....
The battle between the two Chosen Ones was quickly coming to an end. Both of them were almost at their limit but they still didn't want to give up, because neither of them wanted to lose. No, to be exact, neither of them had ever suffered a loss.
Shin's nose was bleeding while Arthur's eyes had turned bloodshot. They had already started to feel the fatigue of their bodies but both of them still held on.
Noticing the condition of both of the kids, Captain Bernard took a step forward, intending to stop the match, but Old Plum had already blocked his path and prevented him from intervening. Even his father looked at him with a fierce expression.
One look on their faces was enough for him to stop in his tracks. He knew if he took one more step forward, he would end up with a few broken bones.
Then suddenly, both Shin and Arthur separated away from each other because of the powerful impact from their last attack. For a few moments, they both just stood on either side of the garden while facing each other.
Arthur closed his eyes and started to digest what he had experienced, whereas, Shin was catching his breath while feeling the changes in his body. Both of them entered a state of enlightenment.
When Captain Bernard saw this, he sighed with relief before taking a cigarette out of his pocket and lighting it up.
Old Plum took a look at the two outstanding kids and said in a quiet tone. "Looks like asking to bring Shin in here was the right choice, Old friend".
The Old General nodded his head while smilingly said, "Of course, it was the right gamble to make. And what's more, it's because of it that you managed to find a fearsome disciple like this. So you should be thanking me for it, Old Plum".
"Entering the 'Body Strengthening' stage at the age below ten years old. These two kids sure have a bright future ahead of them".
.....
The Structure of Martial-Arts was divided into three major realms with different minor stages within each realm.
The first realm was the 'Foundation Building' realm. In this realm, a martial artist focused on forming their own martial-art foundation.
It was divided into three minor stages. The 'Body Strengthening Stage', 'Qi Refinement Stage' and 'Core Formation Stage'.
The 'Body Strengthening Stage' was the stage where a martial artist enhanced their body, transforming it into a huge furnace to contain a powerful energy.
In 'Qi Refinement Stage', one absorbed the force of nature and circulated it inside the body before transforming it into their own energy called 'Qi'. This 'Qi' could be used to strengthen the body to make it even tougher. It could also reinforce martial-art skills to make them even more powerful.
The aim of the 'Core Formation Stage' was forming a golden core inside the lower dantian using the accumulated 'Qi'. This core would become the center of the circulating 'Qi' inside the body. It would make the 'Qi' even purer and denser, making it even stronger.
The second realm was 'Ascension Realm'. This realm started to affect one's surroundings by becoming one with them. This realm was also divided into three different stages.
The first stage was called 'Ethereal Opening'. This stage was the starting point of 'being one with nature'. Anyone in this stage could feel the 'Force of nature' more clearly. They could even combine it with their own 'Qi' to create their own 'Natural Force'.
Each person had a different kind of 'Natural Force' as it was dependent on the person that created it. It was created through the combination of one's personal 'Qi', the element of nature they felt closest to and their own imagination.
A person could decide the characteristics of the 'Natural Force' as suitable to them. A violent wind, a destructive lightning, heavy earth, a chaotic flame, or baneful water, etc., anything was fine as long as it complimented their fighting style.
Next was 'Void Manifestation'. This was a little simpler. It was about creating something out of nothing. Easy to say but hard to accomplish.
This stage needed one to have a very high control on their own 'Natural Force', so that they could form battle armor based on it, or even an elemental weapon that could aid them in their battle.
A person at this stage could also walk on the air as if walking on a concrete road. This ability was called 'Void Walking'.
The last stage of this realm was called 'Domain Creation'. This stage was also the peak of 'being one with nature'. At this stage, one would be in complete control of the territory around them.
This territory was called 'Domain'. Anything that was inside your own 'Domain' would be under your control. You could even manifest your own 'Natural Force' faster and stronger if you activated it.
You could also execute a large scale destruction skill at this stage, and it was called a 'Domain Skill'.
The final Realm was called the 'Transcendent Realm'. This realm was not focused on breaking the restrictions of the mortal body anymore, but being a 'Transcendent Being' through Martial-Arts. And it was also called the Peak of Martial-Arts.
A person of this realm could destroy a mountain with a flip of their palm and could split the ocean with the wave of their hand.
The stages of this Realm were unknown since there were very few people that had reached this Realm. In fact, there were less than ten people that had reached this stage.
Those people had removed themselves from the worldly affairs and secluded themselves just to explore more about this Realm.
