After logging out, Alexander repeated his usual routine. It was around dinnertime, so he sat in front of the news while eating.
He watched the local sports channel that also covered Esports. They were displaying the rankings for 'New Eden' on one side of the screen and the reporter was commenting on the names of the players appearing on it.
To no one's surprise, especially not Alexander, most top ten and top fifty spots were now occupied by players from the last popular game 'Tower of Babel's 'Heavenly Thousand'.
The only unchanged name on the list was full of question marks. That player was still number one.
The host, Elizabeth Rainer, then announced an interview with the top two and three from 'New Eden', Azamus and Phoenix. It also presented them with their real names since they were already famous Esports athletes.
"Without further ado, live on set, on ESN Canada, Kary Deveille, better known through her character alias, Phoenix!" The host presented, lifting her arm to the side.
Cameras shifted and welcomed on set a beautiful curvy woman. Her weight did not affect her grace and elegance as she strode to sit on the couch next to the host, a smile beaming.
The audience clapped as she walked.
"She is currently second on rankings, combating our next guest fiercely to stay ahead. He is from the United States of America and is the ex-number one player in the famous title 'Tower of Babel'. The Esports community well knew his alias, Azamus, American Esports superstar, Damien Grimm, is also live, on set!" The host presented the second guest.
She lifted her arm again, motioning to the side. Cameras again shifted to the side, and a tall and fit man appeared on-screen.
He looked like a frequent gym client, as he had well-defined and toned muscles, visible through his tight grey shirt. He had an arrogant smile on his face, like he was used to being acclaimed by crowds.
The man had let fame go to his head, and it was clear as day, with how he looked mockingly at Kary.
"Hello, number ten." He said haughtily, as he sat down next to her, crossing his legs.
"Hello, EX number one." Kary replied, with a cocky smile.
"Ohhh! I can feel the tension already climbing on set!" The host commented, fanning her cue cards in her face.
"Now tell me, Mr. Grimm. How does it feel to no longer be in the first place? You have held that title for quite some time on 'Tower of Babel'. It must feel discouraging to no longer be at the top." The host said, obviously trying to fan the flames.
Damien's eyebrow twitched a little, but he kept his face locked in a smile.
"Please, call me Damien. And to answer your question, it is only a slight delay. The position is as good as mine and I shall claim it back in no time at all." The man said with a cocky tone.
"Over my dead body." Kary said, looking at the man with a deadpan expression.
"Gladly." Damien answered, grinning widely.
"Hahaha! I like the energy you both give off. This is peak rivalry on your screen, ladies and gentlemen! Now. Ms. Deveille, would you like to share how you climbed the ranks so fast and overcome Mr. Damien over here?" The host intervened, not letting the situation escalate too far.
She wanted fire, not an inferno, after all.
"Ahh, I can't give out my secret now, can I?" Kary responded to the host, going back to her amiable smile.
"Excuse my blunder, Ms. Deveille. I didn't want to pry into your secrets. I only wanted you to share tips and tricks with our audience." The host responded, acting sorry.
"No offense taken. As for tips, I recommend to all the players in the game to not play 'New Eden' like a conventional game. Train in there as you would out here. That will improve your strength." Kary said, giving a small tip out of charity.
This would boost her popularity ratings, and as an Esports athlete, those were important. That was what kept the sponsors happy.
Damien snorted.
"Or you could do like the player in the number one spot and cheat your way through leveling up." He casually said, with a derisive smile.
"Oh? Care to enlighten us, Mr. Damien?" The host said, curiously.
You could see the glint of greed in her eyes. She could smell a scoop or scandal incoming!
"I certainly can, Mrs. Rainer." Damien said, politely.
"Oh please, call me Elizabeth, Damien." The host said, faking a blush.
"The player in the number one spot has been there ever since the leaderboards were unlocked, Elizabeth. He is always many levels ahead of every other player, including me and Phoenix, over there." Damien said, pointing at the leaderboards behind him.
"The players from the top of the Esports community know nothing of this mysterious player, and no one has ever seen him either. No one knows him, and he has never made a public appearance." He added.
"What other reason would he have to stay anonymous, if not because he is cheating?" Damien finished his explanation, a mischievous smile on his lips.
"That seems like a very plausible explanation, Mr. Damien. But would 'Evo-Gaming' not have banned the player, or at least issued a statement, if that were the case?" The host, Elizabeth, asked.
"What company would admit their blunder in this position, Elizabeth?" Damien confidently replied.
Damien's master plan for this accusation was to have the mysterious player banned, even if he wasn't cheating. He hoped that the company's higher-ups would feel shamed by the interview and have him banned, to protect their reputation.
