Soul Art Online
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter 22: Tournament- 2
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- Arthas -
I was surrounded by the members of the Knight's Academy as soon as the fights for the day ended, cheering at my win.
While I wasn't the only one in the Knight's Academy who qualified for the next day's events, my performance was by far the best.
"Hahahaha great job, Arthas. Great Job." Sir Ralph patted my shoulder happily. "You should have seen the faces of the other two when you took down those puppets. Several people complained that you were cheating after seeing your level. Hector Black's cronies were so pissed off when Lord Uther cleared your name… seriously, I haven't had this much fun in years." He laughed again, this time joined by others too.
I just smiled at his compliments.
"Anyways, sit down, you all. Let's talk about tomorrow's competition. Don't let today's victory cloud your ego. Today was just a selection round. The real competition will be tomorrow. You need to take the matches seriously, even against the weakest of the foes." Ralph said and then looked at me. "And you Arthas. Your performance was the best among all players of the fifth tier but you also have a weakness that others don't. Do you know what?" He asked me.
"My level, Sir. I am the lowest level among all who qualified for the next round in our tier." I answered. In fact, I had noticed that compared to my level 29, the one who was the second lowest level was level 42. That was a thirteen level difference.
Sure my Achievements made up for my stats a lot but Lord Knight's Stats Gains for Strength and Endurance per level were actually slightly higher than that of Man Slayer. The Man Slayer had higher stats in Speed.
The reason I could complete the round so quickly was because I was relying on my passive skills and Buff Skills like Armament Haki to further increase my stats. Using Armament Haki however meant that I also had to continuously use my mana which would affect my fight in the long run.
I needed to be careful against those who were at level 50 and possibly had buff type skills like Armament Haki or Battle Aura too or I could be at a disadvantage.
"Exactly. Against someone at T5 Level 50, you will be at a disadvantage of mana in a long drawn fight. That's why, fight seriously from the start. Use your skills wisely in the fight. Don't waste mana. The ones who can reach that level, none of them are simple. Each one must have a trump card of their own. Be careful not to get caught in their moves." He warned.
"Yes Sir."
"Good. Then let's go over what you will be facing tomorrow. The rounds will be in a knockout format. You will have to draw lots to get a number at the start which will decide your position. Each tier will have their own matches as usual. This time however, the rewards are much better. I have come across the piece of information that this year's rewards were sent from the Capital itself and Lord Uther was sent due to this reason. This is your chance, go ahead and grab it. Time and tide waits for none."
The information was indeed quite appealing.
After discussing some things about who our opponents could be, what to concentrate on when fighting certain people, their strengths and weaknesses, we decided to rest. Dinner was arranged by the Knight's Academy at one of the hotels belonging to Ryan's family.
Veena and Rose were invited along with Arnold who had come to congratulate me after the meeting.
"Well, he is not the only one who needs congratulations. You, my boy, congratulations on becoming a Grand Knight." Ralph said and I was taken aback for a moment before checking Arnold and sure enough, his class had changed and become Grand Knight.
A T6.
Sure enough everyone noticed it one by one and congratulated the guy.
"Congratulations, my friend." I wished as we shook hands.
He had been on T5 Level 50 for over two years now, working hard to perfect his skill without giving up, and had finally become a Grand Knight. If someone deserved it, it's him. I was very happy for him too.
"Thank you."
"I can't wait to get back to Llyne and spar with you again. I want to see what it feels like to fight against a real Grand Knight."
"Hahahaha any day, Arthas, any day. I also want to check my new strength." He laughed.
"So, how did this happen?" I asked. "I remember seeing you as a Lord Knight just in the morning." I asked.
"I had completed the requirements for the Class change and was just waiting for the approval from the Capital. Today, Lord Uther himself presented me with the approval letter from the Capital's Knight Academy. I will have to go to the Capital next and get the official badge from His Majesty." He explained.
"Great. Then I will train till you get back. I can't have you leaving me in dust now, can I?" I laughed.
"And I wouldn't expect anything less from you. Still, you should focus on tomorrow's match for now. From what I have heard, the people from the Order of the Black Hand are… quite shady."
"Oh?"
"Their leader, Garell Cole is one of the best newcomers of the guild and his power is said to be among the best in T5. He is a T5 Stalker, the next level of a Rogue. They can be extremely tricky. We didn't get to see his skills in today's round as he was facing against Golems but against people, he will be able to use his full power. You need to be careful of him." He said, looking quite serious. "He is not the best kind of person and will try anything to win."
"Hmm. Anyone else?"
"The others are from the Templars and Magic Knights but you can face them on your own. I am just worried about any tricks that guy could have pulled off."
"I see. Thank you. I will pay attention to him."
"Good. Then come on, today we party. On your victory and my promotion." Arnold put an arm around my shoulder and brought me to the rest of the group.
"We are having a party today?"
"Eh, just a small thing organised by the Knight's Academy. The real celebration will be in Llyne after I return from the Capital."
Sure enough they were arranging for a party already.
In that party several people had arrived, both from the Church and Magic Tower to congratulate Arnold.
They were not exactly the higher ups but some of his friends from the battlefield.
As they say, the strongest of bonds are born in the most difficult of times.
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"I didn't know Rose was like this when she got drunk or I wouldn't have made her drink." Veena said watching me carry the drunken valkyrie on my back.
"She is a bit weak to alcohol." I smiled, not knowing what to do.