....
It had been a whole day since Shin and Arthur passed out from fatigue after their last sparring match.
Shin opened his eyes and looked at his surroundings. What he saw was the familiar room that he was staying in since he had come to this place. He wanted to get up from the bed, but the moment he raised his body, his head got dizzy and he fell back down once again.
At the same time, the door of the room opened and a thirteen year old girl with blonde hair entered the room. She had a round face and clear blue eyes, coupled with her long eyelashes, her beautifully arched thin eyebrows perfectly match her natural sharp nose and pale red lips.
Her hairs were cutely tied in a pigtail and revealed her small white ears. Even though she was still growing up, the important parts of her body were already starting to mature.
'Beautiful!'
That was the only word that came to Shin's mind when he saw the girl.
She was cutely pouting her lips and humming a song while holding a basin with tap water in it. The moment she noticed that Shin was already awaked and looking at her, she got startled and almost dropped the basin in her hands, but she quickly recovered herself and formed a beautiful smile on her face after a brief moment.
When Shin saw that smile, he thought his heart had stopped beating. It was as if he saw an angel descend to the surface of the earth. But his fantasy was completely shattered the moment he heard what the girl said.
"Is this the first time you saw a beautiful girl like me? What a poor young man."
The girl put the basin down on a desk beside the bed and introduced herself, "I'm Shiella Springfield, the eldest daughter of this family. Nice to meet you."
Shin was speechless for a second before introducing himself, "Shin Kinghad, a nobody".
"A nobody huh? A nobody that managed to score a draw with the greatest genius of the Central District of the Main Region." said Shiella as if she was mocking Shin's introduction.
Shin was not concerned about the girl mocking him, because the moment he heard the word 'Draw' he remembered that he had made a bet with Captain Bernard. "That's right, the match! Where is Captain Bernard? I need to talk to him about my... Ugh!". He didn't even manage to finish what he was saying before being assaulted by a sudden aching in his head.
Shiella was taken aback by Shin's reaction and tried calming him down. "OK, OK, Relax. I'm going to call Dad and get some food for you to eat. You need to get some protein to recover your strength since you just broke through to 'Body Strengthening Stage' ". Shiella then ran out of the room.
A few moments later, she came back with Captain Bernard, leading a maid with a tray of food in their tow.
When Captain Bernard came near the bed he smilingly said, "How is the feeling of officially entering the ranks of Martial-Artists?"
Shin didn't answer him and asked his own question, "Can you give me my freedom now?"
The Captain smirked and said, "Kid, even though you manage to not lose, you also didn't manage to win. And from what I can remember, our deal was that if you won I'd do whatever you wished, but if not, you'd do what I said. It's quite clear right?" He paused for a few moments and patted the head of his daughter. "What's more, you get to live in my house together with my beautiful daughter. You can also have a sparring match with my son as long as you want".
Shin rolled his eyes at him while cursing in his heart. "What a cunning and shameless old man. Tricking a nine year old like me?"
...
April 19, Year XX07
Central District, Capital City of Main Region
In the backyard garden of the Springfield Villa, there were two teenage boys engaged in a sparring match. Their silhouettes kept flashing and clashing repeatedly.
One of them had Ash-colored hair and had eyes that were round and gray in color coupled with his natural, long eyelashes. Even a girl would get jealous of his eyes.
He had a sharp chin that perfectly matched his nose and pale lips. He was a typical example of a knight in shining armor.
His upper body was bare, showcasing his well shaped muscles. Even though he was not bulky and looked a little slim, you could still see that he was powerful.
The other guy had a triangular face and blonde hair. Sharp golden eyes together with sharp brows and pointed nose. He always wore a harmless smile on his lips.
His body was built similar to the other guy. He was the best example of a prince with a white horse.
They were, of course, Shin and Arthur. It had been six years since Shin came to stay in the Springfield Household. He always had sparring matches with Arthur from time to time.
After some time, Arthur failed to block one of Shin's kicks which landed on his abdomen, which resulted in him flying backwards and colliding with a tree.
Before he managed to stand up again, a foot was already pointing at the top of head declaring the end of the match.
"I won once again, looks like you will not be able to defeat me in this lifetime 'Golden Boy'.", said Shin before helping Arthur to stand up.
"In your dreams! You only manage to defeat me twice and that's including this time. You understand that 'Gray Eyes'? JUST TWICE!". said Arthur emphasizing the last words.
