The Grand Duelist

[Your account balance in bank account ending in 4216 is: $6,863,572]

Staring at the series of numbers in his bank account.

Joseph let out an audible gasp.

Wow... So, I am already this rich?

Joseph still couldn't believe that the scene unfolding in front of him was a part of reality. 

Just a day ago, he defeated Kristian and the alliance of the three guilds and acquired a lot of loot.

Of course, he hadn't sold those items yet, but he directly converted the gold coins that he received from the King's Trial into real-life money.

But why?

Well, the reason sounded quite silly.

It was because Joseph just wanted to see a series of numbers that were more than five digits in his bank account.

He could still remember the scene when he got that prize money from the Festival of Battles.

But that sensation didn't last back then.

After all, he had to use that money as soon as possible to pay off his debt. 

He didn't have enough time to savor how rich he had become back then.

But now?

Now that Joseph was technically debt-free. He had all the time in the world to savor his money.

And that was what he planned on doing!

It's been six years since I upgraded this PC rig. I'll be sure to fetch the latest GPU and CPU available right now in the market. I'll also get that PS30 that I've been wanting to get since three years ago. It's time to scratch this itch!

Joseph's eyes blazed with excitement.

He couldn't wait to squander a part of his money, so he could feel like a rich tycoon.

A silly smile appeared on Joseph's face. He spent such a long time being poor that the feeling of having money made him feel as if he was a thirsty man who had just discovered an oasis in the middle of a desert. The sensation was exhilarating, yet at the same time, indescribable. 

Joseph walked over to his cabinet and opened it. Inside were expensive branded clothes that his parents brought for him several years ago.

Joseph spent a long time being poor, he didn't have the heart to wear these clothes since that tragedy since he was afraid to be branded as a pretentious bastard that wore imitations of expensive brands to satisfy his ego.

But now that he had the money... He now deserved to wear these luxurious clothes.

A smile of satisfaction appeared on Joseph's face.

He proceeded to take a shower and return to his room. 

He then took out those expensive clothes from his cabinet, yet a bitter smile appeared on his face when...

He discovered that none of theses clothes could fit him anymore.

Mama, Papa... Your son grew so fast... I only wore these clothes a few times in the past. Now, they don't fit me anymore.

Joseph shook his head, sorrow briefly flashed across his face but it was quickly replaced with determination.

I'll go and buy these clothes again! Then, I'll visit the two of you, Mama, Papa...

He stood up and after dressing himself modestly. He then proceeded to walk towards the door, but at this moment.

A mechanical voice rang out. It came from Yawa, his Artificial Intelligence Assistant. 

"Do not disturb; disabled."

"You've got mail!" 

Joseph quickly turned around and uttered with a frown, "I've got mail? What is it? A spam mail? The filter that I made should've been able to stop those things from reaching me. Just how did those bastards bypass it?"

He approached the Gaming Capsule and pressed the button on activating Do Not Disturb Mode.

Afterwards, he walked towards his personal computer and opened his email.

The email that he received came from P.H Works.

[Greetings, Joseph!]

This was the opening greeting of the email.

[We've seen how you fought against the elite members of the three guilds. We were amazed by your ingenuity in combining both Unique Skills to defeat Kristian, the Absolute Monarch...]

[We are hereby inviting you to our headquarters here in the Capital City of Pilipinas, Lanilas. You should've received a 3D Printable Access Keycard.]

[We hope for a positive response. Please place our request as your priority since we have to do some tests on you to make sure that you are not experiencing any negative effects from participating and staying within the world of the King's Trial for no less than thirty years.]

[We hope that you understand the severity of our request.]

[Please rest assured, P.H Works will do everything in its power to make you as comfortable as possible. With this responsibility in mind, we worked together with the Heritage Hotel Lanilas and we will be giving you free accommodation as well as plane ticket reimbursement.]

[We are looking forward to your visit.]

[Sincerely yours, Elizabeth.]

Joseph couldn't help but lightly chuckle when he saw the contents of the message.

Dang... They even included a small advertisement in this email. But wait... How did they know that I combined Bolster and Stagnate to create Death's Reversal in order to defeat Kristian? Could it be that they were watching that fight yesterday? 

Joseph fell into deep contemplation. He then decided that there was no way for P.H Works to know what happened yesterday if they weren't watching everything the whole time.

But what was wrong with watching?

They didn't really do anything that's detrimental to me, they were just watching.

But Death's Reversal, I hope they won't publicize the details of that skill.

[Death's Reversal] created by combining Unique Skill: Bolster and Unique Skill: Stagnate.

It lasts for half a minute and swaps everything that the enemy has to the user. Including, but not limited to, the enemy's four main stats, health bars, mana bars, and class. The user can also appoint an ally as the target for Death's Reversal.

Joseph proceeded to shake his head. It was impossible for P.H Works to publicize private information about a user. If they did such a thing, then they would their credibility and several millions of lawsuit cases would follow.

Although I admit that it somehow creeps me out, knowing that they were observing me. What if they observed me at a particularly inappropriate time...

Say, I'm getting somewhat sweaty with Alice...? 

Joseph suddenly gulped a mouthful of saliva. Beaded sweat appeared on his forehead.

I must tell them that they must not observe my actions anymore! If they refuse to do so, then I'll report them to the Games and Entertainment Association of Pilipinas! 

Joseph secretly made some plans, so he could stop P.H Works from observing him in the dark.

