Soul Art Online
Disclaimer: I own nothing
Chapter 21: Tournament- 1
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- Arthas -
I woke up early the next morning.
We had two beds in the room but unlike what most people would have done, Veena chose to sleep with me while giving Rose another bed to herself.
She had even changed into her thin nightdress that she usually wore.
I offered to take the couch but she was never the type to be bothered with such things and Rose didn't say anything either, although from the way she was blushing, I doubt she could even talk…
This was too much for the white haired valkyrie.
And that's why, to spare her the unnecessary embarrassment, I got up early and decided to do some training instead.
Every morning Arnold trained with his personal Knights and I knew where to find them.
The city of Greenfrost was really something.
A little distance from our Inn was the Knight Academy of Greenfrost and the Barracks.
I could see the Knights running inside and training.
Suddenly, an idea struck me out of nowhere.
Training…
We never did any physical training in the game and only trained Skills… because we only got stats from levelling up or through some rare skill levels…
But there was an exception…
I was the exception… I recalled the ultimate reference…
One hundred pushups, one hundred situps, one hundred squats, ten kilometres runs for three years. Obviously, there was also the bit with air conditioners but I didn't need to worry about that.
Could… the Game Master really have put something for that too?
I mean it was a massive meme and something many people actually tried…
Dammit… the more I thought about it, the more I doubted that it could be true… After all, he had put in even the vague references in…
Well, there is only one way to find out…
Less than an hour later, I stood in front of the same Knight's Academy, not even slightly winded by the entire workout. My T5 Class stats were just too much for me to feel tired from just this much.
Would it work?
I had no idea. It was a gamble but… I was already getting too much advantage over the rest of the players. So what if I miss this gamble?
And if it did pay off… then I had no idea what kind of rewards someone would use for a three year long reference…
Don't disappoint me Game Master…
By the time I completed the runs, Arnold also came with his two Knights.
"Arthas, are you here to train too?" Arnold waved at me.
"Yes. I was hoping to see how the Knights Academy in Greeftrost was."
"Well then, come on in."
I nodded and accompanied him inside.
We showed our Baron badges although it seemed that Arnold was well known here.
Apparently, I was underestimating how famous he was.
It wasn't common for a person in T5 to fight at the level of T6. They were true outliers. Almost all people who reached T7 Classes could do so, that's why people held high expectations of Arnold.
To have an idea about how rare his talent was, currently in the kingdom, there were only five such individuals like him.
Greenfrost was something else entirely when compared to Llyne.
I saw around hundreds of Knights training together. All T4 or above. In fact, I could count around a hundred and twenty T5 Knights and according to Arnold, this was only 20 percent of the force stationed in Greenfrost Knight Academy.
The rest were spread across the city and on the outposts surrounding the territory.
In fact, these were only Knights. Magic Knights were in the Magic Tower while Templars were in the Church.
I sparred with several of the knights in the Academy. There was a lot of variety here and at the end, we all got cleaned up and I was invited by the other knights.
"You don't have a Knight Tree Class for T5, Arthas?"
"Ah.. yes. I got another class with skills I wanted to learn so…"
"But you do have a Knight Class, don't you?"
I nodded.
"Then you must choose our squad. With someone like you, those Magic Knights and Templars wouldn't stand a chance against us." One of them said enthusiastically.
"Excuse me?"
Arnold laughed and explained. "They are talking about the annual competition. The Knight Academy, the Magic Tower and the Church send their best fighters to compete against one another. It's something that was started by the previous Marquis to encourage fighters in the territory. Remember what I told you about Grand Knights always winning against the other two?"
I nodded.
"Well, the other two sides don't take it so well. Obviously, they have a hard chance to win against Grand Knights so they push everything in T5 Tier fights when the difference between the three sides is very little. Sword and Shield Knights don't stand a chance against truly skilled ones from other two sides and even Lord Knights can have problems against their magic if they are not careful until they learn Battle Aura. That's why, while we always win the T6 fights… the T5 is shaky at best."
"Really? You are T5 right?" I asked, surprised that there are people stronger in T5 than even Arnold.
"Well, technically I cannot participate in T5 as I am a City Lord, a T6 equivalent." He shrugged.
"Yes. And the Templars have been winning it since Arnold became a City Lord. They had Lord Conrad but even he has become a Holy Knight and cannot participate this year." One of them explained.
"The Templars are gaining nice talents. They level up fast since we have to keep the undead in check and they are so good against them. Many new talents are rising among their numbers like Lord Conrad and even Prince Arthas…"
"Anyways, I am not even a Lord Knight yet. I don't think I can qualify." I shrugged.
