Player Reached the Top. LitRPG Series. Book IV Page 16

  Upon hearing the rogue’s plan, the prisoner became furious and showered him with insults. Apparently, she hated the idea of being turned into an obedient slave by the power of the box.

  “You do understand we can’t just let you go, don’t you?”

  “I know what you’re hinting at, you mangy bastard!” She was beyond herself with rage, disgusted by the idea of another imprisonment and hating Will for humiliating her like that. “If I said we can make a deal, would you abandon this ridiculous plan?”

  Neither Raven nor Mollie expected this bloodthirsty monster to offer anything like this, and so soon. The room lapsed into silence as they considered the possibility of collaboration. Sure, the Ifrit was a violent psychopath who craved destruction and blood. They probably should have put her through all possible kinds of torture to try and elicit some sort of remorse from her, before slashing her body open and feeding her to the worms, but… this murder machine was still incredibly strong, and therefore, incredibly useful.

  “What sort of deal are you talking about?” Mollie asked.

  ***

  “You really want me to do that?” Having heard the entire conversation, Sky Maiden was now standing across from her clan leader. It seemed she had lost all her enthusiasm. The process their prisoner had described sounded near-impossible to complete.

  Raven didn’t hear the rest of their conversation as he had already left the room and stopped at the inn’s gate.

  His to-do list for that day had been completed, and much sooner than expected. What to do now? Take the vampire to my floor, maybe? The only reliable way of doing that would be to subdue him.

  “Are you free already?” Sarah approached him silently, coming out of the next building’s shadow. “Honestly, I’m tired of waiting.”

  “Sorry about that. What can I do for you this time?” His head was still buzzing a little and so he appreciated her distraction.

  “Would you mind answering a couple of questions? The finale was really mysterious. Our audiences want more.”

  “I’m not going to disclose any of my secrets. If you were expecting otherwise, you’ve been overly optimistic. I’m not bound by the contract to do so.”

  “Oh, Raven. Do you really think I won’t be offering anything in return?” Smiling radiantly, she clung to him with her whole body and whispered into his ear, “My boss asked me to tell you that we’re considering an increase in your revenue share. Now would you like to hear more?”

  “You’re barking up the wrong tree, sweetheart,” Will smirked.

  “Ah, sweetheart?” She pretended to be surprised. “So enticing. But I’m not ready for that yet, you know.”

  Smiling back, he shook his head. “A true reporter. Stop that. Just give me the figure.”

  “As blunt as ever. We can offer… two percent for valuable information.”

  “Wow. That’s really generous of you.” Will was more than astonished. “Can I ask you one thing?”

  “Sure.”

  “What’s in it for you?”

  “That’s a good question. And the answer is simple: ratings and views. Which channel is likely to get more: the one only posting things everyone already knows, or the one digging up the darkest secrets of the audience’s favorite players?”

  “Favorite? Really?”

  “Oh, have you not seen the latest poll?” Her surprise looked completely natural this time.

  “Sorry. I haven’t actually watched any of your videos.”

  “You’re killing me.” Sarah pressed a hand to her heart and smiled bitterly. “Just a moment.”

  Peering into the menu, she sent Will a link. He had added her to his friends list after their first meeting in the game.

  “Thanks. I’ll take a look.”

  “So, what do you think about the offer? Is it good enough?”

  “Sure, it is. Do you already have the exact sales figure?”

  The reporter shrugged with a sly smile and looked away, as though to mean: Maybe, maybe not.

  “Okay, you fox. I can’t promise I’ll answer all your questions, but I’m ready to give it a try.”

  “You’ve made the right choice, Raven. You’ve made the right choice.”

  Chapter 221. The Age of Heroes Protocol

  The only constant in life is change

  Heraclitus

  R aven’s conversation with Sarah was nearing its end. He had already told her about Salvation, his Golden Dragon and Demon of Murder forms, explaining that they were part of his unique specialization, but he left out the part about the gold- and XP-spending. He told her why he had been knocked out and drained of strength at the end, and he finally answered her question about the Twilight Walker skill everyone had been dying to know more about since his first video from Floor 3. From what he had told Sarah about this skill, the other players would probably be able to guess its weak point. But by that time, he’ll already be back on his own floor, preparing his kingdom for their arrival.

  The information he had provided was really valuable, but Sarah said it still wasn’t enough to warrant giving him the promised two percent of the revenue. Instead, he ended up with only one percent, which was still a decent amount. She still didn’t know how many tickets had actually been sold.

  “Yeah, that’s interesting. I don’t think our money will be wasted.” With her head resting on her hand, Sarah was sitting half-facing the rogue, chewing a caramel. The two of them were on a bench in a deserted park that looked more like an alley, with trees of various colors shielding the visitors from the northern sun. “Although, to be honest, I had hoped for more. You’re still keeping some things secret, aren’t you?”

  “Sure, I have my secrets, just like any other player. No one would be stupid enough to disclose their weaknesses to the world.”

  “I see. But still, I wish you could share more.” Pursing her lips, she thought about what else she might be able to get out of him when she noticed that his eyes had grown dim.

