Return Of The Strongest Player

"That's not Sword Aura…"

"Yeah, it's something else. Something… less powerful. It's not even close to the level Lucas displayed."

"I knew it! Lucas was the most powerful!"

"True, but this guy is still quite impressive. Even if he wasn't able to achieve Sword Aura, that's still much more powerful than me."

"Yes, but he doesn't compare to Aditya and Lucas."

"What about those commoners, Jessica and Eve, I think?"

"Oh, he's definitely stronger. Jessica and Eve are laughable trash. The only reason they got 2nd and 3rd place was because of luck. After entering the tower, they hid like little mice."

The chatters of the players reverberated across the training ground. Their voices were much louder than they believed. None of them dared to approach Arthur, seemingly terrified by his appearance.

A man encompassed in blood, embraced by blood, and he who finds comfort in blood.

The concept of a "bloodbath" had evolved.

Arthur sheathed his sword, and the orange, black, and red energy dissipated. Sword Spirit faded, and color returned to Arthur's world. The power was terrifyingly powerful, but achieving it was just as difficult.

'Until I don't upgrade my constitution, it'll be difficult to use this for long,' thought Arthur, calming the raging energies within his body through meditation. Intense pain was still assaulting his body, but he could endure it.

It wasn't as mind-numbing as earlier.

Once his mana had stabilized, Arthur coughed twice before standing up. He walked toward a nearby store, buying water before washing his body along with his clothes. Once the blood had been drained and most of the wounds had closed, Arthur unsheathed his sword again.

He turned to face the players.

"Does anyone wish to fight?"

It was quite a direct question and caught the players off guard. They hesitated, fearful of Arthur's Sword Spirit. They did not have the courage to challenge him, unable to even utter a single word.

That was simply how they were.

Behind one's back, the players could speak as many insults as possible, but before the person's face, their mouths were clamped shut. Not even a single player stepped forward, indulging in the pleasure of battle.

They were all silent.

Arthur let out a sigh, unsheathing Skofnung. Then, he used [Ethereal Glide] to slip away, heading towards the office of a healing mage. His wounds had mostly been healed, but the internal damage was difficult to heal.

'I need a better regeneration skill… but how?' Arthur stroked his chin. There were simply too many aspects he lacked. In his former life, magic was his ultimate priority. However, since he planned on balancing both swordsmanship and magic, other aspects needed to be just as advanced to support the two.

His life was a constant struggle, repeating the process of developing stronger techniques. The endeavor wouldn't end.

The healing mage, noticing that Arthur was a new player, healed him free of charge. The first session was always free, which displayed his magnanimity. However, that couldn't be far from an accuprate representation.

In reality, the healing mage was a shrewd, cunning businessman, feeding off of the naivety of players.

If one was not careful, they could fall deep into the abyss of the tower's "system," unable to escape. 'The system I mention is not the translucent, blue window, but the organization of variables.'

Arthur returned to the inn, healed and armed with a powerful technique.

It was still noon, and since he wasn't too exhausted due to the healing mage's "magnanimity," the crimson-eyed man planned to visit Blaire's lair alongside Randy. As he approached the inn, he spotted Randy, who was exiting.

"Where're you going?" Arthur asked, approaching the muscular man. Randy's greatsword was strapped to his back, while he carried a bag, in which a set of clothes, water, and elbow straps could be seen.

"To train…" Randy began, but his voice soon trailed off. Gazing at Arthur, the muscular man could spot a few differences. "You have wounds you didn't, before. Did you get in a fight or something?"

Arthur, a little surprised, glanced at his forearm. His jacket had practically ripped entirely by now, which was why his arms were exposed. On his forearm, a thin scar ran down his skin, causing Arthur to chuckle.

'That damn scammer,' thought Arthur. One couldn't expect much from a free healing session, but to think the healing mage deliberately prevented the recovery of a single scar. It was all to force the customer to return.

And, since the free session had been consumed, the healing mage would now expect payment.

But Arthur didn't care about such scars. Circulating mana across his body, he quickly made the scars fade away. [Judgment Regeneration] might be unable to heal his entire body from grievous wounds, but his constitution was weak enough to where healing such a minor scar was not difficult.

"There's one on your neck, too."

Crimson aura crept to his neck, causing the scar to fade.

"Oh, right, you can't train right now," said Arthur, heading toward the East direction. Randy tilted his head, confused.

"Why?"

"Remember what Nux said?" Arthur asked rhetorically. Randy came to a realization immediately, letting out a sigh. He mumbled a few words about the delay in his training, but he also seemed excited.

A person recommended by Nux was certainly someone grand.

Oh, how wrong he was.

*

A few minutes passed, and the two arrived before a small cottage on the outskirts of the Outer District. The wind was stale and contained an unpleasant scent, while the ground was covered in debris.

The debris originated from what seemed like machines. The gray metals came up to Arthur and Randy's knees, causing them to watch their step and navigate carefully across the hidden path towards the cottage.

The two glanced at each other, wondering if they'd visited the correct location.

Arthur knocked on the wooden door, which creaked solely due to the pressure. The door was tattered and had several pieces of wood missing.

"Who's there?"

A croaky, dry voice entered Arthur and Randy's ears.

"We were told to come here by High Guardian Nux."

The sound of footsteps resounded across the area, and with a loud thud, Arthur saw a woman fall to the floor through the cracks on the door. A subconscious chuckle escaped his lips, but disappointment arose in his heart.