Azimuth: The Elden Throne (New Version)

Chapter 285 Ruler VS Challenger Part 1

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/Din Din Din!/

[Champion of the Arena!]

[DING]

[55 Victory Streak!]

[Solo 1v1 -> 55/0/0]

[Calculating Ranking...]

[Leaderboard Ranking -> 5]

[Ding]

The notifications sounded but Dale paid them no attention, gazing at the broken and battered Arena instead.

In front of him was a tall man with a large double axe, someone with exceptional physical power, someone that lasted over five minutes fighting him in full power… Now beheaded on the ground.

The strongest out of his opponents, someone who could make the entire Arena shake with a single strike, together with the will and ability to control and dictate a fight.

But in the end, he wasn't good enough, Dale could still remember it, his smile as he lost.

A true warrior at heart, he reveled not in his defeat, but in the way he was defeated, there was nothing better to someone who aspired to greatness than to be defeated, because that often showed one's own flaws and mistakes.

It was no doubt he would grow even further after this clash, how much, however, was the question.

[Ding]

[Manifestation of the Perfect Self 1-??? has deactivated]

"Huff…"

'My chest is a bit tight but I'm getting better at activating this Skill... Or maybe... I'm getting better at circulating my Mana around.'

'It's hard to say how much I grew because no matter how many fights I have, I feel the distance between us hasn't shrunk at all.'

'Maybe that's the curse of this Skill, because no matter what I try to do to improve, that will be reflected in the end.'

'Unless I lock myself in a cave and contemplate on myself for years... But even then, won't things return to how they used to be after experiencing the world?'

Taking a deep breath, Dale gave his opponent a light nod as he took a step back.

It was an incredible fight full of ups and downs, he had learned greatly from it but it was now time to move on… To challenge the best of the best and end this once and for all.

/Flash!/

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/Flaash…/

Back at the Plaza, before seeking his last foe, Dale took a small time off to reflect on his gains in these last 3 or so hours ever since he started dueling.

'Hum… Within an hour, a third of the Event will have passed. Time passes quickly when you're doing something you're committed at.'

'Eight hours flew by in a flash.'

'I would say that I'm satisfied as it is, but for that to be the case I need to first pay for everything I bought last time.'

'From there on… There's nothing I really need, on the sense of working myself to the bone.'

With his books, items, and Skills on hand, Dale was satisfied, but as said before, if he could, he would spend the rest of the Event time grinding Skill Books, maybe even spend some time on other PvP forms as well to gather more Data.

'There should be quite the reward for being the first place in the Arena shouldn't it?' He thought with a light smile as he opened the System interface

Now that he was Top 5 in the Global Rankings, if he wished to challenge Number 1, he would have to send an Invite first, and now it was up to fate.

He could be next in line or even be overlooked due to the likely overwhelming number of challenges he receives.

This wasn't the first time he was forced to wait, the higher he climbed the higher the wait... It was all based on luck.

He usually spent his time either collecting more info on his opponents or checking on his friends and other streams.

'Hum... If I win now, my Streak will be 56, right? Should I aim to get it to 60 to get the Achievement Bonus and retire... Or just continue to fight for as long as possible?'

'There are other forms of content I would like to do if possible... But the higher my streak, the greater the bonus I'll get will be...'

With that in mind, he decided to browse the web and see what other people were doing.

Gathering info on the many aspects of Babylon was a must if he wished to maximize his efficiency and make use of the Seeds he had bought before.

'I made about 47 Million so far, still a bit shy of my 60 Million goal…'

'As for actually buying anything after that… I'm not in the mood to think about it. But I have an estimation that buying all the Skills I want in the shop will likely go for well, beyond 100 Million.'

'There are many Skills that cost tens of Millions, and I definitely need to bring those with me, and albeit they may have some value for reference, I don't need to buy the simple Skills such as Slash, Cut, and so on.'

'There are thousands of such Skills if not tens of thousands, together their price would go beyond half a Billion, it's ridiculous to just think about it.'

'Instead...'

'Still, out of everything I've done so far, Sieges, Attacks, Hunts... It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that 1v1 Duels have been the most efficient in gathering Favor, regardless of the fact Ermin was with me or not.'

