Soul Art Online

- Arthas -

We sat back and looked at the people gathering in the park.

There was still an hour till the meeting and there were already around one hundred players gathered in the park with more arriving one by one.

"How many players are even in this town?" I couldn't help but ask.

"Hmm, there were approximately four hundred or so players per village and this town has eight villages connected to it so it would have access to around three thousand players….assuming some of them have been….eliminated already. We needed to be around T2 to get here so I guess even at worst, we would have over one thousand players here after all this time." Shiroe completed, after some thought.

"That's quite a lot of players." Star whistled.

"It's quite a bit less when you consider that there are approximately twenty million players in the game….or at least there were when it started." Shiroe said.

Yes.

We still didn't know how many players were alive in the game.

As we were talking, Shiroe paused.

We followed his gaze to see the one we had been looking for all this time, Dwain and his party members.

Shiroe and I looked at each other and nodded as we got up at the same time. Veena saw us getting up and followed as well.

Those guys were also approaching us, probably intending to talk about something.

"Dwain." Shiroe took the lead to greet the leader of the other group.

"Shiroe." The guy nodded as he took a look at all of us, his gaze staying on Veena a few moments more than others.

Someone with lower stats would have missed it but my stats were just far higher than his.

I was pretty sure Veena noticed this too.

"We still have an hour or so before the meeting. Let's go somewhere with a bit more privacy." Shiroe offered.

"Eh, we are fine talking here. I already have an idea what this is about and I don't see the need to go anywhere else in particular to discuss this." The guy waved off the suggestion.

His voice was heard by several players and attracted the attention of many people.

Shiroe was actually taken aback by his words but collected himself almost instantly. "I see. Very well, we can discuss the matters here. We would like to trade the boots which Dolphin Puncher got in the World Quest."

"Hahahaha, straight to the point. I like it. But sorry, I will have to refuse."

Shiroe frowned lightly. "Is there really nothing we can trade for it?"

"It's not that there is nothing you cannot trade for it but more like we want the set too. Our party lacks the attack and wishes to get the seven piece effect of the set too." He smiled. "But we know you will not part with it and it doesn't seem like Gareth is up for it either. So, how about I propose a bet?" He asked, his smile broadening.

"A bet?"

"Yes yes, a bet, The one who wins the bet gets the pieces of the other side."

"That won't work. We have the main pieces and four of them while you just have the boots." Shiroe shook his head directly.

"Eh, just hear me out first." The man interrupted.

Seeing that Shiroe was listening, he continued. "We both bet one piece of the equipment and fight. A duel if you will. The winner takes both. That said, you have to agree to play us till the end if we win the first match. Obviously, I agree that the gap in the stats of the individual pieces are different too so we will add one hundred thousand gold coins from our side if our piece is of lower value. How about it sounds fair, right?"

We looked at each other.

The deal was good.

In fact, it was too good.

There had to be some catch.

"How do we guarantee that the deal will be kept if we win?" Shiroe asked.

"Hmm, trust issues are understandable. Fortunately, we can ask someone from the Knight Academy for an official duel with the stakes. They can be an impartial judge. If you don't believe me, you could always ask for yourself." The man added.

Shiroe looked at me and I nodded.

If it was just a duel, I could think of something.

I looked at the guy and he was a Level 28 Novice Archer. By that measure, he was actually very high level….compared to other players. In fact, even Gareth was just a level 26 Martial Artist so this guy must be skilled as well.

By now, many were looking at the discussion and I noticed that the more people gathered, the more pleased he was.

What was his game?

"Very well, give us a moment to discuss the matter between ourselves."

"Sure. Just make it fast. There are too many people waiting here. We wouldn't want them to keep on waiting." He smiled, pleased.

A distance away from their group, Shiroe spoke first. "Something is wrong."

"Yeah, that guy doesn't give me good vibes." Star added.

I nodded. "The deal is too good for us. They must know that I am at least a T4 Knight and yet they want to fight me. They must have some sort of trump card to be so sure about their victory."

"Maybe they have some sort of equipment or skill which can work on you." Veena suggested. "Or maybe they just want to kite you from a distance. The site of the battle was not mentioned. Add a wall or tower as the place he starts from and things will be difficult….or rather would be difficult if you were a T4 Knight." Shiroe added.

I agreed. "But….what do they get out of it? Do they think the same strategy will work every time?"

"Fame." It was Veena who answered.

"Huh?"

"They get the fame of defeating the so-called 'Strongest Player' in town. If you remember this person, he was also the one who used his newly obtained magical weapon to make a show in front of the whole audience, probably to attract the crowd to join him. Unfortunately for him, we came in and broke the whole show and he got nothing." She explained.

The memories of his making that show with his bow flashed before my eyes.

"I have just talked with some of my friends from the Alchemist's Guild and they told me about the views of the players about our position in the Rankings. Any ideas what they might be?" She asked with a slight smile.

"They think we got lucky?" Shiroe came to the conclusion.

