It really looks like a fun event. Seeing so many people all around, some of them sitting on the grass in groups like they’re on a picnic, others occupy the benches surrounding the plaza, while still more watch from the terraces of their houses.
The four screens are more than big enough to see what's happening from that distance.
It’s just after midnight, and yet I don't think many people are sleeping, not with all the excitement over the event. It's an opportunity to compare themselves against others in the same situation. To group up and challenge them together without needing to worry about dying.
Maybe they can win and stomp in the face of some person from Hell difficulty that managed to annoy them. Maybe they can earn enough shards to buy a higher grade passive.
I can totally understand that.
(What have people been saying?) I ask through the link.
This time Dennis answers, (They are excited and worried. I don't think many people intend to challenge you, and Channeler and his harem are being careful, I think they’re saving most of their persuasive efforts until the third challenge.)
His brother follows, (They also know the challenges will be there later so they don't mind watching others try it first before wasting their shards.)
(Are they not worried about some early bird beating my Avatar?)
(Not that much,) Sophie notes. (Isabella checked the emotions around and most people are still scared of you, even with everything we tried. But the fear of missing out will probably kick in by the third attempt, and with a bit of help from our side, a lot of people will try.)
(You might lose! What level were you at the end of the third floor?) Aaron asks.
(Around 120, I think.)
(What? Are you serious?)
(Yes.)
(What the fuck.)
(Yes, what the fuck!) Dennis follows it. (There are people from Hell on the 5th floor who’ve barely reached 150, and you were 120 during the third floor?)
(Did you think I lost all those limbs just for the fun of it?)
(Do I have to answer?)
Little twerp, just wait.
(Anyway, I can't imagine my avatar losing, even if they have a few hundred people challenging me,) I say.
(But there are 231 people here from Hard difficulty, your avatar might not be able to face them all. They don’t have a [Restriction] and some of them are decent,) Sophie notes.
(It will be fine.)
(If you say so...)
With about Five minutes until the start of the challenge, the screens flicker before lighting up. A forest appears on the screen, pocked with a multitude of big clearings. The trees of the forest seem to be fairly normal in size, with vibrant green leaves, all the same variety of oak.
It's a bright day with few clouds in the sky.
My Avatar finally appears in the shot, standing in one of the clearings, unmoving, devoid of expression, though it feels different from my usual self. As if there were no glimmer of life behind his eyes.
The most interesting part about him is the colors. He looks as if he’s been drained of all vibrance. His skin, clothes, and hair look grayish. Only his glassy eyes retain their color.
So, third-floor.
Back then, I still didn't have my subclass and I didn't have my skill upgrades removed. I only had the Mana Circuit trait and my mana stat was around 400, and then doubled by my attribute upgrade. There was no [Regalia] or [Mana Domain] or [Infusion].
If I remember correctly, I had [Focus], [Mana Manipulation], [Perception], [Redistribution], [Armament], [Mana Surge], [Mana Infusion], and [Resonance].
As for my constructs, all I had were my Kinetic Mana Heart, Reinforcement, and Mantle. And most importantly, no epic passives.
It's interesting, I'm fairly certain there won’t be anyone in Hard difficulty at that level. There is something I think will happen after reading the rules of this event and if all goes as planned, I have no need to worry at all.
Three minutes remain and too many people start moving around, so I offer Lily my hand and place an anchor, before teleporting us onto the roof of a nearby house.
More lights appear around the common area. Some from skills, some from items, even some normal lights powered by batteries. Though we've been here for a few days, it still feels weird seeing the latter here in the tournament.
The chatter is playful and groups of people are fixing their clothes, doing stretches, and preparing weapons. Some are even seemingly planning formations.
On the screen my Avatar stands in place, unmoving.
When just a few seconds remain, I end my conversation with Lily. We can work out the process of giving me a second heart later.
I check the notification.
Challenge 1/3 - 5 seconds remaining
Number of challengers:
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Easy - 31
Normal - 41
Hard - 80
Collected entrance fees: 2,965 shards
That's a lot more than I expected for the first challenge. Not like I’ll complain. Their entrance fees will be mine and they will get a lesson in greed for going after my shards.
No lesson for me, but that's fine after all I’ve been put through by the system and past Nat, screw that weirdo.
All of the challengers disappear as the event starts and the common area grows quiet, people starting to whisper as all eyes turn to the screens.
The moment they enter, my Avatar uses his kinetic energy and lifts himself high into the air. I know he is using [Perception] to judge the danger.
Afterward, he returns to the ground, finding no reason to waste mana on flying. He moves with calm determination, emotionless with a single objective in mind.
On the other side, the group of just over 150 people quickly splits into multiple smaller groups and starts using their detection skills.
I find myself unable to take my eyes off the screen and continue to watch.
Back on Earth, I was never a fan of sports like football or hockey. I didn’t find it interesting and didn't understand what brought so much joy and frustration to so many people. Yet, right now, I feel like I might understand, if only partially.
Watching my Avatar walk under the trees while knowing they’ve found and surrounded him excites me even though I’m not the one fighting. It has nothing to do with the shards at stake. Just being around so many people and seeing the challengers at the ready allows me to take in some of their emotions and excitement.