The host then brought her hand to her ear for a few seconds and nodded slightly.
"The production director has just notified me that a person claiming to be the number one player of 'New Eden' has just reached out to the station and agreed to join in through video conference — anonymously, of course." The host, Elizabeth, said, almost ignoring Damien.
That threw off the man a bit. He wasn't expecting anyone to claim to be that player after he had just dragged the person through the mud.
None of it mattered, though. He controlled his thoughts quickly and decided on a Plan B.
A square appeared on the screen behind them, showing a black decor and the blurred form of a person.
"Azamus, your petty tricks and manipulation mean nothing in the grand scheme of things." The blurred man said, with distortion to his voice.
"Hmph! Can you even prove you are the player at the top of the rankings? If you can't, I will out you as a poser and a liar!" Damien huffed, slightly losing his cool.
The image changed from the blurred man to a screenshot of an Exp bar. Next to it, they could see a level. Level 30. That fit with the highest player's level in the game.
"Hah! What a joke! Who can tell if that is not a trafficked image? You showed no actual proof there. Why don't you share your whole status screen, if you are telling the truth?!" Damien almost shouted.
He was trying to provoke the man into sharing all his info with the world. He hoped the person was stupid enough to take the bait.
Sadly for him, it did not happen.
"Your baits and tantrums prove only your lack of maturity, Azamus. If you want proof, you shall get it at the tournament in 'New Eden' that 'Evo-Gaming' has just announced." The man in the image said.
"I will see you there, and I will crush you." The man then added before the connection was closed.
"Rrraaaggghhhhh!!!!!!" Damien yelled, completely losing control.
"I knew I shouldn't have come here, to this garbage show, in this garbage country!" The American yelled venomously.
"You Canadians are always trying to uplift yourselves to America's standard! You are a waste of space of a country!" He howled, ripping away the microphone on his shirt and throwing it to the ground.
He then stormed out of the studio, with cameras following him, until he was out of reach.
"Well, that was unexpected!" Elizabeth said, trying to regain control of her show.
"We will come back to our interview after a short commercial break. Stay tuned, ladies and gentlemen!" The host added, sending the show into an ad break.
Alexander completely zoned out from the television. A sentence had caught his attention, and he was already on his phone looking up at the forums.
The top player had said that they had announced a tournament!
He opened the forums and scrolled until he found the section about official announcements. And just as the man had said, there it was.
'New Eden First Tournament of Heroes!'
'What a lame name.' Alexander thought.
He tapped on the post and started reading it. It was a game dev announcing that since players had reached level thirty, they could announce the first tournament.
It would lock in the participants once one thousand players had reached level thirty and would then happen a week later.
Alexander knew from then on that he was in a time crunch. If he wanted to climb to the top in this game, he needed to be a part of those thousand players.
He kept reading, trying to glean details from the post about what the tournament format would be, but the subject was never broached.
'I guess I'll know when I'm in it.' Alexander thought, clenching his fist in determination.
He texted his boss, asking for a week of vacation. He knew it was very much last minute and that he probably wouldn't get it, but he tried anyway.
A few minutes later, his boss texted back, asking what he needed the week off for.
Alexander responded he wanted the week to prepare for a tournament in the game he was playing. He also added that he never asked for any leave and that he was always there, even when sick.
He was going for the ' I'm a model employee ' card.
His boss replied by asking him if he was taking a break for a game, and that this would badly reflect on his record. Alexander insisted he needed to do this and that it would be a onetime thing.
He then saw that his boss was typing. The little icon for the reply hovered for a minute or two. Alexander felt a bit of anxiety while he waited.
He didn't want to force his way out of work, but if his boss refused to give him this week, he might just quit altogether.
The replying icon then disappeared. Immediately after, a reply came in.
It simply contained the word 'OK'. Alexander sighed in relief.
He thanked his boss profusely, before putting his phone on DND and closing the screen.
Alexander quickly finished his meal and picked up his things. He did some dishes and cleaned up a bit.
He wouldn't be taking much time out of the game in the next week, so he wanted to make sure it wouldn't stink up in his apartment.
After doing that, he went back to his chair, reclined it back, put the VR helmet on, and logged in.
*Launching 'New Eden'*
*Logging in*
*Welcome back player Astaroth*
If you liked my story, add it to your library!
This story is in the Fantasy Carnival, so it needs Power Stones to up-rank. If I get into the top 100, I will drop an extra 2 chapters that day. Another 2 chapters for top 50. I will up the stakes at 5 bonus chapters for top 20, and another 5 for top 10! Please vote for me! :)
Also, I drop an extra chapter on Monday for every 100 PS I accumulate in the event!
