the random cells and staring inside.


    The ce was very dim so he had to activate Wretched Crawler''s Eye to see. It didn''t take Arthur long for him to regret that very simple decision he took as what he saw inside that cell shook him to his core.


    Inside, Arthur saw dozens of people, lying on the ground on top of each other in a cramped, dark space. None of them were moving as if they were dead with bloody injuries all over their bodies. Flies flew over their heads, eating at their wounds very slowly and agonizingly.


    "..." Arthur froze in his ce as he watched the scene, unable to formte any words at all. He smelt the horrid stench of blood and rotten flesh.


    "S-Save¡­ Us¡­"


    At that moment, one of the people inside sensed his presence and slowly looked up at him. The moment Arthur''s eyes locked on the man''s eyes, he could only shudder to the core. That stare, in the darkness, was simply pure horror.


    It was the stare of a dead person, someone who had seen things worse than hell. There was no light in those eyes, only death and agony.


    Slowly, Arthur stepped back from the cell as he looked to the side, his heart racing a little. Then, he quickly rushed to the second cell, and there, much to his dismay, there were even more people stacked up like piles of trash inside the small, dark cells. None of them looked in good shape or even remotely decent shape. Their injuries appeared in various forms, all from different methods of torture.


    ''What the hell is this¡­ What the hell is this?!''


    Arthur didn''t know how long these people were inside these cells, inplete darkness, treated like lesser beings, lesser than even animals.


    This was not a prison, this was a torture chamber. Moving to the third, then fourth, cells, Arthur tried to focus on searching for his friends amongst the countless prisoners.


    "Sora! Fiy! Serko! Where are you? Can you hear me?!"


    Upon yelling their names, Arthur''s voice seemingly woke up the dead prisoners. Then, slowly, he started hearing knocks on the iron gates as the groans and cries of these agonized souls filled the entire prison.


    "Water¡­"


    "Please¡­"


    "Light¡­ I''m dying¡­"


    The soundspletely tore Arthur''s heart apart as he stood in the middle of this room, staring around him at the scene.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "Save us¡­"


    "Open the door¡­ I will not¡­"


    "Kill me¡­ It hurts¡­ Mom¡­"


    "..."


    With a horrified look on his face, Arthur stood there, trying to take in this sight. These people, begging him for help, water, and freedom. Even though they had been here for god knows how long, they still hadn''t lost hope yet.


    It didn''t make sense¡­ It made no sense to Arthur at all. How can a human do something like this to a fellow human or any other sane creature for that matter?


    ''Why¡­?''


    Was it really the difference that made this eptable? Was it ego? Jealousy? Perhaps a mix of everything?


    But, in a moment, Arthur shook those thoughts away. The reason never mattered in the first ce. It didn''t matter if it was for any of these reasons, the fact someone can do such things to others¡­ It baffled him.


    That was the very first instance where Arthur saw how truly ugly this side of humanity was. An ugly side he heard about a few times before, only for it to manifest in its ugliest forms right in front of his eyes.


    The utopian image of the capital finally burst into pieces.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 235- The Red Pearl Incident (Part 7)

    Arthur stood there for a moment, taking everything in, trying to wrap his head around it. He was truly speechless. Divinity Online had finally shown him a very ugly side to the Divine Realm. This world that looked heavenly on the outside hid such a horrifying truth in its darkness.


    The fact that this world looked that beautiful and yet had these extremely horrifying sights felt quite ironic. However, at the same time, Arthur quickly understood that all of this was not really something new.


    Even in the real world, such an ugly side existed and was very much prominent everywhere. The Divine Realm simply took that and amplified it to another degree and then served it in the form of a game.


    Reaching that realization, Arthur shook his head as he tried to regain hisposure. ''This¡­ This is evil¡­ This is the work of a devil¡­''


    Arthur pursed his lips as he started walking again. Now, he was even more angry than before. He realized that he wasn''t dealing with a mere criminal but a truly twisted person. He was even more determined to find Sora, Fiy, and Serko.


    ''If you do anything to them¡­ Anything¡­ I will make you taste hell.'' He tightened his fists as he looked through the cells, one by one, calling for his friends'' names while ignoring the howls of agonying from the people around him.


    He checked every single cell, calling for his friends in hopes of hearing their voices. At this point, Arthur desperately wished that they were at least alive. All his confidence that they might be well was slowly vanishing with each passing second.


    From wishing to find them in a good state, to wishing to just find them alive, Arthur hurried his steps even more.


    ''Please¡­'' His face was sweating. ''Not here. Not here either! Where are they?!''


    His eyes wandered everywhere and his senses frantically scanned the area again and again. It was extremely hard to find three people amongst potentially more than a hundred prisoners inside this ce.


    Even as messages were ringing in his head, Arthur was so focused on his task that he didn''t bother checking them.


    Eventually, Arthur arrived at thest cell. His heart was beating wildly, almost too quickly. He heaved up and down audibly as he stepped forward and peeked inside. There, he saw her. In a small, dark corner of the empty cell, he saw a small silhouette sitting silently with their arms wrapped around their legs.


    Arthur''s eyes slowly widened as he instantly recognized that person. "Sora!" He eximed as hope shed in his eyes. Then, without hesitation, he charged his hand with mana before he delivered a powerful strike to the door.


    However, the punch wasn''t strong enough to break it with ease.


    "Wait there, Sora! I''m about to get you out!" He eximed as he rained down punches on the metal door. Each punch was stronger and more devastating than thest tone. With all the excitement and adrenaline, he didn''t care about the fact that his hand might start bleeding.


    But, those punches also dealt enormous damage to the door''s lock, breaking it gradually till eventually.


    *Snap*


    He heard the crisp crack as the door finally pushed wide open. Arthur quickly rushed inside and approached Sora as he crouched down. The girl didn''t seem to have heard him at all. However, Arthur could feel her weak aura from a distance which put him at ease. She was alive!


    However, upon seeing the girl''s condition from up close, his smile vanished and was reced with a deep frown. Her small body waspletely bloodied and tattered with numerous injuries covering her. She looked as if she was on the brink of death.


    Arthur''s heart twisted with pain at such a horrible sight. The poor girl didn''t deserve any of that at all.


    "Sora! Sora! Can you hear me?!" He shook her gently.


    "Hnng¡­" The girl groaned slightly as she lifted her head up and opened her eyes slowly. She seemedpletely out of it as if she had been in a deep slumber.


    She stared at Arthur, unable to recognize him for a few seconds. However, once it settled in her mind.


    "... A-Arthur?" She muttered under her breath.


