After sitting there for a while, Arthur stood up and silently left the garden. His mind was still thinking about the interaction between him and Isla and it only made him feel more and more bitter.
He blamed himself for overstepping his boundaries and for thinking he was already at the level where Isla could tell him everything about her life. She had known the others for years while he was only there for a month or less. There was no base for comparison.
Arthur was a friend, perhaps even a dear friend. But, Isla still didn’t see him as someone close enough to her to let him know about her life in depth. Everything Lamenter said was right.
That hit Arthur hard, harder than anything else. These were his very first friends and they didn’t fully trust him yet. If that were the case then what could happen if they disagree, argue, or even worse, find themselves in a situation where their interests clash?
Arthur’s plans were huge… Far bigger than he can even imagine. He wasn’t simply going to save some people, he was about to wage a war against an entire empire. He knew that the moment he stepped into that Bastion, his entire story in the game would take a sharp turn.
He will have to leave the empire and venture into the lands. So, the chances of him causing trouble for Isla and the others were huge. Their entire operation relies on their relationship with the empire and the royal family, especially Prince Vincent.
If that relationship breaks, they won’t be able to form any sort of guild in the capital, and the opposition will kick them out or even worse.
Just imagining the outcome made Arthur frown deeply as he held his breath. He had been postponing this decision for a while as he felt very happy being with Isla and the others. But, it was never sustainable.
‘I should’ve kept my word and left them on their own after reaching the capital. Staying around them would only cause them trouble. It’s time… to leave.’ He thought to himself. ‘It’s for the best.’
As much as it made him feel even worse, Arthur had his priorities straight. If he had to choose between leaving them on their own for their sake and staying for his own selfish desire, then he would always choose the first option.
Taking a deep breath, Arthur looked up at the sky and closed his eyes. “… This is a little bit annoying.” Then he smiled coldly. “Let’s just focus on the game… Friendship isn’t something I’m good at anyway.”
***
After that, Arthur headed back to the hall where students were dueling. Since the day was still long, he decided to spend it fighting other students and gaining as many points as possible. He knew that he wouldn’t have such an opportunity another time when he gets busy with leveling up. So, he had to make of every single minute he had at that moment.
The moment he stepped into the hall, he immediately caught everyone’s attention as if he were some kind of alien.
At this point, everyone had heard of the fight and they quickly arrived at the hall to see for themselves who are these S-Rank players. The news of a destructive battle made the students even more eager to see for themselves.
“Woah!”
“It’s him!”
“That’s the guy who won!”
Before he could even realize it, Arthur was completely surrounded by students from every angle. Most of them were simply fascinated by what they saw and wanted to talk to him.
“Hey! Can I get your autograph!”
“Can I shake your hand?”
“Hi, I’m Etha-“
“Get out of the way.”
Fights broke out between the students as they tried to get close to Arthur. The latter was naturally taken aback by the sudden influx of students.
‘… What the hell happened in the few minutes I was out?’ He frowned. The situation was completely out of control. It reminded him of a celebrity being attacked by rabid fans. The scene was not that far off.
“Calm down, everyone!” He yelled.
“…”
“Let me be clear. Don’t stand in my way.” Arthur said coldly. “I’m not here to sign autographs or do handshakes. However, if anyone wants to fight me, by all means, stand in a line.”
‘If they’re here, I might as well use them.’ Arthur mused. The number of students around him was huge so he assumed some of them wanted to fight him. But, much to his surprise, he didn’t expect what was about to happen.
“Fight him?”
“What?”
“I can try?”
“I mean… sure!”
In a matter of seconds, the students organized themselves in a line as they looked at Arthur eagerly. Almost every single student was there. It was as if they didn’t witness Arthur just destroying another student.
“…” Blinking silently, Arthur exhaled. “Well, if you all want that, sure.” He replied as he rolled his sleeves.
***
*Two hours later*
“… What the hell is going on here?”
The entire hall was turned into a silent morgue. People were sitting in their seats watching the scene in pure shock. There was not even a gasp of surprise that could be heard. After all, what they were witnessing was simply out of this world.
“How… How many did he defeat… already?” One student asked in a daze.
“… 86… I think.” Another replied. “86 students and the one that took the longest lasted… 5 seconds.”
Just saying those words sounded like a joke. Of all the students, nobody lasted more than 5 seconds before dying. Arthur was able to eliminate all of them with one single hit.
“This level of power… How is he so strong?”
“So this is what an S-Class student is…”
“A nightmare… Look at the students who fought him.”
Down at the capsule area, all the students who were defeated were watching the battles with a disconnected look. Most of them didn’t even understand what happened before the battle was over.
‘A demon… He’s a demon.’
That was the conclusion they all reached. Arthur wasn’t a normal student or even a good player. He was a monstrous demon with no mercy. The way he finishes the battles with decapitation is a true horror. Nobody could deflect or dodge his attacks.
They didn’t even have time to feel despair or powerlessness. They weren’t even worth sparing for a few extra seconds. That was the sheer difference between them. It was simply incomprehensible.
At that moment, the last player exited the capsule, stumbling back and forth as if he was hallucinating.
“What the hell… What the hell was that?!” He grabbed his neck, almost feeling pain there. The feeling of the sword cutting through his neck was still vivid and it only made him breathe heavily as he sat down.
This scene wasn’t new so nobody approached him. Almost every other student who fought Arthur experienced that feeling when they got out. It was clear that the fear of death had struck them hard when they faced him.
Then, amidst the horrifying silence, Arthur exited his capsule, making the rest of the students step back in fear. Stretching his limbs, he looked around him calmly. All he saw were terrified eyes and pale faces.
‘Did I overdo it again?’ He asked himself. ‘I didn’t expect so many people wanted to fight me. But, it was a good opportunity to try my new sword and also get familiar with PvPs. It wasn’t really anything hard, but it was useful.’ He thought to himself.
Arthur didn’t want to waste time so he opted to just kill his targets in one single move. His speed, accuracy, and technique were already high, but with the repetition, he was able to improve on it a little.
However, Arthur’s biggest gain from all of this was by far the points he gathered. Although most of the students he fought were A-Class or lower, he still gathered a huge amount of points due to the bonus effect.
Opening his device, he checked his ranking and points and as he expected, he was the number 1 by points so far.
At the very top of the rankings, clear of every single other student.
[Arthur Silverborn. Continue your saga on empire
Points: 670.]
‘670? Hmm, not bad. I wished to break the 1000 mark but this is also fine.’ He muttered to himself as he looked up.
“Anyone else wants to fight?”
Eerie silence.
The moment he asked, everyone stepped back in fear. They didn’t even dare to stare him in the eyes fearing he might ask them to fight him again. However, fortunately, Arthur shook his head with a sigh.
“Well, thank you for entertaining me. Good luck with your future endeavors.” He said, walking away under the confused looks of the other people.
The demon had finally left the battlefield and everyone could breathe a sigh of relief.
A//N: Don’t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3