"Yeah you're right about that, but have you ever won against me?" replied Shin before taking out a small notebook from his pocket and writing something.
When Arthur saw that notebook, he hurried over to look at it while Shin was drawing another line after his name.
Shin - II
Arthur - O
Draw - ∞
The moment Arthur saw that, he frowned and angrily said, "Why the hell did you write a zero after my name!? It is as if you are saying that I will never beat you!? And What's with that infinity symbol after the draws!?"
Shin closed the notebook and returned it to his pocket. He walked away before replying, "Well it is true that you haven't defeated me. So I will never change it unless you beat me. And as for the infinitely sign...." he paused for a few moments while he wore his shirt before facing Arthur and said with a smile, "I got tired of repeatedly writing a line after line so I just changed it into an infinity sign, since it will not affect the result of our duels".
The corner of Arthur's mouth twitched when he heard it, especially the last few words. He was about to start another duel when a sweet and charming voice echoed in the corridor.
"I'm Home!!!!"
The voice was really pleasant to the ears and relaxing to hear. If someone heard that voice, they would hurriedly welcome whoever was the owner of that voice.
But Shin and Arthur were different. The moment they heard that voice, both of their bodies shivered and their faces turned pale. It was as if they heard the most frightening being on earth coming after them. And then both of them hurried to find a place to hide.
"What the hell is 'Big Sis' doing here? Isn't it Wednesday? I thought she was only going to visit us during the weekends? ", asked Shin while running in a panic towards the other end of the corridor.
"I have no idea either! From what I know, she should be accompanying Mom on a business trip, so there is no reason for her to be here!" replied Arthur while running along with Shin.
Before they were able to reach the exit of the corridor, they heard the voice behind their backs.
"And where are my cute little brothers going?"
The moment they turned their heads, they saw a beautiful young lady with blonde hair standing behind them, and looking at them with a sweet and charming smile.
That smile was so beautiful that it could melt a killer's heart, but when Shin and Arthur saw that smile, their faces turned even paler. Because they knew that this day was going to become their judgment day.
This chapter was edited.
......
Shiella Springfield was looking at her little brothers, standing in front of her with pale faces.
Their mother's business trip had been canceled because of a sudden emergency at her company, so she thought of going home to give her little brothers a visit.
But the moment she entered the Villa and announced her arrival, she saw the two of them trying to hide from her as if they were running for their lives.
At first, she was going to forgive them but when she heard them say that they didn't want to see her, she changed her mind and planned to teach the two of them a lesson.
"Looks like the two of you are not happy to see me, huh?" said Shiella while smiling at them.
"Of course not! Big Sis we were just having a race. Whoever loses has to treat the winner to a meal later", said Arthur in one breath, as if he already practiced it for a thousand times, while looking at Shin with a 'Help me brother' look on his face.
But before Shin could say anything, Shiella replied, "But that is not what I heard earlier."
The moment Shin heard that, he look at Arthur with an 'I'm sorry brother face' before saying to Shiella, "Actually Big Sis, I happened to learn a new dish yesterday, let me prepare it for you". And after that he hurriedly turned around and ran to the kitchen without looking back.
Arthur wanted to go after him but before he could even turn his body around, he felt a hand grab the back of his neck and drag him to the center of the garden. All that he could do was to shout a word followed by his cries of agony.
"TRAITOR!!!!!"
"Sis wait! AH! Let me explain! UGH!"
"It is Ugh! not Pa!"
He didn't even manage to finish a sentence before accepting his fate.
Shin was already outside the corridor when he heard Arthur's cries, he then muttered to himself "I'm very sorry Brother, I will make sure that your sacrifice is not in vain. And I will also pray for your soul".
....
While Shin was preparing a meal for three, the door of the kitchen suddenly opened, followed by Arthur's entrance with a swollen face and bruises on his forehead and other parts of his body, even his clothes were in rags.
When Shin saw him, he almost burst out laughing and asked. "Still alive?"
Arthur threw him a vicious glare before saying, "D*mn you! I thought we were brothers? Why the hell did you abandon me there?"
Shin rolled his eyes at him before saying, "Isn't it obvious? I don't want to get beaten up like you!"
Then he continued preparing food while saying. "After all we can't beat her even if the two of us combined forces".
He couldn't help reminiscing about the time three years ago, when both of them had been sparring beside the lake when they accidentally destroyed the sand castle that she was building.
Then what happened next was an unforgettable disaster. Both of them were razed to the ground completely. Even when the two of them ganged up on her, they couldn't even manage to land a single hit on her body.