    "Yes, it''s me. I''m sorry for beingte, I will get you out of here."


    "... Arthur¡­"


    Hearing his voice, the girl seemingly was shaken out of the drunk state she was in. "Arthur¡­"


    Then, tears slowly rolled out of her eyes. "Arthur¡­" She stretched her hand forward and grabbed into his clothes. "Arthur¡­"


    She muttered his name as if it was the only word she knew. Each time she said it, Arthur could feel the immense pain, agony, and fear she had gone through. It might''ve been only a few hours for Arthur, but it was hell all over again for Sora. She had experienced everything she thought she had escaped all over again.


    The boy didn''t know what to say as he simply stared at her. He truly had nothing to say at that moment. Instead, he simply scooped her up and hugged her gently.


    "I''m sorry¡­ I''m really sorry¡­" He apologized. "I''m sorry for beingte. I''m sorry for leaving these bastards to get you again. I have promised to keep you safe with us. But¡­"


    Arthur truly felt immense guilt for not being able to be there and help the girl. It might''ve been somethingpletely out of his control. But, that by no means excused him. He had broken his promise mere hours after making it. Arthur felt as guilty as the bastards that did that to her if not more.


    "No¡­" The girl wept in his arms. "No¡­ You did¡­ nothing wrong¡­ They¡­"


    "I have truly been a horrible friend." He replied with a pained look filled with anger.


    "No¡­ Thank you¡­ For saving me¡­ But¡­ But¡­"


    "But what?" Arthur felt as if Sora was trying to say something to him amidst her sobs.


    "They¡­ They took Fiy and Serko!"


    "..." The boy''s eyes widened as he realized what she meant. The two dwarves were not inside the cell. He was about to ask her if she had seen them, but the information came sooner. "Where? Where did they take them?"


    "That man¡­ I heard them¡­ He wants to bring them back¡­ Where they came from!"


    "Who is he?"


    At that moment, Arthur received a new notification added to the pile of unread messages he ignored so far. However, this time, Arthur opened the message as he realized that his team was trying to contact him.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    However, the very first thing he saw was.


    I: "Arthur! Where are you?! If you can hear me! Leave the building now! The ce is being surrounded by guards! I''ming toward you!"


    He read the urgent message from I and immediately, a cold feeling washed over his heart.


    ''Shit! They already realized the n!'' He clenched his teeth as he looked at Sora.


    "We need to get out of here! I will fetch Fiy and Serko wherever they are!" Picking up Sora, he put her on his shoulder. "Grab on tight! I''m going to make a run for it."


    Making Sora wrap her arms around his neck, he finally took off out of the cell, heading toward the exit.


    However, he suddenly stopped again.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 236- The Red Pearl Incident (Part 8)

    Outside, it wasplete mayhem. People rushed away from the building as they saw the fire rise higher and higher, engulfing an even bigger section of the building. The gas leaking spread everywhere, dragging the burning tongues of mes along with it.


    Nobody could approach the source of the gas and nobody could stop the fire due to the extreme heat.


    "Get the water! Get the goddamn water!!"


    "Where is the gas valve?! How do we stop this?!"


    Workers and guards alike tried to stop the disaster before all the building catches on fire but to no avail. They sted it with water and fire extinguishers, trying to calm it down but nothing worked.


    "They have gone to stop the gas leakage! We need to stop the fire!"


    What was previously only the kitchen, was now the entire hallway, and the fire was pushing forward quickly. The smoke filled the corridors of the building, almost suffocating everyone inside.


    People outside watched the scene with horror. They had never seen the Red Pearl in such a state before. Half the building was sted off and the fire was burning the other half, trying to destroy everything that came in its way.


    "It''s going to copse¡­" One citizen said as they watched with a deep frown.


    "Huh?"


    "The fire is burning the foundations of the building. If it continues at this rate, the entire building will copse in no time."


    Although most of the building was built out of stone, the wood parts were the problem. They were easily catching on fire and slowly eating away at the foundations.


    There was no time to waste, the fire must be extinguished or the building was bound to crumble.


    ***


    Meanwhile, at the lowest floor, Arthur rushed out of the tunnel at top speed with Sora on his back. After quickly drinking a health potion, she regained some energy and was able to hold on tightly. Meanwhile, Arthur was staring around him.


    ''Smoke¡­ The fire is still going?'' He raised an eyebrow. He knew that what he did was a huge problem, but he expected the workers and guards to quickly get rid of it as it should be a part of the safety protocol of the establishment.


    However, what Arthur didn''t think of was the nature of the gas being pumped into the pipes and then into the furnaces. That gas was fueled with mana as all things are in the Divine Realm which amplifies its efficiency to a whole different level. Even the smallest amount of it could make an entire room burn with ease.


    ''Ugh, whatever. I need to meet with I and get out of here before we''repletely stuck.'' He thought to himself as he took a turn to the right, heading to the secondary exit as he agreed with the others.


    That was when he had to instantly halt and jump back again.


    "Take to the lowest floor! Check the gutter!"


    Seeing many guards running around the area, searching for him and his group, he hid himself.


    ''How many are there?'' He clenched his teeth as he looked around him. He knew that in less than a minute, Arthur was going to be found if he didn''t leave the ce immediately.


    "Don''t make a sound, Sora. We will get out." He said as he shushed her.


    "Ok¡­" She nodded her head.


    ''There should be another exit.''


    Looking to the side, Arthur decided to take the second path which was a detour but stillpletely empty. Like a shadow, he moved quickly and quietly through the path, barely avoiding being detected by the forces invading the building.


    ''I is close by.'' He mused as he took a third turn. He kept running while keeping an eye on his surroundings.


    That was when he felt a presence approaching him at an rming speed. For a second, he thought it was an enemy. But, looking over his shoulder, Arthur saw I appearing out of one of the many rooms.


    "Psst, here!" She said in a whisper.


    "I!"


    At the same time, Arthur heard the sound of footsteps approaching him quickly from both sides. The guards were closing down on him at an rming pace. So, without hesitation, Arthur jumped inside before I closed the door without making any noise.


    "Search that area! They should''ve not gone far!"


    The guards passed the room as they ran toward the other side, unaware that their targets were there.


    "Shhh." I put her hand against the door, next to Arthur''s head as she waited for the sound of footsteps to vanish.


    Arthur stared at her from up close, trying to keep his breathing quiet. The two stared at each other for a few tense moments, talking through their eyes. Weirdly enough, they almost forgot about the current situation as their eyes peered through one another.


    But, eventually, the two snapped out of it as I pushed herself off the door. "I almost didn''t see youing here." She said, trying to sound calm as usual.


