City of Sin

Book 8, 112

Who Gets The Prize?

At noon the next day, many of those participating gathered at an arena next to the residential district. There was a big notice board here, and Nasia had announced after the previous battle that all points would be tallied and placed on a ranking system that everyone would be able to see. The new item list was being given out as well, with the piece of Midren having stirred up everyone’s desires.

Up for offer right now were the pauldrons of the set, costing exactly 1,000 credits. At that cost, even some saints like Romney had a chance to get one. Even if this was only a tenth of the whole, they wouldn’t mind spending decades fighting for the Archerons just to complete the set. Of course, most of these people also faced a separate issue; they just wouldn’t be able to use Midren even if they got it. However, such worries seemed to fly away whenever they thought of Richard’s power; they felt like they would certainly make it to the legendary realm so long as they got even one of these runes.

Exactly at noon, Nasia walked into the arena under the escort of a squad of rune knights. Those crowding nearby immediately grew nervous, but she calmly looked around and spotted a few new faces, “Those interested in joining the reward point system only have to fill in a form. The knights over in that corner have some on hand, please collect them there.”

Even as she spoke, she pulled out the final ranking list and pasted it on the notice board, revealing the information that everyone wanted to know.

A commotion broke out the moment first place was visible! Ironshield had taken that spot over the powerful Rakis, his total already exceeding 2000 points and standing more than 200 ahead of the mage! Rakis’s second place wasn’t that stable either, an assassin was less than 100 points behind! There was even a dark horse in the top five, someone who some wouldn’t even consider a sky saint with more than 1,000 points!

“They definitely sold something!” a random member of the crowd suddenly shouted, causing a huge clamour. Everyone finally understood the reason for the abrupt change in the ranking, some whispers about unfairness quickly dying down. Of course, the three cloned brains dedicated to recording each battle were proof of impartiality even if such rumours continued.

Ironshield laughed, “I just had some things that I couldn’t use; it was only logical to exchange them for points. His Excellency is definitely fair when it comes to this system.”

“You’re not the only one with spare materials,” Rakis spat out, “I’d like to see just what you had that could compare to me. Know your place!”

“Oh, you’ve grown so wealthy in the past few years?” a jarring voice rang out, “How enviable!”

Hearing the words laced with sarcasm, Rakis abruptly looked around and glared at a mage on the edge of the field. The slim newcomer was leaning against a staff embedded with three lightning crystals, electricity slithering back and forth along the shaft. He fearlessly matched the gaze, allowing the atmosphere to heat up.

Many started whispering about the Lightning Master Shaun, a legendary mage whose bloodline gave him a great boost to lightning spells. Even though he was two levels lower than Rakis, his blistering offensive ability could match up evenly.

Rakis scoffed, calming himself down a little, “Are you trying to compare your wealth to mine? This is a fight against dragons, I’m afraid your lightning spells have no advantage here.”

Shaun laughed, “A little competition never hurts. Wouldn’t you be too lonely without me? Anyway, who cares if I can’t beat you alone. What about if I’m joined by a warrior specialised in defence?”

“Ironshield?” Rakis frowned. The combined power of a legendary mage and defensive warrior wasn’t simply an addition; the two together would kill dragons more than two times as quickly as either of them could alone. The Archerons taxed point transactions heavily, but if Shaun and Ironshield collaborated on the battlefield, he truly couldn’t compare.

Shaun had actually arrived the previous night, a full day earlier than Ironshield had expected. Eight saints had come over as well, and in the days that followed many legends and sky saints were likely to join in. The competition would grow fiercer than ever.

Perhaps collaboration was the best way forward. Many of those watching the argument fell into deep thought.

Rakis and Shaun continued to bicker for a while before they went their own ways. They only parted because the redemption session would be in the evening, and they each wished to prepare. Numerous powerhouses walked over to the Archeron camps, entering a large tent.

One could originally redeem their points whenever they wanted, but as they system grew in size this had become much more difficult for items in limited supply. Nasia had thus arranged for special days where items with limited inventory could be redeemed in a fair process. Things like rune sets were distributed according to the total accumulated points of whoever wanted them, while one and done items like higher end runes, legendary items, and components of Midren would be bought in a bidding process.

The bidding process in the Archeron systems was different from a normal auction. One could bid for more than the worth of an item, and the highest bidder won, but the total amount deducted for that item would still be its original price. The rest of the points would just have to be used in the same redemption session on other items. For example, one could bid 1,500 points for the Midren pauldrons, at which point they would be paying 1,000 for the rune and another 500 points would have to be spent on other things. These rules were well-received amongst those participating, especially the middle of the pack. This way, they could accumulate enough credits to compete against the best powerhouses at least a few times a year.

......

The dragons were well-behaved after the painful loss, not appearing for two more days. This allowed the whole redemption process to go very smoothly. Most of those in the system were waiting around the Archeron camps only a few hours after Nasia’s announcement, hoping to snag whatever items they wanted. Knowing that a piece of Midren would be on offer this round, they couldn’t keep calm at all.

There were currently five powerhouses with more than a thousand credits, with four of them standing a serious chance to obtain Midren. Even if the rest had no chance, they still wanted to know the results.

People streamed in and out of the building through which this phase was being run, most of them elated as they walked out. Ironshield and Shaun caused a huge ruckus when they came out together, the former beaming as he held an intricate chest with the volcanic world tree emblazoned on it. This chest had Richard’s personal signature carved into it in dull gold, making it clear what it was.

Everyone quickly crowded around him, throwing a million questions at the warrior in tandem. He looked around with pride, “Yes, this is a rune from Midren’s battle edition. I merely got lucky, and I’m still far from collecting the full set. Hahaha!”

Ironshield tried to sound humble, but the sheer joy was hard to mask. How glorious was it to have something so many others could only dream of? As someone who had always been proud, it was impossible for him to feign humility properly.

At the request of many others, he opened up the chest and showed off its contents. Within were a pair of silver pauldrons covered in eye-catching crimson patterns, divine light occasionally swimming across their surface. They looked a little different from those Richard wore, but the aura was the exact same. All those watching immediately knew that this really was a part of Midren. Of course, as someone who invested so many points into it Ironshield obviously would check it thoroughly as well.

This rune itself was only grade 4, and pretty weak at that. However, that was because the synergy from the other parts wasn’t yet in effect. It would become as strong as a regular saint rune once six parts were gathered.

Icy bloodlust suddenly flowed into the street, Rakis walking out of the building with fury written all over his face. He stopped thirty metres away from Ironshield, staring at him for a while before saying slowly, “You... really took it.”

Ironshield laughed, “I don’t see your name on it anywhere, do I? The rules were clear, the item goes to the one willing to offer the most credits. Isn’t that fair? I suggest you focus on accumulating more points, Your Excellency. Who knows if you’ll find another one in the next round? Haha...”

“We’ll see,” Rakis gritted out, “Time is a fickle mistress, and you’re not the only one with friends!”