Martial Online.

The silverware clicked together as a family of four gathered around the dining table, enjoying their fabulous gathering of different meals from different cultures.

Moriarty cut into his food and savored the rich flavors that filled his mouth.

He had a very indifferent expression on his face as he silently ate his food.

His parents and brother were also eating in silence, as if there were an invisible barrier separating them. It didn't seem like a family meal at all, but one shared by strangers.

Moriarty's father, a stern man with a distant gaze, seemed particularly distant and disengaged. He had gray hair with a few streaks of white, giving him a distinguished appearance.

He then wiped his mouth and turned his distant gaze towards Moriarty.

"102nd, you have disappointed me again."

Moriarty's knife stopped just inches away from his food, poised in mid-air, but then he slowly lowered it back to his plate.

"The only goal was to qualify," Moriarty said calmly. "We did good, in my humble opinion."

"I didn't think I raised you to be happy with such a pathetic position." His father shook his head in disappointment.

At that moment, Moriarty's mother, a tall and elegant woman with a smiling expression, said, "Young Zad apparently reached the top 10. His parents must be smiling with happiness every day that they raised such a wonderful son."

Moriarty's hand tightened into a fist, his knuckles turning white.

'Zadkiel that, Zadkiel this, fuckers.' Moriarty took a deep breath before he lost it.

'Because of me, my parents business didn't go bankrupt. My parents owe their financial stability to me!

'Yet, they never appreciated my efforts or acknowledged my contributions. I am fifth in the streaming rankings. I am the wealthiest high schooler. Apparently, none of these matter to them.'

Moriarty wiped his mouth and stood up. "Thank you for the meal. I have to go prepare for tomorrow."

Neither of his parents said anything as they continued eating in silence, and then Moriarty headed straight back to his room.

After reaching his room, he collapsed onto his bed, feeling a wave of exhaustion wash over him.

'In the first round, the soul of the Knight of Ayl wasn't with me because of the restriction. At least I didn't have to hear the bullshit about honor and chivalry again.'

However, he strangely missed him, as he had grown used to his presence and the familiar lectures.

Moriarty pulled out his phone and saw that his text messages were flooded with congratulation messages.

He checked them briefly before moving on to delete them all.

"He was in the top ten…" Moriarty sat up and checked the rankings for the first round.

The Titans were in the eighth position with their powerful line-up.

"He beat me again…" Moriarty squeezed his phone in frustration.

As he went to check the news, he saw a headline about Zadkiel and Julian. Wherever he went, he only saw more and more news about them; it was as if not a single team beside them existed.

"Hah…" Moriarty let out a bitter laugh, moved onto the ForeverChat app, and went to check what his community was talking about.

They were talking about the tournament and the other teams, but their discussions were overshadowed by the overwhelming focus on Moriarty and his team.

They were wondering who this Ambrose was and whether he was any help to Moriarty.

"Sigh." Moriarty closed the phone and laid back on the bed with an exhaustion that seemed to seep into his bones.

At that moment, he heard a sharp ringing in his ear.

"Damn, already?" Moriarty sighed and sat up with a heavy expression.

He stood up from the bed and opened the window, opening his sight to the wonderful city that was right beside a vast ocean. The night air filled his lungs, bringing a sense of calm and clarity to his troubled mind.

Moriarty touched his ringing ears and leaped out of the window like a wild animal escaping its cage.

He safely landed on the roof of a neighboring building and walked down the tilted rooftop.

As he reached the end of the rooftop, he leaped into the air as if he had wings, jumping a distance that would be impossible for ordinary humans, and landed gracefully on the other side of the street.

As it was quite late, the streets were empty except for the mist that creeped from the mountains and engulfed the city, creating an eerie yet mystifying atmosphere.

As he waltzed into a dark alleyway, he found a building tucked away in the shadows, and it looked like it was a place that wouldn't get any visitors.

Knock, knock—he double-knocked on the door and awaited with his ringing ears.

A short moment later, a lantern-carrying figure opened the door with a tired smile on his face.

"I was expecting you, Young Moriarty."

"Yeah, yeah, just give me the medicine, Nosferatu." Moriarty said and rubbed his ears. "I can't stand this ringing."

"Very well, kuku." Nosferatu opened the door wide and walked inside his humble abode while lighting up the path with the lantern in his possession.

Moriarty closed the door behind him and followed the hunched-

backed man into the mysterious darkness of the abode.

After a short while, they both entered a small laboratory with shelves filled with various chemicals and scientific instruments.

However, in the middle table, there were some electrical wires that were frayed and sparking dangerously. Beside them, there were broken golden VR headsets with whole parts missing.

"Sit there." Nosferatu pointed at the chair in the corner.

Moriarty slowly made his way towards it, cautiously avoiding the hazardous wires and broken VR headsets. He then carefully lowered himself onto the chair, mindful of any additional dangers lurking in the room.

Nosferatu searched the shelves until he found a syrinqe with a sharp needle. He then took out a green liquid from his pocket and filled the syringe with it.

"Roll up your sleeve." He said as he tapped his finger against the side of the syringe.

Moriarty rolled up his sleeve and exposed his bare arm to receive the injection.

Nosferatu carefully pushed the needle into Moriarty's arm, injecting the green liquid into his veins.

"Ngh…" Moriarty grimaced in pain as he felt the cold liquid coursing through his body.

However, then the annoying ringing stopped.

"That's it." Nosferatu smiled creepily and put away the syringe.

"The ringing has become more frequent." Moriarty rubbed his ear and mentioned his worries.

"Yes, it's because you've been playing Martial Online more." Nosferatu said. "You're using the headset for longer periods."

"Yes, I've been preparing for this tournament…" Moriarty said, adjusting his clothes and checking out the clock. "Once the tournament is over, I'll reduce my playtime; is that fine?"

"Yes, that's fine." Nosferatu smiled. "The headset gives you incredible abilities, but unfortunately there is this small side effect."

"It is to be expected." Moriarty said. "However, since it's just mere ringing, it's a small price to pay for the advantages it provides."

"Exactly." Nosferatu smiled and checked the clock. "You should rest. You have an important day ahead."

Moriarty nodded and departed the shady building with a rejuvenated expression.

After his departure, Nosferatu returned to the laboratory and put the lantern on the table.

He then took out an old-looking shell phone and dialed a number.