'I can tell why some of the Higher Ranking Players are obsessed with it, they must be fully focused on making those $$$.'

'At this point in the run, some of them might've bought the packages, making it an even bigger reason to go and keep fighting.'

'They don't need to climb the rankings, they just need to stop others from doing so and reap the benefits.'

'And if they can finish their fights fast, within a minute or two while also popping one seed here and there, they can make millions just as fast as me, they may also have other methods to rake in Favor I'm unaware of, so research into it is fundamental.'

'Hum… It's almost certain that the dynamic of Azimuth will change once this event is over, because now, as long as you dedicated yourself this time around, anyone should've been able to get better gear and fully equip themselves with 10 Skills if not more.'

'People will start venturing outside the safety of their zones, taking on Quests that may lead to catastrophic events and consequences... Player conflicts will also become more intense.'

'No one can complain about not having Skills now.'

'I previously thought that gathering a few dozen Skills to make several loadouts was an impossibility, but now that they had the opportunity to gather them… I can't say the same anymore.'

'Leveling them up will still be an issue but what this game lacks certainly isn't people with time.'

From there on, Dale spent his time sending messages to some of his School friends, family, and looking at Streams.

In fact, he even received the shocking news that his Granduncle had somehow reached Rank 623 in 1v1 Duels, and Rank 986 in 4v4 Duel since he plays with his old-time friends.

If there was one thing his granduncle did not lack was experience, In his own words, the players of today use tactics the people of his own time debunked decades ago, so he has no difficulty winning over them regardless of the Stat/Skill difference.

His Rank could've been even higher if he put more effort into it. But his granduncle was here mostly for the fun and nothing else.

He talked with him for quite a while, but it was eventually cut short when he received a notification:

[Ding]

[You received a message from Player Proud Child]

"Who?... Ohhhh!" Dale muttered to himself with an enlightened look

'I completely forgot about her, it seems she did accept my friend invite!'

'That's good, I was planning on asking some questions… Albeit I'm afraid she may fall in the same condition as Old man Roger.'

Remembering his own words in their last meeting face to face, Roger said that he was under an Oath, a Promise…

By talking with this girl, Dale would be able to confirm if what he said had any degree of substance or if he was solely trying to keep him ignorant.

Roger was his own source of contact with the other side of the real world, and he seemed trustworthy enough, but he couldn't bet his and his family's safety on a feeling.

Of course, it would also be in his interest to keep this distrust from Roger.

It was best if he had several sources of info and that they were isolated from each other, that way he could inquire from each whenever he felt pensive about something.

[If you can win your next Duel, come meet me at Plaza…]

Following that, a series of coordinates together with an Invite to her Plaza were tied to the message, making Dale think for a moment.

It was a very short message with a very clear idea, she would only talk if he became the Champion.

'Well… At least she's willing to meet with me, that's already something out of my chest.'

'But why the condition? And it's so specific… I can't think of anything other than those old-style plotlines…'

'Was her intention from the start to test/challenge me? Like a master first acting as a villain to then act as a partner?'

"Hum… I think I'm thinking too much." He muttered with a chuckle as he closed the message

'Maybe she's joking? After all, she did send me the coordinates to her Plaza, I can just go there now, though that may cause her to lose faith in me if I do so.'

'I can't keep her in the Plaza as well, so even if I do get there and meet with her, she'll not be obliged to say anything nor stay around me.'

'Still, I don't like her tone, it's as if she's commanding me to win. It pisses me off a little. Just a little.'

'Should I provoke her a little?...'

[????]

"And... Send."

Chuckling to himself, Dale sent his provocation.

But his laughs were cut short by fate:

[Ding]

[Duel Request Accepted]

"Oh! Right on time."

It was faint, but Dale's excitement was rising by the second…

[Moving to Arena…]

/Flash!/

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/Meanwhile.../

[You received a message from Player DareDevil]

"... He's fast... ??"

[????]

"..."

Her expression was hard to see behind her mask, but it was possible to see she was upset.

She immediately pulled the System Keyboard, ready to reply, but she then realized that it wouldn't be proper, stopping mid-sentence...

[Ding]

"Hm?"

But then, she received a notification, and with that, her eyes glistered momentarily.

'So it's here...'

/Flash!/

Not long after, she vanished in a flash.

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Notes