As the dust settled in the arena, silence reigned for a split second before the entire spectator lobby exploded in chaotic cheers.
Lord Doom had won, again.
He truly was the PK King.
Still on the arena, while Aria and Noah had their usual back and forth talk, Aria vowing to win in their next duel like usual, their teammates were already screaming in chat.
{Caleb: Unbelievable. Even after that ridiculous battle, he still cos out on top. Mathematically, Noah wasn’t even at his best yet with the Aetherforge.}
{Genevieve: That was... beautiful. The way they fought, Aria, you were amazing too! Don’t let his shaless words get to you.}
{Nightingale: God Noah! My heart was in my throat the whole ti. That... was like watching a damn ani fight!}
Yes, Nightingale and his crew kept up with God Noah’s team.
They may not be there during every record-breaking mont that this team was trailblazing in the 11th server, but they were never far, always in the shadows, following them, excitedly bearing witness to their legendary run.
Watching such experts in action so closely was a joy.
While the others chatted in the group chat, Benjamin, however, couldn’t resist. With a mischievous grin behind his computer, he leaned back and typed.
{Benjamin: Welp, looks like the Storm just got weathered by Doom.}
{Caleb: ...}
{Genevieve: ...I hate you.}
{Aria: Benjamin, I swear to God!}
{Benjamin: What? It was a shocking fight, but Noah just had a thunderous finish. So, my joke fit, right? Co on, don’t be shy, it fit!}
Genevieve sighed, facing Benjamin’s Captain Batman in the lobby as she spoke. "Benjamin, stop, please".
Nightingale also looked at him. "You’ve been waiting to make that pun, haven’t you?"
Benjamin grinned. "I regret nothing".
Noah chuckled, amused at their reactions.
anwhile, the arena chat was still going wild.
Like expected, imdiately after his victory, Noah got a new flood of friend requests and ssages flooding his dm. He ignored them all as alongside his teammates, they finally left the arena.
...
After exiting the arena, Noah and his teammates alongside Nightingale’s crew found themselves back in the bustling main plaza of the city.
The city streets were alive with activity, players rushing to and fro, so still discussing Lord Doom’s latest Arena massacre.
Players bustled around, but sothing felt off. A group of armored figures stood on their path, blocking them.
Their insignia was unmistakable, it was Cyber Crew’s guild emblem, the in-ga player guild representing the England pro club Cyber Squad.
It was the guild backing the pro club responsible for forcing Noah and his teammates into early retirent.
At the center of the group stood a flamboyantly equipped player, a tall Combat Mage dressed in ornate platinum armor.
His helt was tucked under one arm, revealing sharp, calculating features and a pair of piercing silver eyes that glead with confidence.
His na floated above his head.
{Shattered Star- Guild Leader of Cyber Crew Guild}
He smiled smoothly, his gaze landing directly on Noah. "Lord Doom. Or should I say..., PK King?" He chuckled. "We need to talk".
Noah crossed his arms, expression unreadable.
His teammates tensed slightly behind him; their posture wary but not surprised. They were wary because this was no longer the beginner village.
Outside the beginner village, in cities, PKing was allowed.
Yes, they were experts, unparalleled in the 11th server but they didn’t want to make enemies out of a whole guild.
Top guilds in the ga had tens of thousands if not millions of players, that was not sothing that Noah and his teammates wanted to antagonize.
The reason why they were not surprised was because of recent developnts. Since Noah got his first system announcent, he entered the eyes of top guilds in the 11th server who wanted to recruit him.
Noah and his teammates had been ignoring all of them, but that was no longer sufficient, not after their recent achievents.
Conquering Demon’s Tower in Hell Mode changed everything.
They already knew what this guild leader was here for.
"If you want to talk, then talk". Noah looked at him.
Shattered Star’s lips curled into a polite, knowing smile. "Straight to the point, I like that".
He took a single step forward, his silver eyes analyzing Noah as if trying to see through him.
"Cyber Squad wants you". His tone was casual yet firm, like a rchant offering a once-in-a-lifeti deal.
To normal players, this was indeed a once in a lifeti deal.
Afterall, this Shattered Star didn’t say Cyber Crew wanted him, but rather Cyber Squad which ant it was the pro club itself that wanted him.
