Soul Art Online
Disclaimer: I own nothing
Chapter 25: Award Ceremony
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- Arthas -
"Some of the T4 participants are really good. If I had known this was going to happen, we could have let you all participate in the competition before changing Class."
"Hmm… we could, but I don't think this platform is suitable for Shiroe, Star or me. We are not exactly suited for a one on one battle on a small stage. Suikazura and Rose would have been better but they haven't reached the level cap yet so they might not win it. After all, not everyone is as crazy as you." She rolled her eyes at me.
…
"Do you think we can recruit some of them?" Rose asked.
"Oh… yes. We can actually do something like that. After all, there are no rules which say that we can only have players help us out. Although inviting them to join the Guild through the System is not wise. That should be left for the players."
"Hmm. This was something I had been thinking too. There were several good NPCs like Tyrone who weren't associated with any faction. We could get their help for the World Quests too. After all, it was only with the help of the NPCs that we managed to win the last World Quest. Having a few strong T5 could drastically increase our chances of victory in the upcoming quests. Try to find any you can convince to join us." I asked, getting a nod from her.
She calmed down a lot after the competition ended and I returned back. After my match, there was another match for third place and Tyrone won it in a close fight.
Right now our Guild was mostly focused on Production Classes and had a lower number of fighters. This will obviously change as the Guild's member limit becomes higher and we get more members but till then getting NPCs will help alleviate many of our shortcomings. For example, we could send them with low level players and help them level up faster. Or we could send some NPCs with one player to complete a Quest and quickly increase Guild Levels. Lastly, they can be a great help, even if as a fodder during World Quests. They can be a great boost to our efficiency.
I wonder if someone has already thought of this method. Then again, I doubt they have had the chance to do so due to it requiring a position of high authority.
But as the players rise in level, they are going to find out this loophole and start recruiting NPCs too. We need to get the creme of the crop before that happens.
The competition was not as intense as the T5 ones and it was over in the next four hours. The T3 Competition was also over soon and by the time the was about to go down, it was time for the Award Ceremony.
I was also told to go with them so I left Veena and Rose in the room and followed the rest back to the arena. Everything was cleared and the former Marquis Daren Black and Uther Pendragon took the stage, the former addressing the audience first.
"Once more we have arrived at the ending of our yearly Talent Hunt Tournament. It heartens me to see that the future of Greenfrost rests in such able hands. The people you see here today, might become the leaders of the future generations, some will become generals while some will become famed paladins who guard our Kingdom and make the name of Greenfrost resound everywhere."
The man had a certain gravitas about him where the crowd was silenced and listened to his words without being distracted.
"Many people have fought today, showing their talents and each one of them is worthy of praise. Just because someone lost, doesn't mean their talent can be denied. Being here alone proves that they are a cut above the rest. So please give them all a round of applause." The entire crowd erupted into a round of cheers.
The man gave them some time to calm down and then continued.
"But in competitions, someone wins and someone loses so let's greet the winners. These people have given it their all and then some more, going beyond their limits and finally pushing themselves above their competition. Their position today is a product of countless hours of hard work and perseverance with which they have honed their skills and finally reached this place. So with a massive round of applause, welcome the winners of this year's Tournament."
I stepped on the stage with the rest of the winners.
Garell Cole however was not present. Looks like the man hadn't recovered yet. In his stead, another person from his guild was here to receive the reward.
Tyrone however looked pumped up as ever.
Rewards were given one by one.
Daren Black handed the rewards for the T3 group winners.
Uther then came forward and rewarded the T4 group winners.
And finally, it was our turn to get rewarded.
"In third place, we have the Mad Brawler, Tyrone!"
The crowd went crazy at the name.
Whatever his position may be, Tyrone was a fan favourite due to his fighting style. It was a bit embarrassing but I wasn't that well received in the previous matches due to taking it slow and grinding the skills. It was only in the last two matches that I got their cheers. But who cares about freaking NPCs. My Skills leveled up and that's what matters the most.
"And to give this reward, I would like to welcome a very special guest today." Daren Black looked towards Prince Arthas who was wearing his mask.
He stepped forward under the curious gazes of the crowd. After all, the former Marquis rewarded the T3 winners, the strongest Paladin of the Kingdom was rewarding the T4 winners so who was this masked guy who could be qualified to reward the T5 winners? In fact, not just the audience, even the other dignitaries like Sir Ralph and the heads of the Magic Tower and Church were unaware of his identity and looked equally curious.
Prince Arthas removed the mask and several gasps were heard in the stage area as most of the people there fell on one knee. Most of the audience however hadn't seen the prince directly and were still confused so Daren Black announced. "Please welcome with a huge round of applause, his Royal Highness, Prince Arthas Menethil!"
There was a moment of silence before the entire crowd went completely haywire.
It was louder than anything during the tournament.
Oh man… this guy was very popular among his people.
"My dear people…" He started to speak.
I noticed that he hadn't used any spells to make his voice get carried to the audience. It was some kind of equipment in his armour which allowed him to do so. I guess as royalty he often has to give speeches so these kinds of things might be necessary.
And the crowd cheered again.
