Heaving up and down, Arthur read the description silently. He still didn’t get completely rid of the state he was in a few moments ago so his brain wasn’t registering everything properly. Still, slowly, a smile bloomed on his face through the exhaustion.
“… Hahaha… Haha… This is nice.” He muttered as he stabbed the sword into the ground to help him keep standing up. He was very exhausted after almost three hours of nonstop swinging.
His monstrous stamina and endless resolution had pushed him a lot. This was the longest he had actually swung the sword ever since he picked up one. Even he was shocked he could actually reach such a level of determination on his own.
Now, all of that exhaustion and relentless training had given him a considerably good reward. It wasn’t the result he wanted, but it was nonetheless a great bonus. More importantly, that gave Arthur a strong slap on the face that woke him up completely.
“What was I even doing…” He muttered. “This is already a good training session. My demons were really telling me to somehow master the sword in a few hours of practice.”
Without realizing it, Arthur fell to the ground. His legs had wobbled as all the exhaustion finally hit him. He had been so engrossed in the training that all sense of reason had been swiped under the rug.
Staring at the target silently, Arthur recalled how he felt at that moment. How he was completely unable to think properly. He had been turned into a maniacal warrior who couldn’t stop training for the life of him.
That wasn’t him and he knew that. But, he also knew that this was a side of him he had ever since he stepped into the game and even before that.
‘I don’t know what gets into me. But, whenever I’m extremely focused on something, it becomes the sole thing I can think of. I had this for like how long? I think ever since I can remember.’ He rubbed the back of his head. ‘I never really thought of it badly. But this… It seems to be getting worse and worse with time somehow.’
He didn’t know if this was a good thing or not, but so far, it was giving him results and amazing ones at that. He was the strongest player in the world with a huge margin from second place. But, was that at a cost? Was he losing his sanity every time he put everything on the line?
The answer was harder than he expected. There was no proof of that so far, at least none that he could feel.
Sitting there silently, he contemplated everything. He recalled every moment he had been in such a trance or a zone state. Especially the time when his class ‘Berserker Of The New World’ triggered on its own and the result was simply monstrous.
Breathing silently, Arthur clasped his hands together. Unease mixed with lingering excitement and adrenaline clashed inside of him. He was discovering something new about himself.
‘For me to be this excited about something… I guess it’s safe to say I’m really passionate about Divinity Online. I mean, it’s a lot of fun, I can’t deny that. But, the kick I get from it is not casual playing anymore… I want more.’
Arthur denied that idea for a while as he thought that he simply wished to casually play the game and perhaps get some money. But, slowly, as he realized that he was the perfect person to play this game, his ambitions started growing. From casual gaming to proclaiming first place and keeping it, then to wishing to turn this world upside down through the hardest quest ever offered in this game. He was going up a notch every single time without realizing it.
Now, at this instance, in a moment of self-reflection, he was perhaps not there for the casual fun time. The excitement he got from doing the craziest things was far better than being normal. Fighting incomprehensible monsters in incomprehensible places and doing things that could be deemed quite maniacal.
“Hahaha… Hahahaha… Hahahaha!” Arthur started laughing to himself. His laughter kept growing louder and louder till he fell to the floor. “I’m completely insane. Getting a kick from doing stupid things… I’m not thinking right. But, screw that, I’m in.”
Maybe it was indeed time to accept that he had to actually aim higher. Perhaps it was time to be someone different. To be a complete monster and be aware of it.
Unbeknownst to him, this particular idea was going to be his greatest decision… And his worst mistake.
***
With that, the three hours came to an end and Arthur’s alarm rang, signaling the end of his day in the game. It was a weird day filled with weird encounters and new discoveries, but it was also a moment of reflection for Arthur and a new look at what he wanted to do.
After putting everything back, he left the building and logged out in a good corner. When he left the capsule, it was morning. Without realizing it, he had been playing for 8 hours.
“Hnnng! This is nice!” Feeling energized and slightly stronger than before, he walked into the bathroom, took a shower, had breakfast, and then sat down.
There was still some time before school, so he decided to revise everything he studied that day. He knew that keeping his scores at least average was crucial if he wanted to remain inside the academy for long.
‘I’m not imagining it! I’m really getting good at academics!’ He thought to himself. His mind was far more open to information and complicated concepts. He didn’t feel like he was lacking in intelligence anymore as he expected.
‘This serum is going to turn me into an A+ student! Hahaha! No more stupid Arthur! I’m going to become a scientist, mhm. Professor Arthur… Has a good ring for sure.’
As he laughed to himself, Arthur studied for a good two hours before he finally finished and wore his uniform. Then, he left the apartment a little early as usual and took his sonic board to the institution.
This was the second day of the academy and there were way more people heading to the same destination than yesterday. Everyone decided to start going early for one reason or another. Perhaps keeping in theme with the new disciplined versions of themselves they wanted to cultivate.
“OI! Arthur!”
On the way, he heard someone calling for him. Turning around, he saw Herculia and Danny approaching him.
“Good morning.”
“Good morning! It’s nice to stumble upon you on the way. We should start heading to school together, man!” Herculia said.
‘I don’t think your friend there likes the idea.’ Arthur laughed inwardly as he stared at the silent Danny. He was as grumpy as always, never smiling whenever Arthur was around.
“What do you think of today? Is it going to be as peaceful as yesterday?”
“… I really want to believe it will be normal. But, I also think the academy doesn’t want us to get too comfortable. So, just be ready for anything that might happen.”
Arthur said casually, unaware that his suspicion was just about to be fulfilled right upon their arrival.
A//N: Don’t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3