The Ancients World

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~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~

~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Islands Of Haestar)~~~

~~~(Time: 11:23 AM)~~~

Rianna and I walk out of the bar. The Live Branch of The Auction House is getting busier since lunch is coming. It's one of the high points in the market, and something many Players stop to observe if anything good is being sold.

That's not what we're going to do. Now that I have a list of names for the big Players in Jaerey, it's time that we see just how strong these Players are. I have no doubt I'm stronger than all of them, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't know what I'm up against.

Marcus and I are the strongest people in Jaerey, and there is no changing that. But if we end up fighting a powerful Player in leveled-out combat, it could actually mean problems are ahead.

Recon is required at this moment, and there is no better way to get started with that recon than going where the highest Player population will be outside The Live Branch of The Auction House. Marcus is already there and knowing him. He's been watching for a while now.

"Where are we heading next?"

The girl traveling with me at the moment still has a lot to learn if she hasn't put it together yet. We're walking next to each other and making sure not to stand out.

"There are a lot of possibilities, but I want you to think about it. Once you think you might know, tell me. If I told you everything that's going to happen, you won't learn anything. Part of being a great Player is knowing how to play."

It's a rather rudimentary saying, but I firmly believe in it. You can't thrive in this world unless you know how it works and how to use its functions to your advantage. She's silent now, and I know she's thinking about what it could be.

My mind is on Marcus and what he's learned so far. I'd like to message him, but talking to him in person is better. Now that we have a list of who is in town, it won't be hard to figure out who we need to watch out for.

The entire reason we're doing this is because of leveled-out combat and the threat it poses to us. Even on the chance the tryouts and tournament are true power combat, I'd rather be prepared than caught with my clothes off.

Another habit I picked up from Cera. Prepare for the worst-case scenario. It's going to happen more often than you want it to.

"We're heading to the Arena, right?"

She's got it. I lightly tap on my nose in an indication she's right, and there is a swell of pride in Rianna. I don't know if we'll be friends after all of this. But she's proving to be a good student.

It takes us a bit of time, but we eventually make it to the Arena, and it's more packed now than it was yesterday. I doubt there are any actual seats left. I open my Player Interface and click on my Friends Tab. I need to know where Marcus is at.

[Hey, where are you in the Arena? Rianna and I are on our way in, and I don't want to fuck around and look for you.]

That's enough for an explanation. After a minute or so, I get a message back from him telling me where he is, and we head there. There are only a couple of seats left, and that's when we all meet up again for the day.

Marcus and I will be talking more later tonight, but this change of plans is working out in our favor. He turns to look at me as we're resting in some seats.

"Did you find out anything interesting?"

Instead of saying anything, I pull out the paper and hand it to him. He takes some time to look at it, and I can see the gears turning in his head. My eyes drift to the private viewing boxes. That's where the wealthiest Players will be.

And wealth within The Ancients World equates to power, and vice-versa. While I can't make out any distinctive faces, I see the familiar sigils of Hollowed Willow Tree and The Steel Legion. There are also some other Big Guilds here.

Like Flaming Edge and Demon Crew. These are all top 10 Guilds. Hollowed Willow Tree and The Steel Legion are in the top 3. The benefits of being in a guild are heavily outweighing Solo Players. However, that's only weak Solo Players.

"Wow, there are some pretty well know people on this list. I know Wilted Rose has a Legacy Class, and there is another person on here that has a Legendary Class that isn't one of us. Plutonium. He's here as well."

I turn my head, take the paper away from him, and look at the same name he just saw.

Plutonium is here.

Another Legendary Class Wielder. Three in one place. What are the odds of that? I guess it'd be pretty good, and that's saying something. My eyes slowly drift down the list some more, and I'm relieved to see that our names aren't on here.

But that leaves a problem in itself. If our names aren't on here, there is a good chance that more powerful Players aren't on this list. It's helpful, but I wish it had everything I needed.

In the end, you can't have the names of everyone in town. A list this big is already impressive since there are a few million over the capacity of the city. And that's a lot of Players to go through.

"You know, what do you think our odds are of winning now that we know there are so many powerful people here?"

Rianna asks the question that's going through my head at the moment. I know Marcus is thinking something similar too. If it's leveled-out combat, I think our odds got a little lower. Plutonium is a well-known Player for PVP.

If we were to fight, I don't know if I could win. His Class is a sword-oriented one. It's called Light Strider. I have an advantage over him since my Class is a Duelist Specialty, but that doesn't mean I have the win in the bag at this point.

"Well, it really depends on who we get matched against in the tryouts. We already know that there is going to be more than one fight, and you have to win at least one to qualify for the quest. That means there will be literal thousands that lose twice."

Marcus is right. The tryouts are our main goal. That's the only way to get in on The Ruins Of Tasdir Legendary Quest. However, the tournament is important too. The higher you place in it, the better chance you'll have at getting higher-grade loot.

"This seems like it's hopeless for me... Knowing my luck, I'll get matched against someone who will squash me..."

Rianna has a Rare Grade Class called Focus Adept. It's decent, but there are bound to be others here with Very Rare and Epic Grade Classes above her.

I don't want to sound negative, but her odds have shrunken more than Marcus and mine.

"Hmm... Should we practice? I mean, if we need experience with PVP combat. We can always leave the city and train with leveled-out combat. It's what we're worried about, right?"

Marcus has a good idea and one that I can get behind. We can get out of the city and head deeper into the island. Stay out there for a couple of days and come back the day before the tryouts. We can get practice in with leveled-out combat.

"But doesn't that mean we'll miss out on seeing who's good at fighting and who isn't? I mean, so many people are doing practice fights in the Arena, right? What's to say a powerful Player from a Guilds won't do it."

That's a good point by Rianna, too. We've got options now, and we need to make a decision.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: Below this line, I'll be keeping Cera's player information. That way, I won't have to place it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up.

[Slayer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4]

[Exp: 72/100%]

[Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)]

[Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660]

[Mana aura control: 6/100%]

[Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000]

[Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500]

[Inventory] [Dice of Wayland (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir's Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra's Panties (Black Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)]

[Passive Perks]

[Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [Slayer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever]

[Active Skills]

[Heaven's light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [Slash Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingslayer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)]