    "... I didn''t think you would be waiting for me. Isn''t the entire building surrounded at this point?" He asked as he walked after her.


    "Not fully. They are still trying to calm down the fire. We need to take this opportunity and leave the building."


    "I¡­" Sora muttered with a delighted tone.


    "Hey there," I replied as she gently rubbed the little girl''s face, wiping some of the blood sticking to her face. "Are you fine?"


    "Mmm¡­ I''m fine."


    "I''m d I found her quickly. She was in a really bad condition. But¡­ More importantly, they took Fiy and Serko away. I couldn''t find them." Arthur said as he watched I open the window and looked outside.


    "I already suspected they will do that. They are most likely on their path out of the city now." She said coldly. "We will find them before they leave."


    "I know," Arthur replied. "Let''s get Sora out of here first and then chase them."


    "Both exits had been closed so our only option is to jump from here," I said.


    They were currently on the second floor of the building so the distance wasn''t too big for them. With their powerful bodies, jumping from higher altitudes was now far easier than ever.


    "Ok. That looks fine. Go ahead first, I will throw Sora to you. You can reduce her momentum with your gravitational powers." Arthur said.


    "Mm¡­" I nodded then slowly climbed up the window and put her leg outside. Then, with a simple leap, she jumped down, reaching the ground quickly. Hernding didn''t make a noise as she was able to easily reduce the noises with some gravity maniption.


    "Throw her to me." She said as she opened her arms.


    "Are you ready, Sora? This might hurt a little. I''m sorry for that." Arthur said as he patted the girl on the head.


    "It''s fine. I can handle it." She said with a nod.


    Seeing the confidence in her eyes, Arthur could only be taken aback. This girl would always surprise him in the most unexpected ways. In the end, he smiled at her.


    "Ok, get ready¡­" He said as he picked her up and put her over the window. "Now!"


    Then, he threw her off. However, almost immediately, her body lost all momentum as she started slowly descending right into I''s arm as if she were a tree leaf, floating down in the wind.


    "I got you," I said as she hugged Sora and then looked up at Arthur. "Your turn."


    The boy nodded as he put his legs outside and grabbed onto the edge. Then, he took a deep breath, released himself, and started falling.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    However¡­ Arthur never reached the ground.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 237- The Red Pearl Incident (Part 9)

    "Huh?"


    I froze in ce as she stared up at the sky, unable topletely wrap her head around what she just witnessed. Arthur, who was about tond on the ground, suddenly vanished from sight as if he was never there.


    Everything happened so quickly that she didn''t even have time to blink her eyes beforehand. "Arthur?" she called for his name.


    However, she naturally had no response. That was when it dawned on her¡­ Arthur had vanished into thin air.


    "Arthur!"


    Sora snapped out of her daze and looked up. "Where is he¡­? What happened, I?" She asked confusedly. Looking at her friend''s expression, she saw a very deep frown, a terrifying one.


    I looked over her shoulder. ''What happened? Did he get teleported? How? I didn''t see anything.'' She thought to herself as a thousand questions popped into her mind. She was already aware of the possibility that someone in that building could use teleportation and what just happened instantly reminded her of that eerie detail.


    However, what made it terrifying was the fact that it happened so quickly, and at such a crucial moment, when Arthur was about tond and make his escape.


    I found herselfpletely lost in that moment. She didn''t know what to do: Whether to stick to the n and run away or go back in to find Arthur.


    ''Dammit, when we were so close.'' She clenched her teeth.


    "I¡­ Is¡­ Is Arthur going to be ok? What happened?" Sora felt extremely worried as she read all the subtle shifts in her expression.


    "He''s going to be fine¡­ Don''t worry." She patted the girl. ''I can''t go back in with the girl in my arms. I have to get her out of here first.''


    At the same time, I could hear the footsteps of the guards surrounding the building. There was no time to think and I had to make her decision at that moment. So, she bit her lip and turned around.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Deep down, she was worried about Arthur as being caught in such a situation was a disaster. However, she knew it would be a bigger disaster if she was also caught. Whether she liked it or not, she had to leave and believe that Arthur would be able to somehow do something, wherever he was at that moment.


    But, the difference was¡­ I wasn''t forced to do that.


    ''You bettere out alive, Arthur. I know you will.''


    As she ran away, she didn''t dare to look back as she had one purpose at that moment. Find the rest of her group, and go after the two dwarves before they leave the city. There was no time at all and the clock was ticking down.


    ***


    "Goddamit, that hurts!!" Arthur growled as he tapped the back of his head. He had hit it when he fell to the ground. He didn''t understand what had just happened as he looked around him. He was now in apletely different ce than he expected.


    ''Where the hell am I? And why the hell am I here?!'' He blinked in confusion. He was with I and Sora just a few seconds ago.


    Now, he was inside what he could only describe as a normal office room. It was dim and quiet, with the curtains covering the windows so as not to let anyone see in or out of the room.


    "..." Slowly, Arthur stood up as he looked around him. ''Fuck, where was I transported?''


    "When I heard about the ''Gifted Ones'' and how they have arrived at the capital. I expected to see something different."


    *Click*


    At that moment, Arthur a clicking sound followed by a very cold and deep voice. Looking to the side again, he realized that themp on the office''s desk had been turned on by a man, revealing their appearance.


    The man was d in dark clothes with a rather long hair that reached his nape. He had arge scar across his terrifying face that moved from his upper lip to his left eye. He had arge cigar in the side of his mouth that was slowly burning.


    This entire time, Arthur couldn''t feel his presence at all. He could swear that there was no one with him inside that room and that idea alone made Arthur extremely wary of this man. That is of course if he ignored the sheer pressure being exuded from the man''s body.


    Arthur could feel the atmosphere around him feeling heavier than ever before. This man was¡­ a threat.


    "..."


    "But, to think you are all but a bunch of kids. I must admit that I was truly disappointed." The man continued as he pulled the cigar from his mouth. "A bunch of kids trying to get into my business."


    "... What can I say? We are young but can still ruin your little, totally legal business. That says more about how weak you are than about us." Arthur shrugged. "But, I have to admit that you definitely look your role very well. A bad guy."


    His response made the man stare at him coldly for a few seconds as if he was trying to pressure him. However, Arthur had seen far worse. The giant''s eyes were still engraved in his mind andpared to them, this man was basically harmless.


    "Being mischievous even though you don''t even understand what situation you are in currently¡­ I mustpliment your mental strength."


    "Can we get over withpliments? I''m trying to leave this ce. But, before that, I need to ask you a question." Then, the smile and yful tone vanished as he Arthur pointed his finger at the man. His expression had turned into that of extreme anger.