As they are about to surround him fully, my Avatar sets the forest on fire. A burst of thermal energy explodes outwards with him at the center, burning dark yellow.
The challengers, knowing what he is trying to do, have groups dedicated to jamming any method of scanning they think he might have and push themselves to rush him all the quicker.
Like a flamethrower, my Avatar pours flames on his surroundings as he moves through the field.
When the first person attacks, my Avatar doesn't hesitate at all, launching an orb through the head of a challenger from Normal difficulty who appears outside. The challenger curses but quickly joins a group of his friends in the common area who laugh shortly and turn to the screen.
In quick succession, ten more challengers, all from Normal and Easy difficulty, appear. Lashing out with grape-sized orbs, my Avatar spins around himself while setting the forest on fire. The heat doesn't touch him at all, on the contrary, I know it only serves to fuel his flames.
“Pyromaniac,” Lily whispers nearby.
“Back then I really liked my thermal energy,” I note.
When I think about it, back then I also liked making use of the upgraded form of [Redistribution], Symbiotic Transference, to use kinetic and thermal energy to strengthen my body. And that’s without throwing in the stuff from [Armament], my experiments with disrupting mana, and some early testing with the thermal orbs.
Damn, I’ve grown quite a bit. The third floor Weirdthaniel was quite scary, experimenting with his heart, but in comparison to me now, he feels so weak.
But even that seems to be enough to trouble the challengers. My Avatar is picking them off one after another, the flames growing bigger and hotter, a huge patch of the forest has been set ablaze, and that seems to cause trouble for anyone caught without good perception skills and those found lacking in their physical stats.
Once in a while, my Avatar absorbs heat from the flames, turning them into speed and strength, brutally smashing the heads of his challengers with a mace-like weapon of his own creation.
As the system said, my Avatar's single objective is to defeat opponents as effectively as possible, so he does just that.
When a group of 10 Hard difficulty challengers find and attack him, he ignores their attempts at slowing him down and disrupting his mana. The Mantle takes care of that easily.
Flames close to him weaken and disappear and he moves at a much higher speed. The mace in his hand turns into a sword, the blade resonating and cutting through any barriers they make. It doesn’t matter if it was made from mana, stone, or wood.
Their skills fail to damage the Avatar as he disrupts them or blocks them with armor made of mana. Even now, he’s not going full out, he’s saving most of his mana, while he steamrolls through the attacking group.
Ten Hard difficulty challengers appear outside.
They launch their strike at range, bombarding him with attacks, but they’re either too slow or too inaccurate with all the smoke, then my Avatar rushes them. The flames in the forest die off as he passes by, his speed increasing further, as he pushes himself to the limit with kinetic energy.
He disrupts the barriers they try to stack, his flames rushing ahead. He concentrates them more and a laser-like stream moves through the battlefield, cutting multiple people apart.
Someone attacks him up close only for my Avatar to sling orbs he’s been spinning around himself at the attacker. A few of them get blocked, but the skin of the attacker is unable to endure more, and he soon succumbs to the barrage.
The following fight doesn't take that long, and my Avatar hunts down the remaining challengers, without once going full out, nor examining opponents' skills, or trying anything fancy.
Just like a machine, he mows through them, and then the last one appears outside.
The screen flickers, settling on one last shot of my gray Avatar standing in the burning forest before the screen turns off.
Channeler and some of his group were inside, also challengers, and now they move around, laughing and waving their hands, downplaying what my Avatar did.
They do it carefully, and I feel a bit of admiration. I think after a minute of that I would be drained of my social energy. Hmm, maybe there is a primordial version of it?
(I keep forgetting how scary you can be,) Dennis notes.
(You dumbass, he just nuked an army of monsters during the second event, how can you forget,) his brother replies for me.
(But look at him. You can’t feel any mana coming from him and other than looking around like a cat, he seems like a grumpy grandpa rather than a walking bomb. Then he does all this weird shit like the thing with Tent Creep. The more you know him, the more he feels like a very very grumpy grandpa who has trouble showing his emotions. That, or a cat.)
(Dennis,) I call.
(You fucked up, you dumbass,) Aaron immediately pokes.
(Yes?) Dennis asks carefully.
(This one’s for you, little jerk. Sophie?)
(Don’t you pull me into this, Nat. I'm not interested in childish…)
(A few days ago, Dennis said you have a smaller ass than Maya, but that he would let you squish his head in your thighs or something like that. I listened with only half an ear because I was practicing.)
Someone tries to destroy the connection with a very strong hint of panic. Over and over again, attempts are made to disconnect, but Sophie pushes them away, keeping the web and her connection to it alive.
I continue, (He also said group 4 girls have disappointingly small chests with the exception of Maya and maybe Tess.)
The attempts increase.
(Oh, he did?) Sophie's voice is cold.
(Yes.)
After that, the connection cuts off, the web having been silenced by its creator.
When I look to the side, Lily is staring at me with big eyes, “You are evil.”
“I didn't lie. They often sit around in the living room with Brainiac and Lootenant and forget that I'm there training. So I tend to catch a thing or two. You would be surprised to hear the things I’ve heard.”
Then I check the rewards.
Congratulations, your avatar was victorious in the 1st challenge! You have received 2,668 shards. The final reward will be delivered at the end of the 3rd event!
Not bad. Is this what they call passive income?