Azimuth: The Elden Throne (New Version)

Chapter 284 Top 100 End

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[DING]

[37 Victory Streak!]

[Solo 1v1 -> 37/0/0]

[Calculating Ranking...]

[Leaderboard Ranking -> 90]

[Ding]

[Congratulations for entering the top 100!]

[From now on, matchmaking is disabled, challenging a higher Rank is the only way to ascend further]

[There is no Rank limit to whom you can challenge]

[You can refuse all challenges from higher-ranked duelists but you can only refuse challenges from those lower-ranked than you when your last duel was within 20 minutes]

[Opting to still refuse will cause your Rank to fall as a penalty, albeit that won't happen if you're occupied with another task]

[At any given moment, you may forfeit your climb, your Ranking at the moment will be preserved for all to see but your presence in the leaderboards will be removed, allowing others to compete for the spot]

[You'll still be able to participate in Duels at any moment, but winning or losing won't count towards winning streaks from both sides]

[The Podium awaits, climb to the top!]

[Ding]

[Rewards have been processed]

[You've been awarded 100,000 Favor for defeating player, Proud Child]

[You bet on your own Victory, being awarded 500,000 Favor]

[Achievement: Top Ranker]

[You have been awarded 1,000,000 Favor]

[Achievement: Battered]

[You have been awarded 500,000 Favor]

[Hidden Achievement: Run to the Podium]

[You have been awarded 1,000,000 Favor]

[Due to your Special Packages, all Favor and Recognition rewards times 3]

[Due to the Great Instance Modifier (Status Lock), (Inventory Lock) rewards are partially modified]

[You have been awarded an extra 200,000 Favor]

[You've been awarded 9,900,000 Favor (Final Value)]

/Thud!/

"Huff… I'm beat." Dale said as he sat down on the ground

Breathing heavily, Dale held onto his injured shoulder as he waited for the system to move him out of the Arena.

"..."

He looked to the side, towards the stone seats above the Arena, noticing a strange man wearing a yellow robe and a mask with an eye painted on it.

Only now had he noticed this man's presence, but he did not get alarmed, this must be the Observer, the one in charge of choosing a winner if the time limit hit the clock.

'I wonder... If that's an NPC or not...'

"Cough... I need a drink." He said with a cough as he felt his dry throat 

'Welp… This is my limit.' 

'I went far enough already, so I can't say I'm not satisfied… From now on, I'll use the Reflection. No more being prideful and trying to fight these trained warriors on my own.'

'I don't know that girl's real rank, but if everyone within the top 100 is like her… I won't be able to win not even in my dreams.'

'She lost due to my momentum, and I may be unable to get things going in the next fight…'

'I already lost my streak of winning without getting hurt, I don't want to lose my actual winning streak.'

'But this experience has made me extremely curious…'

Dale looked at the ceiling of the Arena, thinking about the outside world.

'Just what is going on behind the scenes?'

"..."

'The world is like a box... Or maybe a gunpowder barrel, ready to burst...'

'One day, someone will commit a mistake, create a spark.'

'The people will find out the truth, and they'll get scared, maybe try to retaliate...'

'Unfortunately, you cannot retaliate against SuperHumans.'

'Maybe things will go right... Maybe that's why the world is at peace.'

'For now... I'll just focus on gathering Favor, not that this task has been difficult so far. I just made ten or so Million.'

'These Achievements are true lifesavers... And above all, these packages, they were essential.'

'But for now, I'll buy some lunch...'

He closed his eyes to rest, and soon enough…

/Flash!/

He was taken out of the Arena.

…

From there on out, Dale started his domination over the Arena.

He thought about just challenging the number 1 Ranker right off the bat, but after putting some thought, he took it as unnecessary.

He was already getting a lot from these Duels, there was no need to just rush for them to end, so instead, he focused on an easygoing strategy.

To challenge someone five Ranks above himself all the way to number 1, this way, he would experience all kinds of fighters while also being able to get more used to the top players.

After all, if they were all like the Assassin he just fought, by fighting them, he may learn more about the outside world while also getting acquainted with the people who trained behind the scenes.

He didn't expect every single one of the top 100 to be HardCore players who were also secretly SuperHumans, but in truth, who else but these kinds of people would manage to climb all the way up here?

The ordinary players that knew no better had long since been cast aside…

It may seem excessive that there were over 100 individuals like him in the world, but given the world population of over 10 Billion, 100 felt insignificant.

Regardless, since he decided to fight with his Skill, he knew these fights wouldn't last long…

There were times when one needed to face reality, this wasn't him being Arrogant, he knew it would be nearly impossible to find anyone who could give the Reflection a hard time.

If its combat sense, perfect reflexes, and machine-like decision-making weren't enough, the Reflection can and will make use of everything Dale experienced and remembered in its fight.

Unless someone posed equal senses and experience as it, then there was no way they would even be able to put up a fight.