    "Are you the one that abducted my friend?" He asked coldly.


    "..." The man squinted his eyes for a moment as if he was quite surprised by what he was seeing. But, in the end, he closed his eyes and replied.


    "Indeed, I am-"


    *Swish*


    Before he could even finish the sentence, he opened his eyes to Arthur''s punch swinging toward his face.


    *BOOOOOOM*


    Arthur mmed his fist into the chair, sting it to pieces. His eyes were filled with murderous intent as he slowly peeled his hand out of the wood. Looking up, he realized that the man had moved to the side almost instantaneously.


    ''Fast¡­'' He clenched his teeth.


    Meanwhile, the man himself was coldly eyeing Arthur back. He didn''t expect the boy to instantly attack like that and if it wasn''t for his reaction speed, that attack would''ve most definitely hit its target.


    ''Kids or not¡­ They are not an enemy to be underestimated. It seems the rumors are true¡­ They are a bunch of monsters with no limit for their potential.'' Reaching that conclusion, the man exhaled a breath as he slowly released the cigar from his hand, letting it drop to the ground before he stomped it with his leather shoe.


    "Say¡­ What is your name, kid?"


    "Shut the hell up!" Arthur cursed. "The pain you inflicted on those innocent kids. I''m going to pay it back with interest."


    Slowly unsheathing his sword, Arthur aimed it at the man. All his anger from the scenes he witnessed came back to him as he channeled his mana.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 238- The Red Pearl Incident (Part 10)

    The man eyed Arthur silently as he felt the boy''s aura ring up with sheer anger. He knew that he wasn''t going to listen at all and a conversation was basically impossible.


    "Nice to meet you. The name is ''Sloth''." Sloth replied as he cracked his neck. Then, he slowly got rid of the ck gloves on his hands.


    ''Sloth?'' Arthur frowned. ''What the hell is that stupid name? Oh, well, who cares?''


    Arthur continued channeling his mana to its utmost potential. His body charged up, slowly getting infused with power. Then, in a split second, Arthur dashed forward again, shaking the ground beneath him with his immense strength.


    Closing the distance in an instant, Arthur swung his sword, aiming for the man''s head. His speed and precision were terrifying, to say the least. Coupled with his evolving sword technique, Arthur was slowly turning into a true monster with the sword.


    However, before his sword could make contact with Sloth, the man suddenly vanished again. Arthur was already anticipating that as he halted, stomping the ground with his left foot, and then turned around and swung his sword back.


    As he expected, the man appeared right behind him as their swords shed mid-air. The hit pushed Arthur and Sloth back a few steps.


    ''So this is the guy that uses teleportation. What a terrifying ability. He can move wherever he wants.'' Arthur thought to himself.


    On the other hand, Sloth was also surprised by Arthur''s reaction speed and cleverness. He instantly expected an ambush from the back and shifted his bnce sessfully. It was a simple move but the technique behind it was enormous.


    The two stared at each other for a second before they dashed forward at top speed.


    *CLING*


    The swords shed violently again in a series of quick moves. The two moved their weapons left and right, aiming for a lethal attack to finish the fight quickly.


    Sloth was able to easily keep up with Arthur without the need to teleport which made Arthur even more worried. He knew that the man could use the ability at any moment.


    ''I need to finish this fight quickly.'' He thought to himself. Then, without hesitation, Arthur activated ''Lonesome Warrior''s Howl'', ''Blood w,'' and ''Blood Arrows''. All three abilities merged together as Arthur instantly shifted his attack pattern, swinging his wed arm instead.


    ''Suddenly?'' Sloth''s eyes shed with a cold glint as he tried to teleport again. However, much to his surprise, he suddenly felt something stomp on his leg.


    *BANG*


    The ws connected with the man''s chest, sending him flying back into the wall. The man clenched his teeth as he slowly rose from the ground, feeling the blood seeping through his clothes. Then, he stared up, only to realize that Arthur had reached him again.


    For a second, he saw a terrifying stare in the boy''s eyes before a rain of attacks came down on him from all angles. Arthur''s speed had doubled and his intensity had reached a whole new level as if he was trying to end the fight in ten seconds.


    He didn''t spare Sloth a second to even try and catch his breath after the sudden attack. Instead, all he could do was defend himself using his sword. The left-arm ws and the right-arm sword made the job even more difficult.


    ''His arms are moving independently as if they have a mind of their own. I can''t predict what he is about to do.'' The man clenched his teeth as he channeled even more Mana into his muscles to increase his speed.


    Sloth would be lying if he said that he didn''t feel irritated being pushed back like this by a mere kid. He was not a weak nobody who can be bullied around easily. Whether it was a Gifted One or not, he didn''t care.


    Meanwhile, Arthur''s entire aim was one single point¡­ The chest. Using his sneaky attacks and his advantage of using both arms as a source of attack, he tried to deliver that lethal hit that finished the fight.


    ''He isn''t as strong as I expected. I can kill him quickly!'' Realizing that, Arthur increased his intensity again. His Sanguine de shed with Sloth''s sword, making loud noises and flickers of fire.


    He slowly pushed Sloth against the wall as the man started losing his footing.


    *CLING* *CLING* *CLING*


    For almost a minute, Arthur threw all the possible attacks he could. At the same time, secretly, he was preparing Blood Arrows to ambush the man when he least expected it. He knew that if he could time it right, the man wouldn''t be able to dodge it.


    However, at the back of his head, Arthur was confused that Sloth didn''t teleport again. He thought he might do it at any point but the man simply took everything in.


    ''Did he run out of mana or is there some kind of limit to this ability?''


    Even as he was getting closer and closer to ending the battle, Arthur started feeling rather weird. Something didn''t feel right. His guts weren''t telling him that his victory was near even though he was clearly so close to breaking Sloth''s defence.


    A few secondster, all his worry was manifested in real life.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Don''t¡­ Get ahead of yourself!" Sloth suddenly yelled as he pushed against Arthur, making him take a step back.


    ''Now!''


    Arthur used that moment as he quickly summoned the blood arrows andunched them at the man from different angles.


    Sloth''s eyes moved left and right, realizing what the boy was nning before he suddenly vanished from sight.


    *BANG*


    The arrows hit the wall, totally missing their target.


    ''Behind me?!'' Arthur''s eyes shifted behind as he swung his sword almost by pure instinct. However, much to his surprise, the man didn''t appear behind him.


    "It''s never the same thing twice."


    Instead, he heard the voice from the front. The boy''s heart stopped as he quickly activated his armor.


