Kanjori

Chapter 13: Return to Kusaga

It feels as if it's been forever since we've been back in Kusaga. It was nighttime, and the moonlit sky reflected on every body of water nearby. The walk home was somewhat quiet, as the four of us had been completely exhausted after our adventure in Sunano, however we couldn't just sit and rest, as we'd likely be pursued after word spread about what we did to Krueger.

As we approached the entrance of the village, the silhouette of a man slowly became visible. The group immediately drew our weapons, and increased the pace at which we were walking towards the entrance.

"Guys, it's me! No need to worry" the man said.

"Mr. Gregorio, is that you?" Gideon asked while sheathing his sword.

"Yes, it's me! The fact that you all are back means you've successfully gotten the stone?" He asked while walking closer to us.

"Yeah" I replied, "That quest was honestly insane and we're all beyond tired right now."

"No worries, go get some rest at the inn, I'll talk to you all in a bit!"

A couple hours later

"Aside from you all befriending Lily, was there anything interesting that happened in Sunano" Mr. Gregorio asked while shaking his cup of tea.

"Well, we met this guy named Krueger who happens to be the strongest player in the game" I replied.

Mr. Gregorio's eyebrows furrowed as his grip on his cup tightened. He did not look pleased.

"What's wrong, do you know the guy?" asked Damian as he stared intensely at Mr. Gregorio.

The atmosphere in the room immediately became cold as Damian continued to stare at Mr. Gregorio, and though he never looked back at Damian, it felt as if they were making direct eye contact.

Without moving his eyes, Mr. Gregorio took a sip of his tea. "Of course I know him. He is one of the knights in Sunano, and I am aware of the things he has done to other players."

Damian moved his chair and sat in front of Mr. Gregorio. "And the Reaper? What's your relationship with him? He clearly knows who you are, and claimed that you've been trying to get that stone from him for a while, why?"

Before Mr. Gregorio could respond, I walked in front of Damian and looked him in the eyes. "Damian, what are you even aiming to do? You're questioning him because you're clearly suspicious of him, but what are you even suspicious of? Where does that thought of yours lead to?"

His eyes widened and he looked back at me in disbelief, then he looked down at his hands. "Sorry Rin, you're right. Maybe I am being a little paranoid for no reason."

"It's quite alright Rin. He might be shaken up after his fight with the Reaper. Damian, just remember that I am just an advanced NPC. I was programmed to engage in conversation with players, and give you all quests, that's all."

Damian did not move his head, but I could see a smile forming from the sides of his face.

"Anyway, I wanted to talk to you all about a game wide event that'll be happening soon. The Kanjorian tournament!" Mr. Gregorio exclaimed. "Players from all across Kanjori will come to Kusaga and fight for the grand prize of 1 million zeals and a special set of gear!"

"The Kanjorian tournament huh.. won't there be knight level players out there?" Gideon asked while tapping his feet.

"Yes, but I believe that the tournament would be a very great experience for all of you!" Mr. Gregorio said while smiling warmly.

"W-Well do you know how much time we have until the t-tournament?" Lily asked.

"About a month, so I'd use this time to train and get better gear. The four of you may be getting stronger, but at your current levels of strength, you're nowhere near the power of a knight. Knights are powerful players who have proven themselves by performing amazing feats. Even the lowest leveled knights could take on hordes of mobs without a single issue."

"I'm sure my beautiful Queen Rin could easily cut down any knight that comes her way! If it wasn't for her, we would've never won against the Reaper, or the White Scorpion!!" Gideon yelled while bowing in front me.

I kicked his head and looked back at Mr. Gregorio, who seemed to be chuckling behind his cup of tea. "Do you have any advice on what we should do to maximize the amount of experience we gain during this month?"

"Spend the first 2 weeks of the month training, and the last 2 going on quests to get better weapons and gear before the tournament. That way, not only will you gain combat experience, but you'll also get to learn a little bit more about the world and what it holds within!"

The 4 of us looked at each other and smiled as Mr. Gregorio refilled his cup. Each of our eyes were filled with burning determination to become as strong as we possibly could for the tournament.

"So what's the plan, are we all going to train together or what?" Gideon asked.

"Even if the 3 of you decide to train together, I'd rather train alone. I don't want to be around anyone who would complain about the intensity of the training, or would be in need of protection. It just makes the process slower" Damian responded.

"Look who's all confident. Just because you have a stupid subclass doesn't mean you're above or stronger than any of us. I could easily take you on and defeat you without breaking a sweat." Gideon said while gripping his hilt.

"Fight me at the tournament then. Hopefully you'll be strong enough to last longer than a second" Damian replied while walking out the room.

"L-Looks like we won't all be in a group to train then" Lily remarked.

"Maybe he's right, I'm actually curious how strong we'll all be if we all train by ourselves for a month" I said while looking towards the door.

Lily and Gideon both looked at each other and smiled.

"Next time you'll see me, I'll be as strong as a knight!" Gideon announced as he ran out the door.

Lily waved at me and followed behind Gideon shortly after he left.

I have one month to become as strong as I possibly can, I refuse to fall behind the others!