"Exactly. Most of them think we got lucky because we picked up the quest which alerted the City Lord of the Goblin raid and while that is not totally incorrect, they believe that as individual players our skill must not be that far apart from others. So for someone like Dwain, if he were to defeat Arthas, the so-called 'Strongest', he will not only prove that and stop our momentum, he will also steal our reputation to establish his own team. Quite a smart move."

Seriously….they were putting that much thought into it?

Then again, what she was suggesting made sense.

She continued, "In fact, if I had to take a guess, I would say that you people couldn't find him the entire day because he was probably spreading the rumours about our raid being a one time lucky shot and was waiting for this moment to challenge us."

"Hey, it's their loss. I think you should accept the challenge. I doubt there is much they could do against you. If anything they would surely pull back if they realised your true level." Shiroe suggested after some thought.

"Yes. Turning their whole story on their heads would be a great way to remove the rumours and establish your name." Veena suggested too.

"I see. Good. Shiroe, you go and accept the challenge on my behalf. Just wait till I return to sign any contracts. They might be trying to win this through some loopholes. I will go and find out about the duel and middleman thing from the Knights." I told them and Star and I headed towards the Knight Academy while Veena went to her friends from the Alchemist's Guild.

I directly went inside the Knight Academy and asked for Kenneth at the reception.

It seems that my reputation has increased due to the awards from the City Lord as the receptionist was very quick with her side of things and I got an audience with Kenneth in minutes while Star waited at the reception since unauthorised people and non members were not allowed inside.

"Arthas, what brings you here? Are there any problems with the mansion you got as a reward?" He asked as I entered the office of the man. There were several other senior knights with him there, some of them were people I had recognised from the raid.

"No, nothing of that sort. The mansion was beyond anything I was expecting. I was only doing something I should have done as a Knight in service of Llyne." I replied.

As I had learned very well so far, the NPCs in this game were more or less like real players and these ones were the same too.

Talking to them like this appeals to their knightly spirit and the result was evident as I saw smiles on their faces.

"Take a seat. Tell me, what can I do for you?" He asked as I took a seat.

"I just wanted to enquire about something and if possible, ask for a favour."

"Oh?"

"I wished to know what are the terms and conditions for official duels, the ones with stakes and how Knights of the City preside over them."

"Official duels? Sure."

What he explained over the next twenty minutes was basically that players cannot die inside the safe zones like the towns and villages. This rule was carried out even in duels. That's why the duel was stopped when the player's hp went to the red zone.

As for the stakes, if it's items, the Knights keep the items in their possession until the duel is completed and then offer it to the winner. If it's something which cannot be moved or more abstract things, they enforce the contract within the city. If any party refuses to comply, they would be treated as a criminal.

The Knights saw to the fairness of the battle. The duels took place within the Knight Academy grounds….a place I hadn't been to yet, something I intended to rectify very soon though.

"So what's the matter? Are you planning to challenge someone to a duel?" He asked after he finished his explanations.

"More like someone else is planning to challenge me." I explained the situation to him.

"I didn't think someone would be foolish to challenge you or your teammates. It might have been brief but I saw you fight during the goblin siege. I don't think there are any players who could match your strength among other players….at least according to the ones I have met. So, the one who challenged you is Dwain, you say? The one who won the fifth place?" He asked.

"The very same."

"Hmm, I didn't think he would be foolish enough to not recognise the difference in your levels, especially after your performance."

I chuckled. "Apparently, there is a rumour going around that I was only lucky to encounter the trails of the goblins and that I was also awarded points for the people who fought under me. If they fought in one on one, in a fair duel, I wouldn't emerge victorious."

"Are they doubting the judgement of the City Lord and Lord Marquis?" He asked, a tone of danger in his voice.

Despite his easy going attitude, this guy was a Shield Knight. A T5 Shield Knight. Apart from me, there are no players in this city who stand any chance against him.

"People always try to find faults in others so as to justify their own lack of effort and talent, sometimes even going so far as to delude themselves. To some extent, I can understand their point of views too. They didn't see me in action so they might have their own doubts." I shrugged. "This just gives me a chance to show them what I am truly capable of and shut their mouths once and for all."

"Well said. Very well, I will preside over this duel myself. When are you planning to fight?"

"Hmm, right after I go out."

"Good. The sooner such nonsense is snuffed out, the better." He then turned towards the rest of the people. "Let's go men. We have a duel to oversee."

"Yes Sir!"

With things set up on this side, we headed out.

I need to kick some asses and spread the name of the Fairy Tail guild.

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Author's Note:

Finally complete.

This chapter took a lot out of me.

So, things happened.

A Global Announcement.

Now people all over the game know the Fairy Tail guild.

Arthas flexing without even intending to.

We also saw some bonding and increase in trust between Venelana and Arthas as she reveals some parts about herself.

I wrote a pov from Rias to show how things were on their side. Obviously, she is quite lucky and was able to get some good party members.

Others might or….might not be so lucky.

I will write the other character povs more from the next chapter and see their sides of the game too.

Finally, Arthas got a chance to flex in front of everyone to establish some prestige.

We will see Arthas in his first duel in the next chapter.

Enjoy the new chapter.

Good Day, Peace Out.