    *CLING*


    "AGH!"


    He felt a sharp de ze over his chest, inflicting sharp pain on his skin as he wasunched back onto the table.


    ''Dammit! He tricked me!'' Pushing the broken wood off his body, Arthur stood up and stared at Sloth.


    "I am not someone you can fight, kid. You Gifted Ones think you are the only ones who possess power. I will show you¡­ True strength.


    Then, after saying that, the man suddenly vanished again and reappeared a small distance away. Then, he did it again, appearing at a different spot. In a few seconds, the man appeared and disappeared quickly, making Arthur chase him with his eyes.


    ''No¡­'' A cold feeling washed over his body. The man blinked in and out of existence as he started back at Arthur.


    Then, out of nowhere, Arthur felt a cold threatening feelinging from the side. Quickly, he swung his sword, trying to deflect the attack.


    However, when he looked to the side, he didn''t see the man. ''What?!'' Arthur then felt a strong kick to his side, sending him flying to the wall.


    "Whatever ce you might think I''m going to appear in¡­ It will never be." Sloth said as he appeared in front of Arthur. "Let''s see what you can do¡­ When your instincts are useless."


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 239- The Red Pearl Incident (Part 11)

    If Arthur was ever to be asked what his most useful ability was in the entirety of the game and what he relied on the most, he would answer instantly without any hesitation that it was his instinct.


    That single aspect of the game- even though it had no quantifiable stat to measure it- was by far the most important aspect of a yer''s fighting style and even the way they interact with the Divine Realm.


    The stronger a yer gets, the sharper and wider their senses be as it is directly linked to personal strength. The instincts could do countless things like sensing danger, measuring the strength of an opponent, scanning an area and even giving a new angle to look at things.


    It was the yer''s third eye that he needed in order to survive and Arthur fully relied on it to save him countless times. After all, his senses were perhaps his strongest side. It gave him an advantage over everything else.


    No matter the situation, those senses were always there to unravel the truth and show him what to do. Yet, Arthur had never expected that one day, this very strong power he had would be renderedpletely useless.


    His strongest eye had been blinded and he didn''t know how to face that change nor did he ever prepare himself for a time when he couldn''t see beyond what his eyes could perceive.


    *CLING*


    The sound of Arthur''s sword rang in the entire room as the fight continued. But, all of its tides had suddenly shifted in Sloth''s favor. Arthur was put in apletely defensive position as he tried to dodge the rain of attacksing at him from every single conceivable angle.


    Sloth''s teleportation ability made itpletely impossible for Arthur to detect where the attacks wereing from. If he felt that the attack mighte from the left, Sloth would appear on his right. If he expected a swing, he would face a thrust, and if he thought that Sloth was going to punch, he kicked.


    It was as if the man was reading Arthur''s thoughts and doing the exact opposite. Yet, even when Arthur tries to do the exact opposite of what his guts tell him, Sloth ends up doing the opposite again.


    In a matter of seconds, Arthur sustained countless attacks, chipping away at his health. He was thrown left and right, smashing against the walls and getting many small cuts across his entire body. The Sharded Skull Armor Set was able to deflect many of these attacks as Arthur infused it with an immense amount of mana.


    ''Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Where is heing from? I can''t see!'' He thought to himself as he looked left and right in a hurry. Arthur waspletely clueless as to what he was supposed to do.


    "What? Can''t you deflect any of these attacks?" Sloth asked as he stabbed from behind Arthur, making the boy jump to the side, only to disappear the next moment and appear somewhere else.


    *CLING*


    "AGH!"


    The hit sted Arthur back, rolling on the ground like a ragdoll as he hit the wall. The hit had knocked the breath out of his lungs and made him gasp desperately for air.


    ''God¡­ dammit¡­'' He thought to himself with wide eyes.


    "I can see that your senses have truly been carrying you this entire time. You must''ve thought they would never betray you." Sloth strolled slowly toward Arthur. "Many make the same mistake you did. They think their senses will always be right and they end up relying on it as their main defense mechanism so why wouldn''t they? After all, it works like magic."


    Rising up slowly, Arthur stared at Sloth silently, his eyes filled with endless anger and coldness. However, the man ignored that look and continued talking.


    "They go their entire life thinking this is more than enough. But¡­ They always forget one thing that ends up being the cause of their demise." Stopping for a moment, Sloth tilted his head a little as a weird, terrifying grin appeared on his face. "People like me exist."


    Arthur felt a chill run down his spine seeing that wicked smile on the man''s face. Those words felt as if they were a knife moving across his neck.


    "I can read you. I can read everything in your mind. I know everything you want to do. Your senses could never save you from me. All you can do is anxiously wait for the sword to stab your heart. Hahaha, as I expected, Gifted Ones aren''t all that dangerous. You lot are the same foolish idiots we have here. You will never take control of this city." Sloth said.


    "..."


    Arthur stared silently at the man, hearing everything he was saying as clearly as ever. Blood was dripping from his injuries to the ground and he was breathing heavily. Sloth expected an enraged response from Arthur. But, the boy instead remainedpletely silent.


    ''Did he finally give up? It must''ve crushed his excitement seeing how stronger I am.'' He thought to himself as he picked up his sword and held it with both hands. Then, he did something thatpletely took Sloth by surprise.


    Arthur slowly closed his eyes.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "..." Sloth squinted slightly when he saw that. He didn''t understand why the boy had suddenly done that.


    ''Is he trying to fight me blind? Does he think that will work?'' Sloth waspletely confused as he stared at Arthur for a few seconds. He wasn''t dumb to think that Arthur was simply giving up, the boy definitely had some kind of n and it could turn out really bad for Sloth if he underestimated it.


    Whether he liked it or not, that boy was extremely dangerous and the fact he was that strong at that age made him quite terrified of what he will be in a few years time. His talent was simply monstrous.


    ''Whatever he is thinking of¡­ Nothing can make him defeat his own senses. He will end up relying on them and I will end up reading his mind.'' Making up his mind, Sloth vanished again as he charged toward Arthur.


    Then, he appeared again behind Arthur stabbed with his sword, hitting his side. The boy groaned audibly as he was pushed to the side.


    ''What? He didn''t try to deflect or dodge?'' Sloth felt extremely confused as he appeared behind Arthur again and kicked him forward, making the boy stumble on his feet.


    Yet, the boy didn''t seem to attack or defend at all as he stood there as if he froze in time. His eyes closed shut and his sword held with two hands as he kept his fighting stance.


    ''Wha the hell is wrong with him?''