Every time Shin remembered what happened at that time, his whole body shivered. And starting that day he promised to himself that he would never provoke his Big Sister ever again.
But life is so cruel, starting at that time they become personal slaves of their Big Sister.
"Actually I still can't understand why the hell she is so strong even though she always skips training." complained Arthur while planning to take a bite of the food that Shin was preparing.
Shin smacked Arthur's hand that was trying to reach the food and said, "Well I also don't know. And are you sure that Big Sis always skips her training?"
"I actually agree with Grandpa when he says that 'Don't be scared of someone that is more talented than you. You should be scared of someone that is more talented than you and more hardworking than you."
Shin paused to add the finishing touches to their meal before continuing. "So I believe that Big Sis is always training secretly, since it is impossible for her to defeat both of us if she didn't."
"Bah! Acting a smart-ass again? Do you think you are the only one that sees that?" Arthur rolled his eyes at Shin before helping him put the prepared foods on the tray.
Suddenly, he remembered something and asked Shin. "Oh! That's right you need to repay me for betraying me earlier."
Shin looked at him skeptically, "Is this food not enough for repayment?"
"Come on! You prepared this food for Sis and made some extra because the leftovers would be wasted if you didn't". Arthur rolled his eyes at him as if he was looking at some idiot.
"If you are going to invite me to play that game then you are just wasting your time. OK?" said Shin before Arthur could even suggest what he wanted.
"Come on Bro, that game is not just your typical 'VR(Virtual Reality) online game'. It is the new battlefront of the world."
"Since it is impossible for 'Real World' to go to war, some organizations dragged it into the game".
"There have been a lot of influential groups invested in games since Forty years ago. That is the reason why the gaming industry has become a huge hit now."
"Even the 'World Government' is supporting it now. And that is the reason why all of the 'Gaming Organizations and Developers' around the world joined forces and became The 'World Gaming Org.' three years ago."
"They have created the biggest and most successful '*VRMMORPG' of all time called the « Destiny's Fate »".
"This world became the second reality of our generation, you can also fight all of the other talents around the world. There are a lot of strong people too. Sometimes, a nobody in real world becomes a big shot in the virtual world"
"There are also a lot of powerful organizations in this virtual world. Here, in the real world, the only powerful figures are those in the government, financial groups, business industries, noble families and underworld organization, but in the virtual world they are just one of the powerful guilds."
"And those organizations use this stage to train and hone the skills of their younger generation".
Shin got hooked by what Arthur was saying. He then asked. "How can you confirm that this game is not biased and cannot be cheated?"
"Simple, they have created a *'Super AI' that monitors the game world. No one can intervene in the game aside from the AI. All that the developers can do is make a design of their storyline and upload it to the AI and then AI is the one that will conduct it in the game. They can also monitor the AI from time to time so that they can find out if there are some malfunctions in it".
When Arthur saw that Shin was starting to get interested, he struck while the iron was hot. "And what's more, the conversion ratio from In Game Gold to Federal Coins is 1:100"
The moment Shin heard about the money, his eyes turned fierce and sharp as if he made a decision. 'Now I know where the hell you get your extra allowances'.
....
Shin followed Arthur's suggestion to buy a 'Platinum VR Helmet' released by the Gaming Company and go to the famous Gaming shop in Central City, while recalling the other details that Arthur had told him.
"The Game is already done with the initial phase since it has already been out for three months. So you should buy the Gaming Helmet released by them since it gives the new players a free *'EXP' boost for a week. You should use that time to lessen the gap between the mainstream players, I can even help you if you want."
"Then after that let's go buy together The 'Diamond Gaming Capsule' that is going to be released two weeks later."
"And you're a studious type right? So I will not go into the other details about the game, you should go and look at it on your own."
Shin released a sigh while driving his *'Black Panther'. Most of the people walking in the street turned their heads every time Shin passed them, especially teenage boys like him.
Few moments later, Shin parked the car in the parking lot in front of a gaming shop. When Shin got out of the car and looked at the shop, he was startled by what he saw.
There were a lot of people going in and out of the building, they varied from different genders and ages.
Shin walked towards the building. It was a five storey building, in front of it was the sign of the shop 'All Gamers Shop' and beside it was the logo of the 'World Gaming Org.'
As he got nearer to the building, he saw the posters of different kinds of characters in the wall of the shop. They varied from different races and classes from the game.
.....