He waited for them to calm down before speaking again. "I thank you for your love and support. But today… is not about me. It is about these brave warriors who have shed their blood, tears and sweat to achieve this position, so let's not take away their well deserved praise due to my arrival. It is my honour to be able to see such talents emerge in my kingdom. So cheer them on their victory today."
With that he stepped forward and presented the rewards for Tyrone.
A Skill Book and equipment for a Mad Brawler.
The next was Garell Cole's awards but that didn't warrant a lot of fanfare as the man himself wasn't present.
"And finally, the champion of the Tier 5 Competition, the representative of the Knight's Academy, the biggest dark horse of the entire competition, of the entire tournament, one who fought opponents over a dozen levels higher than him and still came out on top, creating a miracle never seen before… the youngest person to have ever won the Tier 5 of Greenfrost Tournament… welcome… with the biggest round of applause… Arthas!"
Oh the hype was real and so was the applause.
I could see why Arnold and Sir Ralph were so insistent on winning the competition.
Won't lie… even in a game… it felt great.
I got on the stage and Prince Arthas came in front of me. I gave him a formal salute as a Knight of the Knight's Academy.
The guy smiled and spoke. "Arthas… You have a very good name."
…
I smiled in return. . "I get that a lot."
"Hahahaha." The words made him laugh out hard.
Seeing him laugh, the other people around the stage joined in too.
"Congratulations on winning this tournament. It was honestly a joy watching you fight. I have never seen someone with as much talent as you in all my time. Dare I say, with this kind of talent, let alone a T7, you might have the chance to reach a T8, the same level as my Lord Father, the King."
…
His words caused several murmurs around the stage and in the audience but the guy was not at all bothered and continued unphased.
First came the notification.
To be the Strongest
Greenfrost is organising their yearly competition to see who is the best fighter for each tier in the whole territory.
Objective: Participate in the Competition.
Reward: Depends on the final ranking.
Next came presenting me with the rewards.
The first was a Skill Book, Aegis of Light.
Aegis of Light
Summons an ethereal Holy Shield on all allies in a five meter radius around the user to block damage and gives resistance to miasma.
Shield Durability: 5000 points
Duration: 5 minutes.
Each level increases the Durability of the Shield by 100 points and increases the duration of the shield by 10 seconds.
This is a great Skill.
Maybe I can give this to Rose. I had enough Skills to increase my defense but she doesn't have any. As a tank this Skill could suit her and Suikazura-san better.
Next was a sword.
Lightbearer
A sword forged with Blessed Gold Essence Core.
Physical Attack: +1 000
Magical Attack: +1 000
MP: +3 500
Increases Holy Damage by 30%.
Increases Light Damage by 30%.
Increases Darkness Resistance by 30%.
Requires Level 150 to equip.
Level 150… so a Level 50 T5.
I couldn't use it yet but it was a very good alternative for my current Blessed Sun Sword. The stats were the best I had seen yet, but the Blessed Sun Set had the set effect which helped the entire party. Compared to that, this sword, while very strong, was missing a lot.
Next was a plate of Gold. A plate which could be exchanged for five hundred thousand Gold Coins from the Auvudor Kingdom.
Finally, the last item which I wasn't expecting.
An egg.
Was this a familiar egg?
I took the egg and took a look at the item. The egg was in some kind of a box with runes, probably the local equivalent of an incubator.
Griffin Egg.
The egg of a griffin.
Raise properly to get a griffin to fight alongside the user.
This was all the information about the egg but that was already more than enough.
As if sensing my curiosity, Prince Arthas explained.
"It is an egg laid by our Griffin Rider Corp's strongest Griffin. They are mighty creatures and once they recognise you, they become the fiercest companion till the end of your life. Raise it well and it will serve you well."
"Ah… I thank you, Your Highness."
"Do not thank me. This is what you deserve. It is a fortune of our kingdom to have someone like you. We hope that you will keep this rate of progress and become a Pillar of support for the whole kingdom. To do so, we will lend you all the support we can. For this very reason, today, I Arthas Menethil, the Prince of the Kingdom of Auvudor, by the power vested in me by my father, King Terenas Menethil, the King of the Kingdom of Auvudor, assign Knight Arthas of Llyne as the City Lord of the City of Alverton. Do you accept it?" He asked.
I understood that he wanted to make a public announcement and that's why he had asked me not to tell anyone. As for asking me beforehand, that made sense.
Just imagine what it would look like if someone was directly offered and rejected it?
That would be such a huge insult to the Prince of all people nonetheless.
And conversely because of this very fact, it would also be an unnecessary pressure on the one being offered the position. This was to avoid that very situation in advance.
Obviously this would be something in the real world but this game hasn't been any different from the real world so far so why would it now?
"Very well. May you protect the Kingdom and lead the city to new heights." He announced as he offered me a Badge representing my position.
Another round of applause sounded around the whole arena, this time the audience standing up to clap together.
When I thought everything was over, another message appeared in front of me.
Title Gained
Champion of Greenfrost
Increases Exp Gain by 5% till the next year's champion is chosen when equipped.
Increases favorability of the people of Greenfrost when equipped.
Permits entry to the Inner City of Greenfrost.
+5% discount when purchasing items in Greenfrost.
Holy Shit!
I wasn't expecting that.