    Sloth clenched his teeth as he continued attacking Arthur relentlessly, chipping away at his health as it slowly reached a critical state. But, the boy didn''t seem to mind at all as he took everything.


    At this point, Sloth was starting to believe the boy had lost his mind from fear. He had never seen such a behavior before. Yet, he still didn''t feel at ease at all and that was why he kept ambushing him instead of delivering thatst, killer blow.


    He could easily stop and stab Arthur in the neck or face. But, every time he considered that, his senses told him not to even think about it and he didn''t know why. The boy was doing nothing.


    At this point, Sloth simply wanted him to move as that would at least tell him the boy was doing something.


    But, still, his attack continued and his intensity increased as he stabbed Arthur everywhere. A minute passed and Arthur still didn''t move and the bloody injuries on his body had doubled. He waspletely covered in cuts and bruises.


    ''He will die. There is nothing else he will do. I guess I overestimated this kid.'' The man thought to himself, feeling a little irritated that Arthur had made him terrified for no reason.


    However, at that moment, when he was about to stab Arthur''s neck and end the fight, something unexpected happened. Something thatpletely took Sloth by surprise.


    Arthur''s body moved suddenly, in an explosive manner as his sword turned around and stabbed Sloth, aiming for his face. ''What?!''


    For a moment, Sloth felt as if his entire life shed before his eyes as he quickly pulled his head back, only letting the sword stab his nose.


    The man vanished and appeared a little farther from Arthur, with his hand on his nose.


    ''What was that? Was he aiming to finish the fight with a sudden attack? But¡­ At that moment¡­ I couldn''t read his intentions¡­''


    Sloth was making sure he was ready for any sudden attacks and yet, Arthur seemingly moved without any intentions at all. The boy''s sword simply moved on its own.


    As he was contemting what just happened, Arthur turned around slowly and then aimed his sword at Sloth. Then, slowly, he closed his eyes again.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 240- The Red Pearl Incident (Part 12)

    Sloth stared at Arthur, unable to understand what the boy did or what he was still trying to do. His entire aura hadpletely calmed down and was suppressed back into his body and his expression was eerily calm even though the situation was quite bad for him.


    ''Is he trying to y with my mind?'' Sloth thought to himself as he gripped his short sword. For someone of his position, being psychologically manipted was simply impossible, especially not by a literal kid.


    It didn''t sit right with him that Arthur was trying to y with his mind even though it could''ve been something else.


    ''I will kill him and end this pointless attempt.'' Making up, his mind, Sloth vanished from sight as he moved toward Arthur. This time he made sure he was extra careful as he ambushed Arthur, waiting to see what the boy was going to do and then shift his position and attack him at a vital point.


    *Swish*


    Emerging from the nothingness, the man tried to attack Arthur from the side while preparing his teleportation to counter any potential reaction from Arthur. However, he didn''t feel a single shift in Arthur''s aura as he remained standing still, not moving at all.


    ''What?''


    Sloth realized quickly that he couldn''t read Arthur at all and before he could even react, Arthur sword was moving toward him at a horrifying speed, far quicker than ever before.


    ''When did he¡­?!''


    "AGH!"


    Sloth tried to dodge the attack. But, this time, he was far toote. Slicing through his clothes, the sword left a deep cut in his chest. The man vanished and appeared far away as he held his chest where blood gushed out endlessly.


    ''Dammit! Why can''t I read his mind? Why is his aura suddenly not reacting at all?! What did he do?'' The man was starting to panic deep down, unable to figure out what went wrong.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Meanwhile, Arthur turned around with his eyes closed and faced Sloth again, repeating the same move. At this point, the man waspletely lost. He didn''t dare to attack again as he eyed Arthur down.


    The two stood there for a few seconds before Arthur finally opened his mouth. "Are you done?" He asked in an eerily calm tone. He didn''t seem bothered at all.


    However, Sloth didn''t like that question at all. He was being mocked in broad daylight. Never did he face such a humiliation by a mere kid before.


    "Well, if you''re not going to attack. It is my turn."


    *Swish*


    Arthur vanished from sight as he basically blinked in front of Sloth with his sword slicing down.


    ''Fast!'' Sloth couldn''t even exhale his breath as he vanished and reappeared behind Arthur, aiming to counter the attack instantly. However, he suddenly felt two sharp objects pry his body.


    "UGH!"


    Looking over his shoulder, he realized that two blood arrows had just prated his defense. ''When did he¡­ summon them?!''


    The man didn''t feel anything approaching him from behind and for some reason, he ended up falling right into Arthur''s trap. Stumbling forward, his eyes met the sharp edge of Arthur''s word as it was driven into the left side of his abdomen. Arthur had missed his target.


    Sloth immediately disappeared again. Appearing in the corner of the room, his face contorted with pain as he was on one knee from the sheer pain. Looking down, he saw a gaping bloody hole in his body that was leaking out a dangerous amount of blood.


    ''Fuck¡­ He got me¡­'' He tried to breathe but even that felt extremely difficult. ''This boy is too dangerous¡­ He isn''t as easy of a target as I thought¡­ I need another -''


    "I have seen the prison you built under this ce." Arthur suddenly said, cutting the man''s thoughts at a weird spot. "I have seen the tens of people you threw in those dark cells and the torture marks on their bodies."


    "..." Sloth stared up at Arthur, his face filled with sweat as he clenched his teeth.


    "Before I cut your head off, I want to know." Arthur blinked. "Why? What did those people do to you to deserve such a treatment?"


    That was the question that has been bothering Arthur ever since heid eyes on that hellhole of a ce. He wanted to know why all of this cruelty happened. What drove him tomit all of that?


    But, Arthur never expected the answer he was about to receive.


    "Why? Why you say?" Slowly, Sloth stood up with a groan as he swayed left and right. "Let me answer you with a question of my own¡­ Why not?"


    "..." Arthur squinted his eyes.


    "Haha, I believe you''re one of those goody-two-shoes who advocate for the fair treatment of all, don''t you?"


    ''Is that supposed to be a bad thing?'' Arthur thought to himself.


    "Let me tell you something, Gifted kid. In this world, in order to survive, you better lower your head and keep yourself out of others'' problems. Those things were not considered humans to be treated as such. They''re far lower than us. They were born into this world destined to be the ything of the strongest. They have no right to ask for anything and neither do we have to listen. After all, if an ant came and asked you for freedom, would you give it to it knowing you can easily control its fate?"


    "..."


    Arthur''s expression grew darker and darker as he listened to every word the man said. He was certain that Sloth wasn''t pretending nor was he trying to act differently¡­ He genuinely believed every word he was saying.


