A New World, An Immersive Game Experience



Naturally, their group had moved to the side of the road. Walking a short distance into the gardens, which Eldrian found extremely nostalgic. Memories of when he used to laze around here, to clear his mind, found their way into his thoughts. 

Naturally, their group wasn't the only players from Phoenix here today. However, their group had arrived earlier due to the interview they were to participate in. Thanks to their early arrival, they had a few hours to kill. Spending those hours attempting to cast magic was probably more productive than simply enjoying the sights. 

Time flew by and quickly the time of the interview came around. Grunting with frustration, Ilmadia, Nikki, and Erik reluctantly gave up and the group set forth for the stadium. The three were deep in conversation about why they hadn't managed to cast a single spell. 

Eldrian wanted to offer some advice. But, honestly, he wasn't sure what they were lacking. They had followed the right steps, but the mana hadn't reacted. 

'It has to be the mana density. They can't gather enough mana with the Mageia they sent out to cast their spells. Or rather, the mana they gather quickly dissipates due to the low mana density. Resulting in nothing happening.'

Such was Eldrian's conclusion, but he wasn't sure how to advise them on fixing this problem. Not without running the risk of their spell growing in size and being noticed. 

"And next up is the guild we've all been waiting for." Oier, the announcer, and the tournament master, shouted. "Guild Phoenix!"

While not the first time for the group to enter the stadium, the changes since the first tournament certainly shocked them. For one, it had nearly doubled in size. And for another, holograms filled the area. Giving every seat a perfect view of the group as they walked over to the center of the stadium 'arena'. 

Honestly, the arena part was just for the show. No one would actually fight on it. But, thanks to holographic technology, the fights would be displayed perfectly. Though the guild category's arenas were perhaps too large in scale to fit in this stadium. 

"Thank you for taking the time to meet with me." Oier continued once the group took their seats. "I'll get right into it. I just have to ask, what is the motivation for your guild?"

Elizabeth was the one to answer most of the questions. And she did a magnificent job at it. 

To Eldrian, the innocent question Oier had posed was a loaded one. There was so much he could say. Elizabeth, however, balanced her answer expertly. 

"We simply love the ANW. As a guild, we've been together since launch, and it has been quite the experience. Over the years, we've grown close. Not just to each other, but also to the NPCs."

"Our motivation comes not just from our love for the game, but also because we want to improve the lives of the NPCs we've come to love."

"We fight each day with the hope to improve the situation of the kingdom we are situated in. This tournament, we hope, will allow us to grow even stronger and further our goals going forward. 

From there, the Q&A continued. Most of the questions pertained to the guild's history, their past achievements, and so forth. Slowly, the questions shifted to the leading figures of the guild. Those present for this interview. 

For most of the interview, Eldrian had been ignoring everything that was being said. Instead, he had been searching for anything strange. Even going so far as to try and find out if Oier was using his bloodline powers. 

Eldrian wasn't sure what Oier's power was, but he knew it was somehow related to Charms. Thus there were two aspects it could fall under. Divinity, or Chaos. The question was whether the charm effect worked biologically, and thus was part of Chaos, or directly on the soul, and thus part of Divinity. 

Luckily, Oier didn't seem to be doing anything other than asking questions. And Eldrian was confident in this assessment of his. His training with Vivian had allowed him to massively improve his detection of other magics outside of those using mana. 

"And what of you, Eldrian?" Finally, the interview shifted over to Eldrian. A nudge from Erik helped Eldrian not miss his cue to participate in the interview. 

"I'm sorry. I'm not sure what you want me to say."

"Oh, I guess that's true. There is just so much we want to know." Oier smiled.

"The biggest question is probably on why you're so much stronger than the average player. Even the players who claim to be elites can't come close to you." Oier said, looking over at the others as he said this. Hinting that Eldrian stood out even among his friends. 

"I still don't know what to say," Eldrian replied. Wondering what Oier wanted from him. Per his agreement with Zaphreal, Eldrian was not to speak of magic being real. At least he wasn't to stir the pot beyond what was required. Though that agreement might no longer be in effect. 

"As you know, I play as the High Elf race. Which meant I had to learn how to use magic right from day one. I didn't have the system to help and guide me."

"Many players have been stumped at their Tier 5 advancement. But, honestly, the difficulty I had to surpass was far higher than theirs. After all, most players who chose the same race as I have given up and remade their characters."

"It took the others, those who stuck with it, three years to finally manage to cast the most basic of spells."

"How were you able to use magic from so much earlier?" Oier questioned. 

"I guess you can say because I'm crazy," Eldrian replied with a smile. He had already shared the method he had used to first learn magic. However, no one had copied what he had done. 

Most simply didn't get the opportunity to enter the control rooms of magic towers. And thus use a Magic Crystal to pull their mana into action. Those who did, balked at how painful doing so was. 

"I can't really recall why I stuck with it. I must be crazy. It's the only explanation I can think of." Eldrian paused. He wondered how Jen was doing with his parents. He had finally decided to inform them of what was going on. After all this time...

"That experience allowed me to learn how to not only feel and guide my mana, but truly control it."

"And how is that different from what players are doing?" Oier pressed. 

"It's like comparing digging a channel to let your mana flow—or say using pipes to guide the flow of water. Versus directly controlling to flow as you wish."

"My, that does sound amazing—"

"And I've shared all this information on the forums. So I'm not sure why you are asking these questions."

"There are many people who've never stumbled upon your guides, threads, and suggestions. I simply wish to have everyone understand why you are able to stand out among the millions of players."

"Is that so?" Eldrian asked, inclining his head questioningly. "Have you explained my relation to the company? I do believe that also has a large part to play in my earlier growth."

That counter seemed to catch Oier completely off guard. He froze, his smile twitching. Naturally, Oier knew of the history between Eldrian and Miracle. And no matter what Eldrian was alluding to, it couldn't be good for him and the company. 

"Oh my, what on earth could you possibly mean by that?"

Eldrian simply shrugged, leaning back in his chair and gazing at the stadium roof. "Oh, nothing much." And so, he managed to divert the questions from himself to Oier, who had so clearly tried to glance over Eldrian's question. 

'That should end this interview. I see no reason why I should be the only one answering difficult questions.' Eldrian thought. 

If Miracle came out and explained that he used to be an employee, Eldrian wouldn't care much. It was years ago. He wasn't currently still employed. Hence, there was no reason why he couldn't participate in the current tournament. 

His past participation could be brought into question, but that would again be on Miracle. Not him. 

After all, they had allowed it. 

And if more of their history came to light... That was why he and his friends had been laying the groundwork. They had done their best to ensure that Miracle wouldn't be the only ones to dictate history. 

'If I can learn how to glance into the past, as Ziraili said GAIA can do, that would be nice. But it isn't necessary. I don't have nearly as much to hide as Miracle.'