We are still in 64th position today. The competition is getting tougher, but we are still slowly inching toward our next objective! Let's keep this going!
If you like the novel so far or think something could use work, don't be scared to leave a review :)
Astaroth quickly rose from his cot and made his way to the barracks. He had no time to waste.
Once there, he made his way to Kloud, who was training the recruits.
"Teacher! I need your help!" Astaroth said, panting slightly.
"What is it, lad?" Kloud asked calmly.
"I need to get stronger fast. I need to reach level thirty as fast as possible!" Astaroth exclaimed.
He then explained the situation to Kloud. Astaroth then told him about the tournament and the requirements to enter.
He also told him how that would be his best chance to prove himself to his peers. Kloud listened without a word, nodding a few times during the explanation.
But a frown soon found its way to his face.
"Hmm. I don't believe growing strong too fast is good for you, though. I think that will weaken your foundation." Kloud pondered.
"I know, teacher. But I need this. This is probably my only chance to make my name known to my peers." Astaroth insisted.
*Sigh*
"Fine. I will help you and make sure you get stronger fast. But only on one condition!" Kloud replied after a loud sigh.
"Whatever you ask, teacher!" Astaroth quickly said, excitement oozing out of his words.
"Once that tournament of yours is done, I want you back here training. And I will put you through the wringer, to make sure your foundation stays solid." Kloud said, looking at Astaroth with a sadistic grin.
Astaroth gulped.
"Yes, teacher!" He replied, slightly terrified.
He knew he would have a hellish time after the tournament, but it was all worth it.
*Clap!*
"Okay then! I'll get you into patrol teams for the entire week. Don't let down your training on multiple weapons." Kloud said.
"Chris told me you didn't change your weapons much yesterday. I'm disappointed. I didn't teach you all those weapons without reason, so train them." Kloud added disapprovingly, after clapping his hands loudly.
The trainer assigned patrol teams to take Astaroth with them and train him. For the next week, Astaroth would leave on patrol duty every day and confronting groups of Dire Wolves again and again.
Before leaving for this endeavor, Astaroth looked at his status screen.
Status:
Name: Astaroth
Race: Ash Elf
Level: 14 (4'995/6'450)
Stats:
HP: 1'325/1'325 MP: 510/510 Stamina: 100
Mana Regen: 1/second in combat, 5/second out of combat
Strength: 16 (+20) Agility: 16 Constitution: 15 (+20)
Intelligence: 16 Wisdom: 15
Attack Power Str: 180 Attack Power Agi: 80 Magic Attack Power: 80 Healing Power: 75
Natural Defense: 3.5% Armor Defense: 14%
Luck: 0 (Stat unaffected by Level up and free points)
Available stat points: 11
Available skill points: 9
Physical Condition: Normal
Mental Condition: Normal
Equipped gear:
Ursid Leather Chestguard, Ursid Leather Vambraces, Ursid Leather Leggings, Ursid Leather Boots, Basic Short Sword, Basic Longsword, Basic War Axe, Basic Polearm, Basic Daggers (2), Basic Wooden Shield, Basic Bow and Quiver (50)
Since he would do a lot of fighting and he wanted to earn more experience, he also wanted to deal more damage. Therefore, he boosted his intelligence and agility to twenty points each, eating up eight points from the get-go.
Then he boosted his Constitution with his last three points to make him more resistant, boosting his survivability.
He looked at his stats again and felt satisfied.
Status:
Name: Astaroth
Race: Ash Elf
Level: 14 (4'995/6'450)
Stats:
HP: 1'550/1'550 MP: 550/550 Stamina: 100
Mana Regen: 1/second in combat, 5/second out of combat
Strength: 16 (+20) Agility: 20 Constitution: 18 (+20)
Intelligence: 20 Wisdom: 15
Attack Power Str: 180 Attack Power Agi: 100 Magic Attack Power: 100 Healing Power: 75
Natural Defense: 3.8% Armor Defense: 14%
Luck: 0 (Stat unaffected by Level up and free points)
Available stat points: 0
Available skill points: 9
Physical Condition: Normal
Mental Condition: Normal
Equipped gear:
Ursid Leather Chestguard, Ursid Leather Vambraces, Ursid Leather Leggings, Ursid Leather Boots, Basic Short Sword, Basic Longsword, Basic War Axe, Basic Polearm, Basic Daggers (2), Basic Wooden Shield, Basic Bow and Quiver (50)
Next came his skills. He looked at all his skills, wondering which ones he should put points into.