    "Those little dwarves you were hiding with you. I couldn''t believe it when I saw them. Letting those lower creatures step into the capital¡­ It''s a huge crime. Once it reaches the Royal Family, pray for your head, kid." Then, he slowly made a sign with his hand near his neck, indicating that Arthur won''t be spared.


    "For better or worse, you have proved to be quite the tough foe so I will give you a choice. You can return Sora and leave this ce with your small group. Consider all of this to have never happened and everyone will have their peace. What do you think?"


    Sloth tried to keep his tonemanding and strong, hiding the immense pain he was feeling at that moment. The injury was slowly killing him and he knew he had to stop it quickly before he faced his demise.


    ''If he epts now, I can stop the blee-''


    "You have already given me an even stronger reason to cut your head off, Sloth. Do you really think I will just leave this ce and give you my friends? Don''t insult my intelligence!"


    "..."


    Arthur yelled loudly, his heart burning with anger. He still didn''t forget those deep marks on Sora''s frail body and this bastard was the cause of it all. He was barely keeping himself calm or he would''ve already attacked Sloth like a rabid monster.


    "If I don''t kill you here and now¡­ I won''t be able to face them." Arthur clenched his teeth. "So, pick up your goddamn weapon, and let''s end this!"


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 241- The Red Pearl Incident (Part 13)

    Sloth stared at Arthur''s face and he could only clench his teeth in frustration. The boy''s expression was contorted with anger and immense bloodlust. It didn''t take a genius to realize that he wasn''t going to back down nor agree to that offer even if Sloth begged for it.


    ''It seems¡­ I underestimated how¡­ reckless he is¡­'' Sloth exhaled a small breath as he tried to calm down from all the pain he was feeling.


    "Sigh, it seems¡­ I have to put an end to this the bloody way." Pulling his hand away from the injury. ''Though, even if he is boasting like that¡­ He is in no better shape than I am.''


    Staring at the boy, he could see the blood seeping out his injuries as they were speaking. After sustaining all those hits to his body, he was barely able to keep standing even though his health was at a very low and critical state.


    But, Arthur''s adrenaline and anger made him forget about that painpletely. He didn''t care if he even died as long as the man in front of him dies too.


    At the same time, as the two were standing there, they noticed something odd. A weird grey mist started filling the entire room out of nowhere.


    ''Hm?'' Arthur shifted his gaze to the left. ''Mis- *Sniff* Wait¡­ This is not a mist¡­ It''s smoke!''


    Looking at the door, he saw the grey smoke leaking in through the crevices as it filled the entire room. The fire was approaching their current position very rapidly and Arthur hadpletely forgotten about that.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Outside, the entire building was slowly catching on fire as the guards struggled to kill it. It was as if the water they were pouring on it refused to do anything. The red mes ate everything in its path, leaving nothing but ashes.


    The panic reached a whole new level as even the workers and guards started running out of the ce, unable to stop the fire.


    Crowds gathered around the area as the city guards arrived at the scene and tried to take control of the entire situation. But, as they watched the building burn and burn, they realized that¡­ they were far toote.


    "Sir, what we should do?! The building will copse soon!" A fireman approached his supervisor as he held into his hat. "We can''t even enter the building, sir!"


    "..." The man frowned even deeper. "Make sure nobody approaches the area around the building. Close it all up and call the Royal Mercenary here!"


    "Yes, sir!"


    The man then ran away and left his superior alone, watching the destruction. "This will be huge news¡­ for a long while." He muttered as he held on to his hat.


    He knew how truly massive the Red Pearl was and the fact one of their buildings faced such an ident will leave evesting marks on theirpany.


    ''Whoever is the cause of this incident¡­ They won''t be let off easily.''


    ***


    Inside, Arthur looked around him as he realized that the situation was only getting worse and worse.


    ''I need to get out of here before this entire ce falls on my head.''


    Then, he looked down at Sloth, who seemed as worried as he was about the entire building copsing.


    ''I will finish this off and leave.'' Clenching his fist around the sword, he was about to dash toward Sloth to end his life. However, what the man did next took Arthur by surprise.


    Out of nowhere, he turned around and dashed toward the door at top speed. Opening the door, he ran out as fast as he could.


    "What?... Hey, wait!!" Arthur clenched his teeth as he chased after the man in a hurry. He didn''t expect him to run away like a coward out of nowhere.


    "Where is all that bravado you put up?! Stop and face me like a man!" Arthur yelled as he ran through the corridor. The smoke filled his vision and entered into his lungs, making him cough audibly.


    He couldn''t see the fire yet which meant that it still didn''t reach that floor yet.


    Sloth looked over his shoulder at Arthur but still continued running as if his life depended on it. His injury was only getting worse and worse and the time he had left was too tight. So, in a split second, he decided to swallow his pride and run away.


    He hated it, very much, but he knew that if he continued fighting Arthur, he was going to die. That fear destroyed any ego he had left.


    ''I need to get out, now. He won''t be able to chase me if I leave the building.'' He thought to himself as he took a turn and saw arge window at the end of the corridor. However, mes had already reached this section of the building and was slowly closing the path on Sloth.


    ''I can exit from there!'' He mused as he dashed forward.


    Arthur followed after him, using every point of agility he had. He had increased his agility by 10 points a few moments ago to amodate for the sudden shift in his battle style so he was able to keep up with Sloth and even slowly close the distance.


    Even when he saw the fire burning on his left and right, he still ran as fast as he could. "I won''t let you escape coward!"


    All the mana in his body channeled through his veins and muscles, giving him an additional boost. He put everything in his legs as his eyes poked holes into Sloth''s back.


    ''I can get him! Come on!''


    The ceiling above Arthur was starting to crack and burn from the intense heat and the floor beneath him was shaking from theck of strong foundations. Arthur knew that the moment Sloth reaches that window, he will disappear and he won''t be able to catch him.


    The two rushed through the corridor, racing against time and against one another. One with the intention to save his life and the other with the intention of ending a life.


    Eventually, Sloth reached the window as he leaped forward without hesitation, smashing through the ss. Then, he immediately activated his teleportation ability, ready to transport himself to the ground.


    However, at the veryst second, he felt an arm grab into the back of his clothes. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Arthur.


    "I got you!" Arthur grumbled as he leaped through the window at the same time as the two started free-falling.


    "Get off me!" Sloth yelled as he tried to punch Arthur, only for thetter to dodge the attack and return the punch, straight to Sloth''s jaw. Then, he followed that with three sessive punches. The two wrestled mid-air, exchanging punches and grabs. Arthur was dead set on ending the man''s life so he didn''t even care they were falling to the ground from the highest floor.