  This is too little for the $780,000 we paid him. But I can’t take the money away from him now. Thankfully, he’s agreed to just one percent. Knowing him, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d tried taking it up to three. He’s really cunning… and secretive.

  While all these thoughts were flashing through Sarah’s mind, Will was reading the devs’ response to his email, which just as weird as the one they’d sent regarding his sensitivity level.

  Thank you for reaching out to us, White Raven.

  Please accept our apologies for the long wait.

  We must admit, your question took us by surprise. We had to check The Emperor AI’s settings. Although we cannot disclose its operation principle and the other details, we can inform you that your obtaining Heroic Potential has resulted from the fact that the AI’s has activated the Age of Heroes protocol. This has happened much sooner than we expected.

  The Age of Heroes protocol has always been a part of the game’s code, but it was inactive. A number of requirements had to be met by players in order for it to be activated. Judging by the attached screenshot, you are already aware of these requirements.

  The activation of this protocol means that the AI will now start a number of scenarios that have not been disclosed even to us. Have a good time, White Raven.

  Sincerely,

  Skydome Corp

  While he had been staring at the message and considering this new information, Will had almost forgotten he wasn’t alone.

  “What’s wrong?” Sarah asked. “You look utterly bewildered. A rare sight. This is the first time, if my memory isn’t deceiving me.” Sensing that some kind of important event was coming her way, Sarah mentally thanked the heavens for this wonderful gift.

  “Nothing. It’s all right.” Will took out his dagger and twirled it on his palm, deep in thought.

  Scenarios even the devs don’t know about, huh? I seem to remember something like that being mentioned in the preview. The game world will keep evolving by itself… it will be full of mysteries, and
the grand finale will be totally fantastic… Is this one of those mysteries? But what’s the AI’s ultimate purpose?

  “Raven? Raven! Will!” Sarah screamed, shaking him by the shoulder.

  “What?” Will stopped twirling the dagger and decided, as usual, not to overanalyze it. He turned to look at the girl with a broad smile frozen on his face. “Sarah?”

  “Yeah.” She stared back at him, pricking up her ears.

  “I have some very valuable information for you. Let’s discuss the price.”

  ***

  “Fantastic! What a bombshell!” Sarah couldn’t be happier. What Raven had just told her was totally worth two percent of the revenue. Now all she needed was the perfect moment to play this trump card.

  “That’s it. Just remember, don’t name me as your source. You can use the screenshot of that message, but make sure to block out my name.”

  “So… so you really haven’t changed the settings back then, have you?” She smiled, remembering his last interview. “I can’t believe you’ve been playing at 100% this whole time. Do you like pain?”

  “Watch it.” He winced, making it clear he didn’t find her joke the least bit funny. “When I logged in, the system told me I could gain more by playing at 100%. So, I went with that option.”

  “Have you ever regretted it?”

  “Never. I’ve come closer to my goal. It’s been totally worth all the inconvenience.”

  “Sounds great. I still think you’re really weird.”

  “Everyone is, including you. When will I get paid?”

  “Do you ever think of anything else other than money? By the end of this week, I think. I’ll let you know if anything changes.”

  “Good. See you, little bug.” Raven patted her on the head as if she were a little girl, before waving and walking away, leaving her there, bewildered.

  Will was on cloud nine. The world seemed so colorful to him now. As he slowly made his way to the meeting spot, he thought about all the effort and the pain it had taken to get to where he was now. Despite the fact that another lump sum being deposited into his account was definitely something to be happy about, it still left a weird taste of dissatisfaction in his mouth. He felt like he hadn’t worked for this money. It hadn’t cost him any blood or pain, like any other cent he had made up to this point; it felt wrong.

  That was too easy. Won’t it spoil my character? Ha. I’d never have guessed I’d be asking myself a question like that. Laughing bitterly, he proceeded towards the RD hotel.

  It was common for clans to rent all the rooms in a hospitality establishment and then proclaim it as their territory. Some of these hotels would later change hands, passing from one clan to another through negotiations or duels. Every innkeeper was happy when their place was bought out by a clan; it meant the fees came in on time, and they even got paid when it was empty.

  His talk with Ulfmar was easy. Upon hearing that he had to be subdued in order to pass to another floor, the vampire expressed no doubts about Will’s honesty and intentions.

  “It will be all right.” Will activated the Obedience Crystal looked at the vampire, who had closed his eyes, and considered where he should place him on his floor. Eventually, he selected Tika, a small hamlet next to the Kalamar Mountains, twenty miles away from the capital city.

  Or should I take him to meet the Lamia?

  Raven thought about the twenty alchemy queens he also had to transport to his floor. Subduing all of them would be insanely expensive. He would rather wait for the passage to expire to try and get them through shortly before that.

  For the first time since he arrived on the third floor, Will wasn’t waiting for any quest events. He was free to visit the local arena.

  “Pak? Have you got a minute?”

  ***

  Light Terror replied ten minutes later. Will had soon joined him in one of the arena’s rooms. Even though he was familiar with the creation of duel rooms and practice fights, Raven still had no idea how players were matched for the actual duels, so Pak explained the basics for him.