Then he decided he should boost his damage as much as he could. That would be his deciding factor for leveling speed.
He dropped 4 skill points into 'Piercing Shot' and 'Ignite', bringing them both to max level. He kept his last point for now.
Piercing Shot: Lvl1 -> Lvl 5 (Max) (Mastery Lvl0/5)
Damage: +100% -> +250%
Mana cost: 25 -> 50
Ignite: Lvl1 -> Lvl 5 (Max) (Mastery Lvl0/5)
Damage: 10%/s -> 25%/s
Mana cost: Base 10 scaling -> 50
He noticed the mana cost on 'Ignite' no longer scaled, depending on the material. He surmised the spell was now strong enough to take hold of any material.
It tempted Astaroth for a second to drop his last skill point into 'Mana Skin' to boost his defenses a little more, but he thought, for now, it was useless.
White Death would tank for him most of the time, and he would be with a group. Maybe when he started farming on his own.
Until then, he would withhold the urge. His first patrol would be the next morning, as the one for the day had already left.
So for the rest of the day, he became Kloud's plaything. He was beaten black and blue countless times, learning a few tricks and moves but mainly being hurt.
The bad news for him was that since he was now higher leveled and had more health, Kloud held back less, and the damage he took significantly went up.
The good news of that was that through the manhandling he was being subject to, he gained another two points in Constitution and one point in Strength. He was glad his training was useful, but god did it hurt!
After a full day of ass whooping...Ahem...training, Astaroth washed up at the river and went to his alcove. He lay down on his cot and logged out of the game.
Alexander got up from his chair, ate, and washed. He then stretched his limbs, feeling sore from all his gaming on a gaming chair.
Alexander looked at his computer and thought of something. He unhooked his setup and moved it closer to his bed.
He hooked everything back and looked at his setup with pride.
'Should have thought of that sooner, der der.' He thought.
After that, he logged in to the forums via his phone and started scrolling in search of interesting info again. Sadly, the only thing he found of slight interest was the post for the tournament, which now had a real-time update of the number of players at level thirty.
It wasn't much of a sight yet, since it hadn't reached one hundred. The leaderboard showed that most of the top fifty had reached level thirty and the rest of them were level twenty to twenty-nine, with the lowest being level twenty.
If Alexander had to guess, he would say he had probably reached the average low-level player's level range. He still needed to up his pace, but he stayed certain that he was much stronger than other players.
After all, he could take on monsters almost twenty levels over him, solo. Most players could take on two monsters of an equal level at most, solo.
The elite players could take on groups of monsters at the same level as themselves. But he didn't know of anyone who could beat monsters much higher level than themselves.
That made him feel like an anomaly in the game. And yet, when he looked at the level the top player was right now, he couldn't think of anything else than the word anomaly to describe him.
The top player was now level thirty-two. He had been level thirty just a day ago, and that was in-game time!
'What a monstrous leveling speed' Alexander thought, sucking in cold air.
'I need to at least match his speed if I want to be part of the tournament.'
Alexander clenched his fist, his heart racing in excitement. He would not get left behind.
Alexander scrolled down a bit more in the forums, but nothing garnered his attention, so he closed his phone and went to bed. He set an alarm for four hours later and fell asleep shortly after laying his head on the pillow.
When his alarm rang four hours later, he didn't even waste time taking a coffee. He directly grabbed his VR helmet from his desk, which was now nearby, and put it on his head.
He then logged into 'New Eden' promptly.
*Launching 'New Eden'*
*Logging in*
*Welcome back player Astaroth*
If you liked my story, add it to your library!
This story is in the Fantasy Carnival, so it needs Power Stones to up-rank. If I get into the top 100, I will drop an extra 2 chapters that day. Another 2 chapters for top 50. I will up the stakes at 5 bonus chapters for top 20, and another 5 for top 10! Please vote for me! :)
Also, I drop an extra chapter on Monday for every 100 PS I accumulate in the event!
We have made 60th position today. Huzzah! The competition is getting tougher, but we are still slowly inching toward our next objective! Let's keep this going!
We have also breached the 200 PS milestone, so I will be dropping an extra chap on Monday :)
If you like the novel so far or think something could use work, don't be scared to leave a review :)
Vous aimerez peut-être aussi
Commentaire de paragraphe
La fonction de commentaire de paragraphe est maintenant disponible sur le Web ! Déplacez la souris sur n’importe quel paragraphe et cliquez sur l’icône pour ajouter votre commentaire.
De plus, vous pouvez toujours l’activer/désactiver dans les paramètres.
OK