    ''Dammit! We''re about to fall to our death!'' Sloth clenched his teeth as he quickly activated his ability. He didn''t have time to choose the exact position he wanted to teleport to which made the ability activate a random location.


    Arthur felt his vision suddenly shift as the entire scenery changed again. They were now inside the building again.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3

 Chapter 242- Funny Joke

    The two mmed into the ground as they rolled down the corridor, still punching and wrestling as they tried to kill each other. Arthur rained down punches on Sloth, targeting his injury while Sloth tried to defend and push Arthur off.


    The pain from each hit knocked the breath out of his lungs. "Get off me!!" With a loud yell, kicked Arthur in the stomach, almost sending thetter flying. But, Arthur grabbed the man at thest second and then delivered a punch to his face.


    He couldn''t use his sword from that close range as he was also trying to defend himself. Arthur''s health was reaching its end and his passive ability ''Berserker Of The Broken Oath'' would activate automatically which was something he didn''t want at all.


    The first time that skill was activated, Arthur turned into a bloodthirsty monster with no regard for anything. He didn''t care if it was extremely powerful, Arthur didn''t want to lose control of himself just like that. It was too risky.


    So, even if he was putting everything on the line, Arthur wanted to avoid that oue as much as possible.


    At that moment, out of nowhere, the scenery shifted again as Sloth activated the teleportation ability again. The two appeared in a different section of the building as they fell to the ground with a loud m.


    "Just die!!" Arthur growled as hit the man in his jaw, almost knocking him out cold.


    "I have survived in this business for decades! My life isn''t going to end at the hands of a brat!!" Sloth yelled as he teleported them again, then quickly twisted his arm and grabbed Arthur''s face, running his nails over his skin, and leaving bloody marks. Thetter quickly grabbed into his arm and then bit his hand with his teeth.


    "AAAGH!!" The man yelled from the sheer pain and teleported them again.


    The two kept moving from one ce to another, appearing and disappearing as they battled to death. They didn''t care about the fire burning all around them, nor the copsing building. This battle quickly turned from an elegant duel of swords and wits into a barbaric fistfight with no regard for elegance.


    Each one of them simply wanted to deal as much damage to their opponent as possible and even cheap tricks were an option.


    Thissted for almost a few minutes. At this point, many floors had already copsed under the intense fire as the entire building shook violently. Windows burst into pieces, sending shards of ss into the sky.


    "Run!!"


    "The building is about to fall!!"


    "Great one have mercy!"


    People escaped the scene as they saw the horrifying scene. Meanwhile, the firemen tried their best to keep the situation under their control.


    Meanwhile, Arthur and Sloth were deep into the building.


    *BOOOM*


    Chunks of rock fell near the two followed byrge chunks of burning wood that almost hit them and crushed them.


    "If I don''t kill you here! We are going to die together!" Even in that horrifying situation, Arthur grinned madly. His bloody teeth made him look even more scary.


    ''He''s¡­ He''s crazy!'' Sloth clenched his teeth as he felt his entire body shudder from fear. He couldn''t understand how this kid was able to smile like that in such a situation. Then, for a moment, it hit him. He wasn''t dealing with a normal person at all.


    From the very first moment, he teleported that boy to his office and he was only seeing weirder and weirder things. It should''ve been an easy fight, and he would have won with certainty. Yet, the boy kept changing his tactics, and ideas, down to even his battle style, and dealt devastating damage to Sloth.


    He had enough. It was only 15 minutes or so and he already had enough of this monster of a kid.


    ''I just want to leave!'' He thought to himself.


    However, even when he was trying to kill him off, the boy fought with everything he had, wasting the time he could use to escape. He was exhausted, in extreme pain, and on the verge of death. His work was crumbling right before his eyes and he can''t do anything about it.


    ''My mana is only enough for another teleportation!''


    As onest desperate measure, Sloth tried to kick Arthur off him for a split second so that he could teleport somewhere else without bringing him along. His ability allowed anyone who was touching him to teleport with him which was quite useful in most cases. But, in this particr case, it backfired like never before.


    Using his years of experience, he kicked Arthur with his knee right to the stomach. Then, he moved his hand, aiming to blind Arthur with his fingers. The quick attack took Arthur by surprise and he instinctively released his arms.


    ''Now!'' The man''s eyes widened as he quickly activated his ability. ''I''m out!''


    But, as he thought he was about to escape, he suddenly felt something on his arm. Looking down slowly, he saw a huge chunk of ice surrounding his wrist. The chunk of ice stretched out of his wrist and linked with Arthur''s arm.


    "..."


    With wide eyes, Sloth stared at Arthur, unable to speak at all.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "That was a good attack, I won''t lie. I almost fell. But, I''m d I was ready for this. You didn''t even notice me trapping your wrist in ice." Arthur licked his bloodied lips wickedly. He was anticipating the man to get desperate and use a cheap trick as ast resort so he kept his hand ready to create a Frost me.


    From what Arthur noticed, Sloth was quite a coward for someone with that huge ego. He didn''t want to die and he feared death more than anything else. So, to avoid it, he was going to get desperate and try to push Arthur off of him no matter what.


    "I have noticed that when I was attacking you way earlier, you couldn''t teleport at all and I thought¡­ Hm, why wasn''t he teleporting at all? Then, it hit me. If you teleported at that moment, you would''ve dragged me along with you. That was why you waited for me to lose speed and momentum to escape." Arthur exined as he formed a bloody w around his left hand.


    ''... He knew¡­'' Sloth blinked with wide eyes. ''He knew this entire time¡­''


    Arthur had outyed him on every single front and it wasn''t even a challenge. He had noticed that small detail and used it to his advantage instantly. In other words, Arthur had read the manpletely.


    Sloth then quickly tried to move his body, seeing Arthur about to attack, only to realize¡­ That he couldn''t move at all. His body had run out of mana.


    *Swish*


    The ws pierced through his chest swiftly, bursting his heart. Coldness filled Sloth''s body as he stared at Arthur.


    "You did say that senses are not always right and that was actually pretty useful information and a good moment of learning for me. I was over-reliant on my senses. That was why when I closed my eyes, I simply fought you without using them¡­ I fought you with apletely empty mind, letting my sword take control instead."


    ''... Empty¡­ thoughts¡­. So that''s¡­ what¡­ defeated¡­ me¡­''


    For a second there, Sloth could only smile. Even though he was slowly dying, he smiled. After all, that was by far the funniest joke he had heard in his life.


    A//N: Don''t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3


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    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!