The gap could be overcome with powerful Skills and Items, but that was hard if not impossible to predict.

To finish his preparations, Dale changed his gear a little to allow himself to hide his face while also offering them some degree of defense.

His highest priority was to maintain his Stats high, because in the last fight, due to the Level restriction, he was almost forced to stop wearing his Accessories.

His armor is one thing, but if he's forced to stop wearing his rings and bracelets, then things would be truly dire.

Thankfully, his Acessories kind of supported themselves, giving him enough Stats to cover half of their highest requirements, so as long as he had enough basic Stats to cover the other half, he would be fine.[1]

Hence… Without further ado, he challenged his first foe, Rank 85!

… And won, without much difficulty.

…

/Meanwhile…/

/Flash…/

[Ding]

"..."

In the middle of the Plaza, a girl wearing ragged clothes appeared atop a chair at a secluded table.

Her expression was cold as her hair flowed down onto the shiny marble table in front of her, reflecting her own face.

She closed her eyes, ignoring the System notifications as she delved into her own thoughts.

'I lost.'

She remembered his movements, actions, gestures, strength, everything, comparing them to hers before coming to a single conclusion.

'He's sloppy…'

'He doesn't know how to maintain a Rythim, he has no Technique, he lacks Control, Experience, training… And I'm a fool for falling to such a simple trick.'

'The only thing he has is a strong body…'

'But in the end, I still lost.'

'... Was it really that obvious? What did I lack to make it so obvious to you?' She thought as she remembered the words of someone else

She stopped thinking for a while, only letting the faint breeze blow her hair around as she pulled her hood lower.

But after a while, she checked her notifications, and her expression went from uncaring to… A bit annoyed.

'A friend Invite… What to do…'

His words started to play in her head again, a mix of blabbering and coherence, she didn't really hear everything he had to say before due to the pain she was feeling.

So unconsciously, the words they exchanged during their fight played in her mind.

*... I think we were truly meant to connect…*

*You're quite pretty*

"..."

For a moment, her cold eyes sharpened, as if she wanted to shove a dagger onto someone… But they eventually returned to just being cold.

She considered what to do next, thinking of the consequences her actions today would set off.

But as she remembered the words of someone close once more, with resolution, she raised her finger.

[Accept]

…

From here on out, Dale continued his winning spree.

He faced all kinds of opponents with abilities no less those of the Assassin, if not greater.

Dangerous individuals that lurked in the shadows of the real world.

Knowing how strong they were here made Dale's concern increase, if one of them lived close to his house and met his parents by chance... Even if the police were deployed...

Just thinking about it gave him chills... And filled him with wrath.

He always believed the real world to be a safe haven he could retreat to, at least that was the case until his unfortunate encounter with the Kidnappers.

The more he learned about everything, the more dangerous the real world became, and strangely enough, the safer Azimuth became.

Learning he had enemies both in the game and in reality, which of the two sides was safer?

The side where he had all of his items and teachers, or the side where he was all alone?

... Putting those thoughts aside, his meteoric rise through the Ranks attracted the attention of many if not all. To the point, he was started to be seen as a prize… Or a Demon by some.

Defeating Dale became a challenge to many, causing him great distress.

People soon understood his habits, trying to make sure their paths would cross in the Rankings, as they wanted to be the next one to defeat him and claim the honor.

He received many challenges but did not accept any, he would challenge the Rankings at his own pace, some said he was cool, and others called him a coward, only to be beaten up by him when their turn came.

Some challengers made use of the Seeds, either to create advantageous situations for themselves or to try and even the field a little.

In the end, it just gave him greater rewards.

This time, Dale was ready to face them all.

Regardless, within an hour, Dale challenged Rank 10.

Like most of his opponents before, he was a HardCore player, and likely someone with a story rooted in the real world as well.

The more he saw the more impressed he became, to see a complete new world of people competing right below everyone's eyes…

His opponent was an Archer, a beast with an arrow, at least that was what the others called him.

[Your opponent is: Sharp Ball (HcM) -> Level 27]

[Solo 1v1 -> 90/5/6]

[Highest Winning Streak: 81]

[Leaderboard Ranking -> 10]

[The Match will begin in 50 seconds…]

By far the lowest level opponent in the top 100, a massive disadvantage given all other players were around 10 or so levels above him, yet his winning streak spoke for itself.

Many wondered, who would win, the Spear, or the Arrow?

Dale was also excited to find out, what kinds of skills and techniques would an Archer have?

He met with his kind before but they were all unimpressive… Albeit the last archer he met was below the Top 300.

Maybe this would be the redeeming match for all Archers?...

Or just… Their removal from the top 10.

Both sides wanted to win, but only one would take the position.

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Notes

[1] The Blue and Red Rock rings have a 200 Stat Requirement, and when worn properly, they add a total of +60 to all Basic Stats, that's not counting other Acessories