Afterwards, he then proceeded to print the Access Keycard that he received a week ago. 

Carrying the Access Keycard, he was about to leave his door when suddenly...

His smartphone rang.

It was a message.

It came from Lily Aguinaldo.

[Joseph! I hope you didn't forget the promise that we made last week, all right? We are going out today! Where are we going to meet up? How about I just go to your house and fetch you from there?]

Joseph bitterly smiled, Just when did I promise her something? Wait, a message?

A frown quickly appeared on his face and when he scrolled back to see Lily's earlier unread message...

He almost coughed a mouthful of blood.

The message was sent when he had just entered the King's Trial!

Indeed, it has been a week since then.

So, does that mean that I must meet her today?

But I planned on going to Lanilas!

Joseph scratched his head, unsure of how he should proceed.

I'll just tell her honestly that I'm not available today.

After a few minutes of thinking, Joseph finally reached a conclusion that he was agreeable upon.

He opened up his smartphone's messaging app and replied to Lily's message.

[I would like to meet up with you and catch up after a long time but I have something to do. I'll be going to Lanilas. I'm sorry, but I have to refuse your invitation. How about we go and meet up next time? I'll make sure to clear my schedule by then.]

Joseph reviewed his message for quite a long time before finally sending it. 

He sighed in relief and placed his phone back on the desk.

But he didn't expect that Lily's reply would come so fast.

The fuck? Am I talking to a computer bot?

Joseph inwardly thought.

He opened the message and it read.

[Really? But I'm already here! I just arrived. Open the doors, please...]

What? She's already here? Dang, I don't think that I can deceive my way out of being with her today!

Joseph walked downstairs and opened the doors.

"Yo! What's up?"

There, Lily was standing with this wide smile on her face.

Her light, chestnut-colored hair fluttered with the wind. Her black, one-piece dress perfectly accentuated her figure and made her look even more alluring.

Without waiting for Joseph's answer...

She took a step forward and entered the mansion.

She swept her gaze across the room and after discovering that nothing had changed. A slight frown appeared on her face, but it disappeared as quickly as it appeared. Joseph didn't discover her displeasure as he stood there, looking at her with an awkward smile on his face.

"What's wrong? Are you not going to invite me in?"

"O-Of course... I will. Come here, take a seat. Just treat this place as your home, all right?" Joseph gestured for her to take a seat on the couch and Lily obeyed his instructions.

Joseph fetched some bottled drinks from the refrigerator and placed it on the table.

But Lily didn't seem to care for the beverages as she smiled and asked: "I really didn't expect that you weren't lying to me back then. You really had a Mythical Class! That's awesome! How did you get it?" Lily's eyes gleamed with curiosity as well as excitement.

Methods on acquiring hidden classes may be unique, but knowing the acquisition conditions was enough. Lily could then sell that information to the public and she reckoned that she would be able to fetch a sizeable sum if she sold some information regarding Joseph's class.

However, she didn't expect that Joseph would actually avoid the topic.

"I don't know... You won't believe me if I told you. But anyway, I really don't have time to accompany you today. I'm planning on getting a ticket to fly there to Lanilas. How about we just continue this next time?"

Lily frowned when she heard his words, "Joseph... Why are you treating me as a stranger? Aren't we friends? As friends, I'm willing to be with you wherever you might go. I'll accompany you, okay? You want to go to Lanilas today, right? Then, I'll book my own tickets and go there with you..."

"By the way, why are you going to Lanilas?"

Joseph was astonished by her words but he didn't argue anymore: "I'll be there to answer P.H Works's invitation. It seems that they are planning on running some tests on me to make sure that I'm okay."

"Wow! The P.H Works personally invited you to visit their headquarters! That's awesome! Now, that makes me want to go there with you even more! Can you ask them if you can bring a friend? We need to make sure that I'm allowed to go there first since it would be quite embarrassing if I was stopped by the guards." 

"Yeah, that makes sense." Joseph nodded his head and contacted Elizabeth.

Elizabeth's reply came fast. 

"It's okay! I can bring you with me, but she says that you must sign a contract first before going in." 

"A non-disclosure contract? It's fine. In fact, just going there alone is already such an honor."

Lily inwardly sneered, a non-disclosure contract? She had her own methods that she could use so that she wouldn't get caught violating such a contract. Making her sign such a thing was basically useless with the methods that she had in her sleeves.

"Okay."

The two then proceeded to book the flight tickets to Lanilas.

But while they were on their way to the airport, Lily suddenly exclaimed.

"Ah!"

"What's wrong?! Damn, you scared me. Don't just shout like that."

"No, I'm sorry... I just realized that the clothes you're wearing aren't really appropriate."

Joseph narrowed his eyes, what was she talking about? These clothes may be old, but they're still usable. Aren't clothes supposed to be worn? And I am just going there to visit, not walk on the runway!

Nevertheless, he still asked her a question: "What do you mean?"

Lily puffed her cheeks and it made her look quite cute.

"You don't understand what I'm talking about? Look at these clothes of yours! The whites are about to become yellows! These must be changed! Let's go to a department store right now. I'll help you pick clothes that will transform you into a handsome tycoon!"

"Just leave it to me!" Lily crossed her arms in front of her chest and proudly declared.

Joseph was taken aback by what she said, but when he heard the words, "handsome tycoon". 

A gleam of anticipation appeared in his eyes as he said.

"Okay, I'll take you up on that offer!"