«Destiny's Fate» world was called Atlas and it was divided into different kinds of Empires and Kingdoms. Each one had different kinds of races inhabiting it. And each race had different kinds of classes that were unique to them.
Each race had subraces within them and each of them had their own racial traits. The main races were Elves, Beastmans, Undeads, Nagas and Human race.
Elves were the children of nature, they were very agile and close to different kinds of elements.
Their subraces were Dark Elves, White Elves and Blood Elves.
The available classes of this race were Archer, Twilight(Elven Thief), Elementalist and Druid.
Next was Beastman race, they were the kings of the jungle and the hunters of the forest. They had a powerful physical strength and sharp senses.
Their subraces were Tigerkin, WolfKin, Lionkin and Foxkin(Only available to girls)
And their racial classes were Berserker, Shamans, Tamer and Hunters(Bestial Thieves).
Next were Undeads. They were the predators of the living and the eyes of the dark. They had unlimited stamina and were immune to hunger and fear. They were a very strong race but they also had many fatal weaknesses: they were vulnerable to Fire, Lightning and Holy magics.
Their subraces were Skeleton, Zombies, Specter and Fallen.
Their racial classes were Skeleton Warrior, Assassin, Necromancer, and Sorcerer
The Nagas, also known as 'Fishmen', were the creatures of the sea. They looked like humans with fish scales. They were unrivaled in water and had very strong magic.
Their racial classes were Oracle, Spell Caster and Aquamancer.
The last race was Human. They were the weakest race but had the highest potential. They started weak but were capable of growth, they were also flexible and could wield different kinds of weapons.
They had a lot of classes that were available to them. They were Musketeer, Knight, Priest, Swordsman, Summoner, and Magician.
There were also hidden races and hidden classes that were waiting to be discovered.
...
"Quite complicated Huh?" said Shin while reading a booklet with a title of 'Introduction to «Destiny's Fate».
He had been standing for almost two hours since he entered the 'All Gamers Shop'. He was waiting for his turn patiently, the queue fully occupied the whole corridor of the first floor of the building.
When Shin got to the front of the counter, the receptionist sitting opposite to him looked at his face with great concentration.
Shin frowned because he was too tired to entertain her, so he gave her his order, "I want to buy a platinum helmet."
The lady receptionist snapped out of her daze when she heard Shin. "Ah! A ready-made or a personalized one, Sir?"
"What is the difference?" asked Shin since he didn't know that there were choices, let alone their differences.
"The ready-made one can be used out-of-the-box, but it only has a 95% realization rate since it can't be synchronized with your mind properly. While a personalized one is made just for you and has a 99% realization rate, it can even synchronize with your mind perfectly." said the receptionist smilingly while throwing him a flirtatious look.
'Perfectly? Then where is the 1% that is missing?' said Shin skeptically in his heart before saying "OK, I want a personalized one. How much is it?"
"Two Million Federal Coins, sir. That includes all of the other services, sir." said the receptionist.
Shin froze when he heard the price and asked for confirmation "Ahm.... Can you repeat it? I don't think I heard it clearly."
"Two Million Federal Coins, Sir." repeated the receptionist.
'That is half of my entire savings.' muttered Shin in his heart. "OK, I want a personalized one." said Shin heavily, while lifting his arm with the '*Advanced Watch' for it to be scanned by the receptionist.
"Noted Sir. All you have to do now is to fill up these forms and wait for your turn for the necessary procedures." said the receptionist while pointing at the hall where other people were waiting for their turn.
The moment Shin saw where the receptionist was pointing, his mind went blank and his brain almost stopped functioning. Because what he saw was a queue three times longer than the queue earlier.
'Do all these people have extra money to spend for them to buy a two million VR Helmet? Or did some of them robbed a bank?' questioned Shin in his heart, being confused about where so many people got their money.
What Shin didn't know was that some of these people were elite «Destiny's Fate» players that managed to earn enough money to change their old helmets, while some were from some wealthy family and others were new recruits from some powerful guilds. So it was natural for there to be this kind queue.
...
*VRMMORPG : VIRTUAL REALITY MASSIVELY MULTIPLAYER ONLINE ROLE-PLAYING GAME
*AI/Artificial Intelligence : An artificially created intelligence that is mostly use in technological gadgets.
*EXP/Experience Points : it is a bar that needs to be fill by online gamers to level up.
*Advanced Watch : an all purpose what that use in this world. it can be use as phone, Portable Computer and a bank account card.
This chapter was edited
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