Martial Online.

"I gave them your phone number." Daniel Greedforth bowed humbly in front of his high-class client.

"Right." Moriarty sat on a luxurious chair while looking at the bright fireplace. He had a pocket watch in one hand and a glass of soda in the other.

As he finished drinking, he checked the time and then pocketed the pocket watch.

Daniel bowed farewell, taking that as a signal for him to leave, and then left the room.

Once the door closed after his departure, Moriarty stood up from the chair and walked over to the frost-covered window.

He looked at his faint reflection on the hard-to-see window, straightened his sleeves, and buttoned up the buttons on his vest.

After that, the corners of his lips curled into a small smile, and he then walked to one of the glass shelves.

It had framed pictures of his family members and trophies of various sports achievements. In the middle of all that, there was a golden VR headset, as if it were painted.

After opening the shelf, he took the headset and sat down on the luxurious chair with the fireplace, sending waves of heat in his direction.

As he put the headset around his head, he pressed the button and softly closed his eyes.

The feeling on his body shifted rapidly, and soon he didn't feel the soft cushioned chair below him anymore, but instead he was standing in the middle of a bustling street.

[GLITCH FOUND IN SYSTEM!]

A strange message appeared in front of him.

Moriarty glanced at it briefly with a disinterested look and waved his hand, making the message disappear.

After refocusing his sight, he noticed that he was currently standing on a strange town's street. The architecture had a very Victorian design, and the ground below him was fully made of cobblestone.

All the ladies that walked by him wore very wide skirts with corsets to make their waists look slimmer. Most also wore veils to cover their fair-looking faces, and the passing men wore nice-looking suits with top hats.

It was a town situated on a peaceful-looking island that was located in Paradise Away From Pirates—the safest place in Dark Waters.

"Newspapers! A new edition is here!" A paperboy shouted while waving a stack of newspapers in hand.

Most top hat-wearing gentlemen tossed a coin to the paperboy and accepted one of the newspaper.

Moriarty rummaged through his neatly tailored trousers, found one silver coin, and handed it over to the paperboy before getting his newspaper.

He then found himself a seat under a parasol and skimmed through the pages.

After reaching the bounty section, there was a picture of a purple-eyed man and his involvement in Dark Waters.

It wasn't involved in Light Continent's version of the newspaper; therefore, those who didn't bother to read the article weren't aware of what he had done.

However, since Moriarty had been in Dark Waters for a long time, he knew more than most other players about Ambrose and what he had done here.

'Powerful, deceitful, and brave.' Moriarty thought, and he closed the newspaper.

The reason he wanted Ambrose to be his partner for the upcoming tournament was because of the things he had read. He found out more about Mars and what he had done.

Mars was much more dangerous than any other World Boss so far, and yet a player managed to defeat him.

'It's a risky bet. The newspaper could make Mars look more dangerous than he actually is, but still, I would rather have someone like him than the great Julian.

'I need someone who ain't afraid to fight.'

Moriarty believed most players would try to avoid the strongest fighters and try to sneak into the finals. As long as they get to the finals and get to fight in the stadium, their future will be prosperous.

Even if they lost immediately in the stadium, it would be enough to show their worth.

That's why most players' game plan was to avoid fighting.

He didn't want that, as if they were afraid to fight, their confidence would be at rock bottom in the finals.

Moriarty had only one goal in the tournament, and that was to win.

"Hello, young man, are you searching to do something fun?" A smiling woman appeared in front of him and smiled seductively.

While other passing ladies looked respectable and ladylike, the woman in front of him looked like she was created to seduce others. 

Before Moriarty could speak a word, a slumbering soul inside him awoke and spoke on his behalf.

"No, I am an honorable knight. I do not condone such debauchery." The voice turned deeper and more muscular.

Moriarty also crossed his arms, and his expression turned proud.

The seductive woman had a strange expression, and without saying another word, she left to find another easy prey.

At that moment, Moriarty's expression turned normal, but this time, his expression turned sour as if he had eaten something bad.

"God damn it, do not take control of my body without my permission!"

'You should treat your body like a temple. I felt your heartbeat increase, and I knew where that was going!' The soul inside him spoke.

"Tsk." Moriarty clicked his tongue, folded the newspaper, and stood up as he began walking down the sidewalk.

'Where are you going, young knight?' The soul inside him asked.

"I heard there is a sea monster wreaking havoc on a nearby island. I'll go there to slay it." Moriarty said while taking a hat from his inventory.

After placing the wide-brimmed hat on his head, he was now protected from the warm sunrays.

'I see, that is very honorable, as you'll be securing a safer passage for fishmen and islanders alike!'

"I ain't doing this for me; I need XP!" Moriarty scoffed and checked his current silver coin balance.

After seeing that he should have enough to rent a sailboat, he closed his interface, skipped down the cobblestone street, and soon arrived at the bustling harbor.

The sailors were fixing the sails of their ships, some removing the gangplank and anchors, as they were readying themselves for another fishing trip.

'You know, lying to me is worthless.' The soul said, 'I know your real thoughts.'

"Whatever." Moriarty whispered venomously, then went to rent a sailboat, and after he finished paying up, he removed his vest and jacket before placing them on his inventory.

Now, his upper body was only covered with a baggy poet's shirt.

After finding his rented sailboat, he untied the knot that kept it tied to the pier and unfurled the one small sail.

As the sailboat caught the wind, the boat started rocking back and forth against the waves as Moriarty started moving it towards the far-away island that was only a black dot in the distance.

'What kind of sea monster is it? Could it be the legendary Kraken, perhaps?' The soul asked curiously.

"I don't know, but it definitely ain't some Kraken." Moriarty sat down and pulled out his long-shafted silver spear from his inventory. "I heard it has a fish's tail and a human's face, that's all."

'Hmm, that sounds like Waterfolk!' The soul inside him said.

'Waterfolk? I've never heard of them before.' Moriarty said.

'Hmm, they are living in a city called Atlantic. It's the most beautiful city I've ever seen. Have you ever been there?'

"I never heard of it before."

'Hmm, that is strange. It was the most famous city of my time. Perhaps you never go outside? Hahahaha.'

"Shut up…" Moriarty rolled his eyes. "Are these Waterfolk hostile?"

'Well, no, the opposite, actually.' The soul's voice turned nostalgic. 'They were a really beautiful race that cared about people's lives.'

"Well, this one has been stealing and killing." Moriarty said. "Well, from what I've heard, you've been gone for a very long time, so things must've changed."

'…' The soul inside him stayed quiet.