  There were three ways to challenge another player. The first was to invite a friend to fight you; the second was to offer a worthwhile bet to someone from the Gladiator Table. The third way, which was known among players as freelancing, was the most common: you would post an announcement stating your bet. Any other player could browse this list, filtering it by clan, class, race, or bet.

  You could bet absolutely anything, even your attribute points and skills. Raven was startled when he heard this, and grateful to The Emperor for finding a way to prevent fixed duels. As Pak told him, those who got caught trying to arrange them were issued a one-time warning; the next time they did it, their account would just be wiped out. Sure, this was cruel; but it would be far worse if any clan could deliberately lose all duels with a selected player to make them stronger.

  “Let’s see what we’ve got.” Will slid out his Mirage blade and started to coil a red thread around its handle to prevent it from slipping out of his hand.

  “Are you kidding? I’ve seen you fight. You’re a fucking freak. Get lost. I pass.” Pak waved his hand, sweeping the invitation away. “I just came here to watch and help you sort it out. And find out what happened to the Ifrit.”

  “How rude.” Shielding his eyes with a hand, Will shook his head as though struggling to believe his friend could be so offensive. “Whatever. Do you need to know for yourself or for your clan?”

  “Is it that serious?”

  The rogue shrugged. “Not really. But I’ll only tell you if you… DUEL ME! Ahahaha!” Will suddenly lunged at Pak, stopping his dagger inches from his friend’s face, and laughed demonically.

  “Get lost,” Pak said again as he pushed the blade to the side. “Even if I were same level as you, I wouldn’t do it. You can keep your knowledge to yourself.”

  “Oh. Too bad.” Hiding his blade in his inventory, Will sat down by Pak’s side. “Okay. I’ll tell you.”

  After he had shared the information about RD’s planned expedition to another continent with his friend, Will browsed through the players’ bets, looking for the less valuable ones. His reputation was a double-edged sword when it came to duels. Many would like the chance to cross blades with him, but not when a valuable item was at stake.

  ***

  This was the beginning of a long week full of duels that brought him a variety of ingredients and resources, then gold, and finally IPs. His opponents were either risk-takers or just curious, both newbies and pros. All races, classes, and combat styles.

  The rumors that Raven was visiting the arena spread fast, attracting ever more opponents and higher stakes. He fought several duels against Perdition, Stitch, and Koshie, his old pals. Crimson Berserker was rarely in the arena; Will didn’t get the opportunity to test his new skills out on him.

  Once, he even met Evelia, the smiley girl who was already Level 47. Will was glad to see her again, and heard that she had found an NPC companion: a Sylpha, a member of the air spirit race known for choosing their player partners with no concern for their class.

  By accepting and sending duel requests day after day, he worked his way up the Gladiator Table. He had no chance of reaching the TOP 10; he was too far behind the leaders. It was hard enough getting into the TOP 100.

  But the most noteworthy thing happened on the fifth day. A very unusual bet appeared on Will’s radar as he browsed the list. It was something he had long forgotten about after all his searches for it had been in vain and he had lost all hope of ever finding it: an unidentified stone arm.

  The better’s nickname was Mystical Darkness. And they had… Level 96.

  Chapter 222. The Aftermath of Failure

  T he better who came to meet Will in a randomly generated room was female. Short and wrapped up in a cloak, she stood at a distance, staring at Will. Her face was hidden by a mahogany mask of some bestial, demonic creature, and her health bar was springing up and down—an effect Will had never seen before.r />
  Putting an end to the minute-long silence and mutual staring, she said “I’ve been looking for a way to meet you, but couldn’t reach you through any messages or invitations. Have you blocked your email?”

  “No. I just never open emails from strangers.”

  “Oh. I understand.”

  “So, what do you want? And… and why are you hiding your body and, most importantly, how have you got a level like that? You’ve climbed up higher than Berserker, but you’re not in the ratings.”

  “Unlike you, I’ve spent some time studying the settings. I don’t need any of that cheap fame. I’ve got too many other problems.” Her voice was strained. “Problems I need your help with.”

  “Help? What kind of help?”

  Instead of answering, she reached for her mask and removed it, showing her face which was pitted with thin, worm-like snakes that were swarming around inside her skull, poking in and out, gnawing through her skin and bones. Her eyes ran down her cheeks like tears, again and again, but were instantly resurrected only to be pushed out by another snake. With her skull full of holes and the way her brain was bulging out of them she looked like a creepy zombie.

  Shit. How could anyone ever endure THAT?!

  Her body that was hidden under the cloak looked even worse. It had been hit by an extremely gross debuff: snakes and rats were peeking out from the many holes in her arms, legs, and torso, before shrinking back into her flesh. The flimsy garment she was wearing instead of regular gear allowed Will to see her whole naked body —but he really preferred not to see that.

  “What…What the…WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?”

  “A curse left by this really obnoxious guy from a rotten hell.”

  “I’m afraid to ask what your sensitivity level is.”

  “One percent. Shifted to that once I felt those nasty things swarming inside me. Up until that point, I was at 100%.”

  “A hundred? Isn’t that too much?” Will was curious to hear why anyone else would play this game at 100% sensitivity.