"Ladies and gentlemen, the final is about to start." A clear female voice rang through the stadium, calling attention to the stage where the arena appeared. Its realism something magical.
"Please remember to enjoy the show, and remember that despite how realistic the battle might appear, this is all conducted safely from within ANW and is only a hologram."
In a large private cabin, a group of old men were seated on arranged couches, giving them a perfect view of the stage with stretched over five hundred meters side to side. To aid with viewing, each person was given a tablet and specialized glasses should they wish to focus on a certain point in the arena.
Thanks to the growth Miracle had seen over the past year, this year the tournament was far grander. The finale, naturally, had to be a spectacle worthy of the growth ANW had seen.
The opening had certainly not been lacking. At the start of the finals, the entire stage had been turned into a vivid field displaying sights of the game. Snippets from different empires and lands still unexplored, highlighting just how much there was to the game. Largely the same as the year before, only, the focus on the players had been increased as they finally joined the true stage of ANW.
And naturally, this wonderful display demonstrated the advancement of holographic technology. As well as the additional infrastructure that the company had been designing to supplement its usability.
To those who stayed at home and viewed the event from their TV's, or preferably from within virtual stages through their headsets or cabins, the holograms certainly weren't as large a topic. But to those who sat in the first row, it had been a chilling experience. The realism of the hologram defying logic. And the intuitive design and usage of the glasses were simply amazing.
And for the finals, the stage was used yet again. Bringing the arena right to the people. Sadly, because of the realism of ANW, this also brought an age restriction to the viewing of the tournament.
"I heard we finally caught the eyes of the general public." One of the old men in the room commented, satisfied with the results thus far.
For a while, Miracle had only been of interest to those who wanted the extra hours, or who were gamers. Since the last tournament, this has slowly been changing.
Naturally, everyone had suspected that with the release of ANW, Miracle would finally enter the spotlight. They were most satisfied that ANW was not the only department that had shown impressive growth.
"It is not without its problems."
Naturally, all companies that gained the spotlight also gained scrutiny, rumors, and fables. Miracle was not without. There were many things that people tried to question. However, they failed to find proof. Mysteriously, when something seemed to be heading to a headline, it would vanish from the public eye.
And unlike with Eldrian's case, nothing would seem amis. The person who was spearheading things simply had a sudden change of character. Some suspected bribes, but no proof has been found thus far.
The only exception was perhaps the noise Phoenix had made. However, nothing much had come of it, no matter how much they clamoured.
"But why is that problem still not dealt with?" A rather dashing figure asked, turning everyone's attention to Qiren. Naturally, all the faults had been dumped onto her.
"We have tried our best. I can assure you that he will not be a problem." She said, bowing her head while clenching her fists.
Since Eldrian's horrendous business, the company had started to take things more seriously. However, this only showed her what they were capable of, and that they had let things get out of hand purposefully. Yet she could do nothing to take control of the situation.
She did not even have the right to act without getting permission first.
"You better be right." One of the men mumbled, and murmurs of agreement echoed in the cabin.
They had come prepared for if Eldrian tried something daring during the event. Thus far, they had found no signs of him. As far as they knew, he was still somewhere in the mountains.
Just in case, they had a group standing by to handle the situation. They had also taken precautions to place men around Eldrian's family. Should they need them.
However, even as the final started, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
—
[Gosh, I still can't believe that Phoenix is so quiet.]
Naturally, the tablets that everyone was given at the live event were linked to the tournament live chat.
[Truly, why aren't they participating? I'm sure they would have beaten Agrerian to a pulp this time...]
Due to the guild's reliance on devious methods such as poison and magical scrolls or potions, many had grown to disdain them. However, the developers had allowed it. Stating that it would be unfair to forbid products one has to gain through one's own efforts.
Their reply had been: "If we are to forbid the use of magical potions and poisons, we must then also forbid the usage of magical armor and weapons. Just as it can be considered unfair if someone uses poison, it can also be considered unfair if one has a much greater weapon than another."
"We do not wish to diminish the tournament through forbidding elements of the game. We already have categories where skill is the only determinators in the weapon class tournaments."
"One must always remember; connections, luck, fortune, and talent are all part of a person's arsenal. Forbidding any one thing will be more unfair than allowing everyone to use everything they can manage to take command of."
[Still, they don't stand a chance against Zinopia. Their guild leader and Oasis both reached Tier 5 recently. There is no way a little poison will overcome that.]
[Indeed... But I wonder what would have happened if Phoenix participated. They have been accomplishing so much. Why is it that we almost never see them? I also heard they too have two Tier 5 players.]
[Haven't you seen the thread about that? Some players ran into them during a mission. Apparently their guild leader felt they were too busy.]
[Too busy? How the hell can anyone be too busy for the prize pool?]
Much like the event, it too had grown massively since last year. First place being able to claim either ten thousand gold, or a million dollars in cash per participant. Not to mention the fixed Tier 7 items up for grabs.
[Look, it's starting!]
This message brought the attention of the players back to the stage where the two groups of eight spawned at opposite corners of the stage.
However, just as the groups got ready to act, someone else appeared in the middle of the field. Unperturbed by the millions of stares being sent at him, Eldrian leisurely looked around. Naturally, he was now fully healed. The process had indeed been enlightening.
"Apologies for the interruptions. However, I needed a stage." Eldrian said, amplifying his voice so it would reach the two guilds.
[What on Earth? Who the hell is that?]
[Did someone hack ANW?]
[Wait! Isn't that Eldrian!]
[Yes, it is! How the hell did he get here.]
[...]
"I guess many of you know me already. I'm Eldrian, and I have something to say." Eldrian smiled, only to notice the dangerous air the two guilds were letting out.
"You can do that after!" Green Ivy shouted, staring at Eldrian as if he was her mortal enemy.
AN: Remember to vote and comment if you are enjoying the story.
Updated from fr𝒆ewebnov𝒆l.(c)om