The Grand Duelist

Inside the Headquarters of P.H Works...

A middle-aged man clad in the cliched white suits of scientists all over the world walked along the hallway. A languid expression could be seen on his face as he inspected the area.

Wherever his eyes landed, all the scientists within those rooms would always subconsciously straighten their backs and reveal light smiles on their faces. 

The middle-aged man nodded towards them whenever that happened. Soon, he arrived at the so-called room that he always called the Main Control Room where the meat of NOAH, the Supercomputer that managed the world of Victory resided. 

As soon as the automatic doors recognized his authority and opened.

The two people within the room. A man and a woman turned to look at his direction and smiled.

"Mar, you are finally here."

"Welcome back, sir Mar." 

The man spoke in a laidback tone, while the young woman had a far respectful tone than the former.

Nevertheless, the two of them were happy to see the middle-aged man.

"How's going on, folks? I see, both you are as diligent as always, eh? When will the marriage be?"

Mar's smile was kind, but his words were like a punch to the guts of both Ray Gabriel and Elizabeth.

"Cough... Mar, did you come here just to poke fun at us?"

Ray coughed before shaking his head in disapproval.

"Of course not, why would I do that? I came here to report!"

"Report on my attendance, of course... How else will I be able to get my paycheck if I didn't report the things that I worked on every month?"

"Yeah, right... In that case, you can report those things to Elizabeth." Ray gestured to Elizabeth.

Mar glanced at Elizabeth and found that she was staring at him with a death glare, "Uh... I don't think that's going to work..."

"Everyone always reaps what they sow, Mar. You better face the consequences of what you have done." Ray gave a languid smile, "I don't even think that you do not know that I am frequently using Elizabeth's services for such matters. It really is convenient, you know? She works really fast and before you knew it, the job is already done."

Mar's gaze landed on Elizabeth once again and he found that she was currently staring right at the floor. It was unknown what she was thinking but as one of the great minds behind the creation of Victory. Mar had superior abilities when it came to extrapolating from missing data.

A light smile spread on his lips as he said.

"Does that mean that Elizabeth's the best secretary in the world?" His words were direct, yet it contained ambiguity that startled Elizabeth awake as she furtively glanced at Ray.

"But of course, what else do I mean about what I said? You should also get a secretary, Mar! You're not getting younger, you know?"

"When it comes to trivial things, let them handle it. It really is convenient and it's a waste that you're not using the company's resources to its limit." Ray lightly shook his head.

Mar merely smiled, he had achieved what he wanted to achieve so he didn't humor Ray anymore as he said, "Well anyway, I just came here to report. Afterwards, I'll get back on my work."

He walked over to Elizabeth and handed over several dozens of files that Elizabeth received with a wide smile, she wasn't glaring at him anymore for she knew that Mar was the reason why she received praises from Ray.

Mar winked at her and whispered, "You know that the culture of a man pursuing a woman is so last season, right? You should do it! Pursue him! I think you have a pretty good chance."

Elizabeth blushed, "What are you saying, sir Mar... Also, if I did that, there will definitely be a conflict of interest that will harm the efficiency of my work."

Mar stared at her in disapproval, "Look at you acting so pessimistic. There would indeed be a conflict of interest, but that is only true while you are still pursuing him. That conflict will immediately disappear once the two of you became lovers, and also..."

"Do you really think that no one in this company apart from me knows about how you adore him?"

Mar surreptitiously glanced at Ray before whispering to Elizabeth once again, "Ray's such a dense person, you know about that, right? So, if you do not take the first move, someone else will do..."

"After all, this guy's even more popular than the United Nations. He really suits the image of a cliched arrogant young master in those novels."

A light of nostalgia flashed in Mar's eyes when he mentioned the part about cliched arrogant young masters. But afterwards, a teasing look appeared on his wrinkled face as he nudged her and said, "Good luck about it, all right? I'll be gone to catch some sleep. I'll be back here next month again."

"Ray, I'll be going now. See you next month~" Mar waved with his hand and walked towards the exit.

"Ah, wait! I still have something to talk to you about." Ray stopped him in his tracks.

"What is it? That better be a worthwhile talk or else, you must compensate me for ruining my sleep schedule." Mar turned around and stared at Ray.

Ray shook his head and laughed, "I know that you have such a tight ass, Mar. That is why this story that I will be telling you will definitely be worthwhile. But do you want me to make it short, or should I explain everything to you from the start?"

"Make it short!" Mar, who was still fighting against his sleep deprivation almost immediately replied.

"The residents you designed in that dark and shitty place are all dead, Gelial got a vessel in the human realm, and that guy who got a Mythical Class is now a step away from completing his Ascension." 

"What?!" Mar's eyes widened in shock when he heard what Ray had said.

