Chapter 84: Nobility? What Even Is Nobility!
The moment the announcement dropped, the players’ world fell into a brief, bewildered silence.
They were all a bit dazed.
Forty thousand experience points? Are you kidding me?
In one go, that’s like getting leveled up one and a half times!?
Talk about cheating!
After that moment of shock, players went utterly mad.
”Extra! Extra! The number one player ‘Wind’ sets a new record—he’s practically shooting for the stars!”
”Shocking! This time it’s for REAL! Not just clickbait!”
”Insider Scoop: Officials have stepped in to check, zero tolerance for cheating!”
”Willing to pay top dollar for intel on the Heroic Trials Tower—gotta see if there’s any cheating going on!”
”Whispers on the street: ‘Wind’ might have orchestrated his own little account—that’s not cheating!”
The official forum exploded like fireworks, overflowing with a whirlwind of absurd and false information that left everyone dizzy.
The buzz even overshadowed the long-standing reigning champ, Nuclear Bomb Little Sister.
Fiery Conflict Across the Sky was also on the forum at the same time, but he was not there to catch wind of the gossip—he was there to find info about the Heroic Trials Tower.
While most players were reeling from the sudden windfall experienced by ‘Wind’, he was initially shocked too, but quickly focused on the main issue.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to gather any useful information.
Find out! Dig deep!
He clenched his fists tightly, trying to suppress the raging waves within him.
Just yesterday, they had all agreed to team up and find someone to tackle this issue.
But now, it had been ages, and there wasn’t even a shadow of anyone. Instead, someone else had pulled an epic news scoop, and who wouldn’t feel stressed about that?
So, is the reason they couldn’t find anybody because they all went to the Trials Tower?
Calm down… stay calm!
I have all these people with me; even if the place is vast and finding someone is hard, I should at least be able to find a tower, right?
As long as we find the tower and clear it, the gap won’t widen!
He paced back and forth, controlling his emotions.
On the surface, he looked composed, but inside he was a hot mess.
He had zero motivation to grind for experience points right now.
While ‘Wind’ snagged forty thousand experience in one go, he was brute-forcing through quests and monsters, burning three to four days just to achieve what ‘Wind’ got in a single breath!
And quests weren’t infinite; this was a total waste!
Half an hour later, someone finally delivered news.
“President! I got intel from an NPC—the Heroic Trials Tower is in the inner city area, but it’s stated that only nobles have the right to use it.”
“Nobles? What does that have to do with us? Isn’t there another way?”
“There is! Apparently, the Adventurers Guild president has recommended slots.”
Off they went to the nearest Adventurers Guild.
However, they weren’t the only ones arriving; other big guild leaders showed up too.
They exchanged glances, and with an unspoken understanding, the leaders walked up to the front desk together.
As soon as the receptionist saw their serious lineup, she jumped in with, “Looking for info on the Heroic Trials Tower qualifications?”
“How’d you know that, young lady?”
“Had someone here asking about it not long ago. The standard answer is that you need to be at least Silver Level to have a chance at qualifying.”
Silver Level, which means at least level 20.
“But why did someone at Bronze Level qualify?”
“Not sure about that; maybe the nobles have their ways.”
What does “nobility” even mean? It means privilege!
Some might say it’s unfair, but guess what? It is unfair—what are you going to do about it?
Seeing the sour looks on these Outsiders, the receptionist made a kind suggestion: “I advise you not to waste your energy. Even if you somehow manage to qualify, attempting the trial at Bronze Level is just a waste of time. In the Jade Emperor Kingdom, nobles have privileges because they are strong enough to back them up.”
She should’ve kept that last bit to herself; the moment she said it, the faces of Fiery Conflict Across the Sky and his gang went darker.
These folks were practically eating nobility for breakfast in real life! Who among them didn’t enjoy some kind of privilege?
You can say games are games and reality is reality—all fine and dandy.
But why is it that one player managed to not only qualify but also finished the trial, huh?
However, they were rational individuals who knew talking to the NPC lady would lead nowhere, so they left the Adventurers Guild, simmering with frustration.
“What do we do now, President?”
Fiery Conflict Across the Sky’s face was stormy as he glared at the other guild leaders before softly stating, “We need to figure out a way to access the inner city and make contact with the nobles.”
Currently, the maps for the inner city weren’t accessible to players—no teleport options available.
And the front gate? Well, players had tried that, and the earlier areas were left for future exploration.
But there were still a select few players who had access to parts of the inner city because of certain quests.
The things he couldn’t manage through NPCs, he could handle with fellow players.
—
Now, back at the Heroic Trials Tower, let’s rewind to an hour earlier.
The number of challengers at the Trials Tower was dwindling, and there were a lot fewer numbers on the map. With each disappearing number, someone would trudge out of the teleportation array looking defeated.
Most of these players were unsatisfied with their performances.
It was their first time in the trials, and they were feeling the pinch of experience shortages. Given another chance, they might just level up!
As they looked at the map, they were somewhat surprised.
Who would’ve thought this little girl had such power? She even momentarily overshadowed Wright! Looks like there’s real competition!
But when they turned to their elders, they noticed many had gone pale, as if they had just seen a ghost.
Yet the atmosphere was eerily quiet—hardly anyone spoke. The elders fixated intently on the map, making it awkward to ask questions, so they too stared at it.
Finally, the numbers on the map dwindled down to just one left, the second-to-last being Wright.
Now, both elders and youngsters wore expressions devoid of energy, except for Elia and Amelia.
Because at this moment, Player Number 1 was on the thirteenth level, while Number 2 just exited from the tenth level.
Wright stepped out of the teleportation array, exhaling heavily.
“Ugh, so that’s what a Silver Level defender on the tenth level is like! Not only is their strength and skills one-upping me, they’ve got way more battle experience. I can’t feel bad about losing to that!”
“‘…’”
“Uh, what’s wrong with you guys? Why are you looking at me like that?”
Wright turned around, only to find no one was behind him. The noble elders and his peers were indeed staring at him.
Just… the look in their eyes was a bit weird.
“If… if I had another chance, I could totally clear the tenth level! I’m confident about that!”
Yet they were still looking at him with that same strange gaze, making him feel anxious.
Finally, it dawned on him. He rushed over to the map.
There it was, the lone remaining number—Player Number 1.
And lo and behold, Number 1 was perched right on the thirteenth level.
Oh no, just moments ago—right under Wright’s nose—Player Number 1 just leveled up to the fourteenth level.
Crack!
Something snapped in the air.
“Pfft!”
Wright collapsed on the ground.