This was a chance to upgrade from being just a casual player to play as a pro player. Which player wouldn’t be flattered by that? Maybe only Noah.
His friends too.
Shattered Star looked at him, slightly perplexed at the lack of a reaction but he cleverly masked it.
He continued. "After what you’ve done in the 11th server, you’ve proven yourself as the most valuable player here".
"With your 2 SSS-Rank unique skills and that monstrous SSS-Rank weapon, you’ve proven that your skills are beyond anyone else here".
"Your skills are already at the professional level. Right now, you’re still green, all you need is professional ntorship which our club has".
"Lord Doom, I’m giving you an offer to join the Pro Alliance".
"Join us, and I can guarantee, no, personally ensure that you’ll have everything you could ever want". He grinned, gesturing grandly. "Exclusive sponsorships, the best training resources, global recognition, a lot of money".
"Cyber Squad’s influence in England is limitless, you should know this better than anyone if you have any knowledge of the Pro Alliance".
"We’re the best club in the country; we’re the only ones to have won the Warstar RPG Champions league a record-breaking 5 tis!" He said proudly.
"So think about it champ, what is your reply?"
Noah didn’t react. He remained perfectly still, but his teammates weren’t as restrained as he was.
Aria scoffed. "You’ve got so nerve. You really think he’d even consider..."
Shattered Star raised a hand, cutting her off.
"...!"
In that mont, Aria truly wanted nothing more than to unsheathe her Blades of Aamon and cut this bastard to pieces.
Who did he think he was?!
Shattered Star, anwhile never took his eyes off Noah.
Seeing that nothing changed, this player’s expression changed. "Now, you’re really forcing my hand".
"You being so good has really caused us problems," he said. "Don’t you know that your skill is rotting away here in the ga?"
"How can you be so good and don’t want to play professionally?"
Silence.
He sighed. "I take it that if I ask you to sell your account to us, you won’t accept too, right?"
Silence.
"What of just the Aetherforge, your weapon? We’ll pay handsoly".
Silence.
Noah’s repeated silence was finally touching a nerve, and then subtly, the atmosphere changed.
Shattered Star looked straight at him. "You’re different," he said, his voice dipping into sothing calculated.
A beat of silence later, he continued. "You understand what it ans to be at the top. And you understand what happens to those who refuse to adapt".
The shift in tone was subtle, but it wasn’t lost on anyone.
Noah finally smirked. Not out of amusent, but the kind of smirk that sent a chill down spines.
How was he even able to make such deep facial expressions in the ga?
"You’re right," Noah said. "I do understand".
He took a deliberate step forward, standing just within Shattered Star’s space, eting his gaze without an ounce of fear even as he ignored the guild mbers that followed him here.
"And that’s exactly why I’d never join Cyber Squad".
The air instantly turned heavy.
The background noise of the city seed to fade, as if the very ga world was holding its breath.
Shattered Star’s expression didn’t change. But there was sothing in his silver eyes, sothing sharp and unreadable.
"You sure about that?" His voice was lower now, the weight behind it unmistakable.
Noah tilted his head slightly, his smirk deepening as he stared at him. "You don’t seem to understand how this works. You’re trying to recruit soone who’s already above you".
Silence.
"Savage!" Benjamin broke the silence, trolling.
Shattered Star chuckled, and then he exhaled through his nose, shaking his head. "You really are sothing else".
He stepped back, flashing that sa smooth smile, but now there was a distinct edge to it. "Cyber Squad always gets what it wants, Lord Doom".
"One way or another".
With that, he turned on his heel and walked away, his guild mbers falling in step behind him.
Noah watched him leave, his smirk never fading.
Benjamin folded his arms. "Cyber Squad being Cyber Squad, predictable".
Aria clicked her tongue. "Tch. What a joke. Like Noah would ever need them".
Genevieve sighed. "That... felt like a threat".
Caleb cracked his knuckles. "Because it was. We’re talking about SSS-Rank unique skills and weapons after all, no one can control their greed when it’s that".
Caleb looked at his captain. "Noah, this slls like trouble".
"Not just Cyber Crew, all the other top guilds will start getting restless too. I’m sure the pro clubs behind them are even directing them this ti".
"The new Pro Alliance will start soon, they want upgrades, desperately".
Noah simply turned back to his team; his expression unreadable.
"Let them
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