In fact, I qualified for Magic Knight right now so I might have to check that place too. In fact, now that I think about it, all I needed to do was get a Cleric Class and I can get a Templar Class too. My Sword and Shield Skills were progressing due to training with Arnold too.
At this rate, in just a few months, I could qualify for all three Knight Classes. Could I unlock some unique class after that?
It was something worth trying.
But for now I have the Monster Slayer Class to level up so I don't have to concentrate solely on this.
The Achievement was at risk.
"Oh, anyone can participate in the competition. It's open for everyone. It was created to see the notable talents of the province. The competition between the three divisions is unofficial for the bragging rights. In fact, you should go for it. The rewards are quite good." Arnold suggested.
"Rewards? What can we get?" I asked.
"Well, fame for one. Your name will spread in the kingdom. Money, sometimes there are even Skill Books and equipment. In fact, if you win, you can get offers from all three divisions or get the sponsorship from the Marquis too. Your Guild can get more offers that way."
"Oh… when is the competition?" I asked, suddenly interested in the rewards.
"It will start the day after tomorrow, after tomorrow's party and will probably last until the next day."
"Great. Where do I need to go to participate?"
"No need to go anywhere. I will file your name here from our side." One of the Knights smiled widely. "We will even pay the gold for participation… just make sure you beat up those pesky Magic Knights and Templars real good."
"..."
"Yeah. As for the business of your guild, don't worry about that. I have heard that there are going to be some dignitaries from other provinces too. Lord Daren is planning to present Lord Conrad on the national scale as the new Lord of Greenfrost. " The man leaned in and whispered. "In fact, I have heard that there might be someone from the Capital too. If you make it big there, you could get a lot of publicity for your guild."
"And I can always introduce you to my father. He is one of the biggest merchants in Greenfrost. We can get plenty of jobs for you." One of the Knights, Ryan said.
The guys were really insisting so I agreed too.
As soon as I did that, a quest was issued.
To be the Strongest
Greenfrost is organising their yearly competition to see who is the best fighter for each tier in the whole territory.
Objective: Participate in the Competition.
Reward: Depends on the final ranking.
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"And that's how it is." I explained the whole situation to Veena and Rose.
"I think you should participate."
"Oh and I also got us a meeting with a prominent merchant of the kingdom. He is the father of one of the Knights I met there. They kinda… bribed me to participate in the competition." I laughed.
I was a Level 28 Man Slayer. Only eight levels more till I get a level cap and can change to the Monster Slayer Class.
As my level and Skills increased, I could fight Arnold to a standstill in our spars. The Fated Enemy Skill is just that freaking broken.
Let's see how far I can get in the competition.
"Anyways, I won't be able to accompany you two there. I have to train the whole day at the Knight's Academy for today."
"That's no problem. You should concentrate on your quest. The last time's rewards were very good. You could get something better this time." Veena suggested.
I nodded.
We had breakfast together and I left for the Knight Academy.
The entire day, we trained, basically sparred against the knights of Greenfrost. In doing so, I learned something interesting.
Apparently, there were people here who could teach Skills to others.
It reminded me of the Move Tutors from Skyrim. Too bad I didn't have enough time to learn any Skill before the tournament.
"Really, what kind of Skills can I learn?" I asked.
"Any Skill up to Lord Knight level considering you are a T5 too. Your body should be able to handle it." Ralph, the Vice Director of the Greenfrost Knight Academy and a Grand Knight said.
He came to see after I had beaten up a dozen T5 Knights in the Knight Academy.
"Normally, you would need to cash in your achievement points to be eligible to learn skills, but as long as you beat those snort nosed Templars up in the tournament and take the first place… any one skill you want is yours." He said with a smirk.
"I… is the competition between the three divisions really so serious?" I couldn't help but ask as I looked at his expression.
"Serious? Not in terms of work. We are after all part of the kingdom.It's just that, there is no competition for T6. That means anyone who wins T5 rankings, gets the bragging rights for the rest of the year. Do you know how insufferable those bastards have been for the last two years? Every formal event, every time we cooperate together for missions, even in joint training… they always walk with their nose towards the sky… looking down on us." He slammed his fist on the table, cracking what I think was a magically reinforced table.
One of the knights whispered to me and I understood the true reason for his anger.
The person in charge of the Holy Knights was Ralph's best friend. They have had a friendly rivalry going on since they were kids.
And now I am getting dragged into this rivalry…
Still it didn't look like they really meant anything bad against each other so it was fine. Either way, I had a Skill I have wanted to learn for a while now so there was no way I was going to let this chance go.