Martial Online.

At a well-furnished house, Moriarty sat on the computer and used the mouse to draw a card from his memory alone.

It looked rather shabby, but it was good enough to get an idea of what the drawing was about.

Knock, knock.

"Come in." Moriarty responded to the knocking.

The door opened, and Daniel Greedforth entered the room with stacks of papers in his hands.

"I finished the research you asked for," Daniel said, placing the papers on the desk.

Moriarty flipped through the papers and nodded. "Good job. I have another question."

"What is it, sir?" Daniel asked, not caring whether the clock had already shown past midnight.

He was completely dedicated to his work as Moriarty's manager.

"What do you think this depicts?" Moriarty looked at the screen with a drawn picture of the card.

"A puzzle?" Daniel frowned and pointed at the cross. "This cross... what are those?"

"Supposed to be weapons." Moriarty stroked his chin thoughtfully. "This is supposed to portray my future."

"I didn't think you were into fortune-telling." Daniel said it in surprise. "But what I think... well, the puzzle thing might hint towards a future where you'll need to solve some kind of puzzle.

"Those two weapons are crossing; you might have to fight through the puzzle."

"That is the easy solution." Moriarty said. "However, the fortune teller said that there are multiple solutions. It mustn't be so simple."

"Well, truthfully spoken, the fortune teller sounds like a hoax." Daniel said. "Keeping it vague so that one wouldn't be able to argue that the fortune-telling is a scam."

"Perhaps." Moriarty closed the drawing app and said, "You can go now. I'll want to rest before the tournament."

"Very well, sir." Daniel nodded and said, "Good luck for the tournament."

Daniel sounded a little nervous, as the success of the tournament wasn't only important to Moriarty; it was also important to him.

If Moriarty lost his sponsors and credibility as a powerful player, he would miss out on future opportunities and potentially face financial ruin.

That would put Daniel's job in jeopardy, and he would be left scrambling for a new source of income.

This job was a golden opportunity for him, and he had worked tirelessly to secure it.

"You sound nervous, Daniel." Moriarty said, hearing the tremor in Daniel's voice. "Not confident, huh?"

"I am confident in your strength, sir." Daniel said. "But, Ambrose. He is a nobody."

"Nobody, huh." Moriarty chuckled. "Maybe in the eyes of someone like you. But Iam certain that I am not the only player who can tell that he might be a powerful adversary.

"People aren't blind, and he is the player with the highest bounty currently. It's rue that a high bounty can be achieved by doing hideous deeds basically every day, and it doesn't always transfer to strength.

"However, if he was weak, he would've been captured a long time ago."

"Of course I have heard people talking about Ambrose." Daniel said. "He is more popular than he probably even thinks he is, especially among the Golden Society."

The Golden Society was a group of top-level players, and all their associations were part of that. They shared information, strategies, and resources to stay ahead in the game.

Moriarty was part of that, as were all the streamers in the top 30 rankings.

"You still think he is nobody?" Moriarty chuckled.

"Well, he pales in comparison to the others in the Golden Society." Daniel said. "There were others who would've liked to team up with you. This is a risky gamble, relying on him."

"I don't like them." Moriarty said sternly. "Zadkiel, Samuel, Malach, and Evangelia. They reached the top rankings just because of their strength, but they used their different personalities to build their own communities.

"I have tried hard to pass even one of them in the rankings, but I am trapped in fifth place." Moriarty narrowed his eyes. "They are indeed powerful."

"Why didn't you?" Daniel asked. "Evangelia would've loved to. She is powerful and loved by many. You two would've been one of the most popular teams."

"I want to win!" Moriarty slammed his fist on the desk, breaking it in half with an amazing show of strength.

Daniel paled and bowed hurriedly, sweat beading on his forehead.

"I cannot win with Evangelia." Moriarty said venomously. "Not against Zadkiel."

"W-what about teaming with Zadkiel?"

"Not with him." Moriarty chuckled angrily. "Not with that bastard. What I need is an anomaly to take everyone by surprise. Ambrose is indeed a gamble, but do you think I can win by taking it safe?

"No!"

His shout rattled the room, causing Daniel to flinch and take a step back.

"I don't want to be fifth, fourth, third, or second in the tournament." Moriarty looked at his manager with a crazed look. "I'll win."

"I-I understand. Sorry for my insolent, foolish words." Daniel quickly apologized, hoping to defuse the tense situation. "You two will win, for sure!"

Moriarty intertwined his fingers and closed his eyes. His heart was pounding against his chest, and nothing he did could calm his nervousness.

Soon, his life's most important few weeks would begin. A single mistake could cost him everything he had worked for.

'Calm down, you piece of shit.' Moriarty gritted his teeth. 'You want to be the same nobody as you were before, huh? If not, then do your fucking work properly without any mistakes.'

…

In the skies above Amaterasu, a countdown ticked down to the start of the tournament, and only an hour remained.

Millions of players had gathered in Amaterasu, many coming from other places just for this special event.

All the major cities had the biggest activity since the release date of Martial Online.

At the market, it had a very festive feeling, as if there were a grand celebration happening.

During the last night, a small update came that didn't shut down the servers but added decorations and stuff for the tournament, such as the capability of watching the tournament from inside the game.

Ambrose walked down the streets, taking in the sights and sounds of the bustling city.

A dancing woman caught his eye, her graceful movements captivating the crowd around her. She was dancing to a lively tune, her body swaying in perfect harmony with the music.

After she was done, she received thunderous applause from the mesmerized audience. She smiled, accepted silver coins, and curtsied gracefully before exiting the stage.

Ambrose soon found Moriarty sitting in an outside cafe, wearing the same mask as the night before, and sipping a cup of tea while looking at the celebrations.

He looked calm and steady, as if his most important moment wasn't only an hour away.

Ambrose was about to head over to him, but then the flower seller approached him and handed him a rose with a warm smile.

He looked at the little girl, handed her silver coins, and thanked her for the rose.

After she left to sell more roses, he put the rose on his ear and took a seat at the same table as Moriarty.

"What's up with the rose?" Moriarty looked through the mask's eyeholes and asked. "And you aren't wearing your cloak today, why?"

"It's nice weather." Ambrose relaxed as the sunlight fell over their table. "It would be a waste to hide from the sun. Besides, I don't think anyone will recognize me here. There are way too many people here."

It was hard to hear Moriarty's and even his own voice because of the loud chatter and laughter filling the air.

"Hmm, true." Moriarty removed the mask and ruffled his hair. "You nervous?"

"Little, you?" Ambrose asked.

"No." Moriarty shook his head. "I am locked and loaded. Ready to go."