"I'm not weak. Ya are weak… hic!"
I chuckled at her words. "Yes yes. You are not weak. You are a brave valkyrie of Asgard." I praised.
Beside me Veena chucked too.
"I can see why she gets along with Bina so much. Both are weak to alcohol."
"Eh… I thought it was because both were very serious about their work?"
"Well, there's that too. Both of them are very similar." Veena nodded. "Rose is just a bit younger than Bina."
I remembered that both Bina and Rose were weak to alcohol but I hadn't been with them. They were talking to the members of the Magic Tower while I was with the Knights all the time so I didn't see her getting drunk.
Not that anyone minded it.
We reached our room and I laid her on the bed.
"I will take her for a bath. Would you like to join?" Veena asked, raising an eyebrow.
I rolled my eyes.
"Mmhhh, there ya two go all lovey dovey again… it's… frustrating."
…
We looked at the drunk girl who was looking at us with half closed intoxicated eyes…
What the fuck?
"Do you know how frustrating it is for me… you two are always being so lovey dovey… always… having sex so loudly… hic! And here I am… always single… even when I entered this game to find someone… I got trapped in here *sob* *sob*... I am fated to be single… aghh they were right. I will always be single."
And then she started crying.
My eyes twitched at her words.
What the hell has this girl been thinking all this time?
And what did she just say? She joined this game to find someone?
Did she get tricked by someone or was she really this lonely?
This world is weird. Or at least Asgard is weird.
How could someone as beautiful and talented as Rose be single all this time?… I will never understand.
Veena looked at the girl who was actually crying, looking pitiful right now and sat down beside her.
"That's not true, Rose. You are a beautiful and talented young woman. You do not need to get so worried. You will obviously find someone good for yourself."
"Easy for you… hic! Easy for you to say that. You already got married and have family… and now even have such a handsome boyfriend even inside this game world. Do you think… hic! Do you think I can't hear you two going at it all night?"
…
My lips twitched at the unusually shy and polite girl not holding back…
So they did hear us going at it.
"I obviously know you can hear us. Why do you think I am that loud?" Veena replied casually, making me pause abruptly.
"...say what?"
Even the drunk rose paused and looked at the woman in surprise, forgetting about her crying for now.
"Oh don't tell me you don't enjoy seeing their shy reactions the next morning." Veena asked, unbothered.
No!
No, I don't.
If anything I feel like digging a hole and burying myself when Bina gives me that… that look of hers.
My pause however was enough for Rose to regain her thoughts and she started sobbing again.
"Hic hic… now you are bragging… Are you making fun of me?"
"Obviously not. I am just saying that you are a beautiful and talented young girl. You should be more confident. There are plenty of guys out there who would do anything to be together with you."
"Lies! No guy in Asgard even wants to talk to me." She cried again.
"That's probably because they are intimidated by your talent. Bina is the same in this regard. She is very talented and strong so much so that others feel extremely intimidated by her. That's one of the reasons why most men in the Underworld never dare to go after her. And although there are some who are not afraid of death… they are too stupid for her tastes… sigh, even being too perfect is a problem. Serafall is the same too."
"So… so… I will always be alone?"
"I never said that. You will obviously find someone good enough for you. Arthas, tell her something." She suddenly urged and I found myself under the gazes of two women all of a sudden. I won't lie… it was far more intimidating than the gazes of the thousands of people in the competition today.
"What?" I was taken aback at the sudden call.
"Tell her that she is worrying about nothing." Veena urged me.
"Umm yes. Veena isn't wrong, Rose. You are very pretty, smart, kind and incredibly talented as well as hardworking. In fact, if I wasn't with Veena, I would have loved to have someone like you as a partner. I am pretty sure that you will soon find someone who will be perfect for you." I assured.
"Really?" Rose stopped crying and looked at me with her teary eyes.
I won't lie… I think my heart just skipped a beat there.
This girl… was so adorable.
I quickly pushed those thoughts aside. I had Veena. I shouldn't think about others.
"Yes yes. I'm not lying." I quickly spoke to assuage the girl.
"He is not wrong, Rose. All you need to do is have confidence in yourself. Don't let anyone talk you down. If you are still single, it is because you have not found someone you like yet. Just remember, once you find someone you are interested in, don't let them go. You never know if someone else will steal him away from right under your nose."
"Hmm." The girl looked calmed down and was actually listening.
I was also feeling better, having safely stepped out of the conversation.
"Sometimes girls must make the first move because some boys are just too dumb or honourable to make it."
…
I don't know why but I felt a stab at that comment.
Rose however nodded, like an honor student getting a lesson from a master. Even in this drunk state, she was studious. I couldn't help but smile at her actions.
"Actually I know just the thing to get your confidence up. Arthas." She looked at me.
"Huh?"
"Take Rose on a date after the competition."
"Eh… what?" I asked, to confirm if she was actually being serious here.
"Yes. Take her on a date. It will help her get her confidence up." She repeated again.
"Wha… but… that's…"
"You don't want to go on a date with me? I knew it. You didn't mean anything by those words…" Rose asked, her voice cracking again.
"No… no… it's not like that… I am… I was just taken aback… yes." What the fuck is happening here?
"Great. Then it is decided. Let us get cleaned up now. A lady cannot sleep smelling like alcohol, now can she?" Veena clapped her hand happily and got up.
Rose also wiped her tears and followed her to the bath, leaving me all confused in the room. What in the world just happened here?