"Hurry up, hurry up..."
I urged the mayor, whom I had never met, to come out and greet me so I could spill the information I had been "told in my dream".
However, before the mayor could appear, what appeared before my eyes was another team of guards.
No longer looking down on me, they looked at me like I was a dangerous animal. Obviously, after all, I had just used one hand to throw away a man much taller than me, my strength was already beyond human range.
But just when I thought they were going to rush into battle with me, a somewhat immature and childish voice rang out.
"Stop, leave him to me."
The person who spoke was a girl about my age, of course, in this body only. However, due to the nutritional difference, she looked a whole head taller than me.
It was a girl with reddish-pink hair, like the color of burnt coal. So beautiful and radiant, that even I was a little stunned.
Don't get me wrong, I wasn't attracted to a child! I was completely innocent! But I recognized her, or rather, her five years later.
Although Marlize Online as a whole doesn't have a specific or official storyline due to its extreme diversity, having played the game for a long time, I've been able to distinguish a few general directions.
One of them is the "Academy" route.
Yes, it's the most common academy story, of course it's almost unrestricted except for the elements related to "Academy".
The reason I remember this route so well is because compared to other routes, the "Academy" route can be said to be quite player-friendly, because at least it lets players live through the early stages peacefully, almost without having to encounter difficult quests like the World Eater group.
And in the "Academy" route, I of course saw the future version of this girl in front of me.
Rosal, a girl with fiery powers, is in the top 10 of the academy. Serious and uptight personality.
This girl is a very good partner to cooperate with, especially when I chose to go to the frontline battlefield with World Eater after graduating from the academy.
Thinking of this, I suddenly realized a problem. It turned out that Rosal was originally from Polin, so after this place was destroyed by the World Eater, it was understandable that she was eager to go to the battlefield to take revenge.
"Hey you idiot! Are you paying attention?"
The childish voice rang out again, it was Rosal pointing her finger straight at my face, her face turned up looking extremely arrogant.
Hey girl, that's not nice.
Seeing my gloomy face, she seemed offended, but still spoke up.
"Idiot, you awakened the Aether, didn't you?"
"I'm not an idiot! I'm Arthur! And I don't know what Aether is."
"That's right... looking at you like this, you're just a beggar, how could you know what Aether represents."
Rosal put her hands on her hips, her haughty posture making the veins on my forehead stand out.
"Alright, you idiot Arthur, remember I'm Rosal, now you have to fight me."
"Wait, why do I have to fight you?"
"This is an order, not a request."
Before I could react, Rosal raised her hand into the air. In my perception, the quiet Aether that existed around her was constantly being stirred up. Seeing Rosal's expression, the guards around her quickly dispersed, evacuating the onlookers as well.
I felt the temperature around me rising, my mouth was dry. This is it! It's Rosal's [Unique Skill]!
Along with that is Rosal's [Aether Weapon], [Vulcan].
From out of thin air, a flaming sword appeared. It was almost as long as Rosal, but she held it without any heaviness.
But my heart is heavy.
Compared to Rosal's [Vulcan]. Not only is my [Reinforcement] useless, I don't even have an [Aether Weapon].
"Take out your [Aether Weapon], you fool Arthur."
Rosal raised his voice, pointing the blazing sword at me.
Suddenly, a screen appeared in my line of sight.
It's a quest, a green quest.
"Defeat Rosal."
"Reward, Aether replenishment."
"Accept/Decline."
I swallowed, it seemed like I had no choice?
Although I don't know what the bonus is for, I certainly didn't lose.
So, I "Accept".
Seeing me raise my hands in defense, Rosal's face wrinkled, it seemed like she misunderstood that I was looking down on her?
Wait, I didn't mean that!
But I didn't have time to explain before I saw Rosal angrily rush up.
[Reinforcement].
Taking a deep breath, I activated [Unique Skill].
My whole body was strengthened, my whole body was filled with strength, but these things didn't make me feel at ease at all.
Because I knew that blade could cut through my enhanced body as easily as a heated knife cutting through butter.
So, I only applied two tricks.
Run and dodge!
"Come back here you coward!"
Seeing me rolling around like a mouse, Rosal shouted loudly while still swinging the [Vulcan] in his hand.
Only crazy people dare stop.
Even though [Vulcan] had enhanced Rosal's speed quite a bit, she was still too immature right now, so she couldn't catch up to my [Reinforcement].
This is probably the only advantage I have.
"If you're so good, then try to arrest me!"
Turning my head, I stuck out my tongue and pulled my eyelids teasingly at Rosal.
Obviously, a hot-tempered and young Rosal was irritated by me.
I want to run until she gets tired, this is my only way to win.
[Vulcan] is a powerful [Unique Skill], but in return it will consume a lot of power. And with Rosal not yet proficient in using this power, she would lose strength very quickly.
A safe tactic, I think.
But just as I was still not stopping my steps, a sense of danger rushed straight into my mind.
As a guy who has mostly been entertaining and working from home, the challenges that used to make my heart beat the fastest and strongest were the times I leaned back in my chair and almost fell off.
But this time, I felt something different.