"You said the residents in that place are all dead? DEAD?! Are you serious?!" Disbelief was plastered on Mar's face as he said all of these words but Ray couldn't really blame Mar.

It was because as Mar's colleague he knew that Mar spent at least a month designing the lore behind that place and the people inside of it.

Anyone would be pained to hear that their several weeks of effort was now useless.

"You think that I'd joke about something like that?" Ray stared at him in doubt.

What he said made sense so Mar finally believed him.

But that didn't reduce the shock that he felt as he approached Ray, and sat in front of him before saying, "Explain to me everything, start from the beginning! No holds barred!" He decisively abandoned his strict sleeping schedule as he asked for an explanation.

Ray then explained everything to Mar and after several minutes of chit-chat.

Mar finally understood the situation. 

"I really didn't expect that Gelial would reap what he sowed that fast... Now, the mechanic that I made about the release of those residents when that time came is now impossible to do since there are no more people to release..."

"Sigh... But just what is the trigger that made Gelial act this fast?"

Ray shook his head and sighed, "Mar, didn't you listen to what I said? I told you that the guy that I messaged you about actually entered that place and he's probably the reason why Gelial acted like that!"

"Ah? Wait, what guy? Sorry, I am quite sleepy, you see... Can you just tell me directly about that guy?" Mar's drooping eyes snapped open as he said in an apologetic manner.

"Geez, you should really go and sleep now Mar," Elizabeth commented from the side.

"I don't need to sleep... What I need are answers... So, tell me!" Mar replied in defiance and Ray couldn't help but laugh.

"Hahaha, okay, okay... Calm down, all right? Here it goes." Ray decided that he would not tease Mar anymore as he explained everything, including the matter of Abyssal Flame Master becoming the vessel of Gelial, the Demon of Deceit, and Temptation.

"Really? You are planning on sending a team of psychologists for that player? Well, that move sounds reasonable but is it really necessary?"

"A guy that could make a demon interested in him shouldn't be a guy that has such a weak mental state that he needs a team of psychologists to maintain his sanity..."

"Maybe a therapist will do." Mar gave his proposal.

Ray shook his head and said, "That cannot do, Mar. This is the first time that a player made contact with a demon and even became a demon's vessel, so we cannot slack when it comes to monitoring the mental state of that particular player. No one wants to get a lawsuit, you know?"

"Okay, okay... I understand. But the matter of that guy who got that class is far important for now, I think... we should pay more attention to him."

"Yes, that is true. That is why I decided to make this office of mine my living quarters. I've got to witness with these own eyes of mine the Ascension of a player to a true Mythical Class player!" Ray suddenly became energetic. 

Mar swept his gaze around the room and spotted a mattress on the ground at the corner.

"Mhm... I'm also interested in that." Mar nodded his head before saying, "So, can I sleep here for now? You're not going to use that mattress in the next several hours, right? Let me sleep there for a while." Mar's eyes weren't even open anymore as he walked towards the mattress at the corner of the room like a zombie.

But then, Mar suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"Do you have some noise-canceling headset there that I can use?" 

Ray raised an eyebrow, "I do have, but what are you going to use it for?"

"Of course, it is to block my ears!"

"Do you really think that I would want to hear the two of you have se-" 

Bang!

Before he could even complete his sentence...

Elizabeth reappeared behind him like a ghost and chopped at his nape. He immediately dropped unconscious and was princess-carried by Elizabeth towards the mattress.

Ray was horrified and astonished at the same time. 

"Uh... Elizabeth?" 

"Please forget that something happened." Elizabeth coldly spat.

"A-All right..."

Silence reigned in the room until it was shattered by Ray who asked hesitatingly.

"Say... Elizabeth... do you think that he can successfully ascend?"

"Successfully ascend? Oh, that player? I think so..." Elizabeth nodded her head.

"Really?" Ray expressed his doubts.

"Yes... that final step is indeed too cruel for him, but does he even have a choice? Well, maybe. If you and sir Mar didn't design that quest to be like that in the first place." Elizabeth revealed a languid smile at the end of her sentence.

"Ah... So, the problem is the way that the quest is designed. Sigh... I guess I can only propose some changes in the Class-Specific Quests for the higher classes." 

"No, there's nothing wrong with the way that the quest is designed. It even makes sense. How can someone achieve greatness so easily, without an even greater sacrifice for that greatness?"

"On the contrary, the quest wouldn't make sense if it wasn't designed like what you and Mar envisioned it to be," Elizabeth said.

She paused for a moment before she continued,

"That step may be far too cruel, but it must be done. A Sun that Overlooks Everything cannot be such a mellow man. If after his ascension, he can't recover from that step, then I guess. It must be fate." Elizabeth heaved a sigh and the room became incredibly silent afterwards.