Chapter 95 - Japan Travel, Tournament is Near

Arthur was shocked when he read the notification that popped up. His bloodline was finally changing, getting upgraded. But what could happen? What could he expect 7 days from now? It made him anxious.

While he killed monsters, his mind kept going back to his bloodline. It would be hard not to think about it until the day finally came.

After hours of killing monsters and getting only 5% of the experience that Point Blank and Azure Dragon received, Arthur managed to reach level 24.

He still needed 1 more level, but his time in the game was running out. He had to log out.

Before leaving, he went to find Edward, who was just coming out of the lake as Arthur arrived.

"Already level 24, bro?" Eddy said with wide eyes. "I’m still level 19, but I’m climbing. I think I’m already at the top of the rankings, hehe. We’re unstoppable."

Eddy’s progress had been impressive, but it wasn’t a surprise to Arthur. He had a special class and was focused, killing monsters with lower levels than the monkeys Arthur was fighting. And since he was at a lower level, it was easier for Eddy to level up.

"Tomorrow I’m leaving for Japan to keep playing," Arthur replied. "I have the tournament to take part in. Until then, I want to switch my class to a magic one. I just want to see everyone’s reaction when they find out I changed classes, it’s going to be hilarious."

Eddy knew roughly how Arthur’s class worked, but not everything.

"It’s that easy to switch? So OP. And you’re right, bro. You have to come over to the magic side. The feeling of casting spells is unmatched."

The two of them talked for about 5 minutes before logging out of the game. As soon as he got out, taking the game helmet off his head, Arthur sent Eddy a message through the game’s app, since they were friends in the game now, asking for his phone number so they could talk in real life.

Of course Eddy gave it to him, taking no more than 1 minute to reply.

Arthur left his room. Richard, his bodyguard, was sitting in the living room. He had a gun on the wooden table, ready to be used in case anyone showed up inside Arthur’s apartment.

He was watching something on TV. It was videos about the game, and in his hand, a bag of chips.

As soon as he saw Arthur come out of the room, Richard straightened his posture and set the bag of chips aside.

"Sir," he said, "I didn’t know you were going to log out out of nowhere."

Arthur walked to the couch and sat down next to Richard.

"You don’t have to be so tense, my friend."

"It’s hard not to be, sir. You’re the one who pays my salary, and I feel obligated to do a good job. The way I am right now, I look sloppy."

"I have to tell you something. I have to travel to Japan on business. I won’t need two bodyguards. I’d rather have 1 here at my apartment to make sure nobody breaks in while I’m away."

Richard stayed quiet, listening to everything, surprised about a trip to Japan out of nowhere.

"So I need you to talk to John and figure out who’s going with me, you or him. Then let me know. We’re leaving tonight, so I want the answer as soon as possible."

It was already 6 PM. He could still get some night flights straight to Japan. Arthur couldn’t waste any time. The tournament would start soon, and he had to leave, fast.

He picked up his phone and called the game’s producer, who had been the one to invite him to the tournament. Arthur already had the number, and they knew he was Cinder. His identity would be revealed to the world soon...

But that was expected for any famous player who took part in tournaments and events related to the game. It was the price to pay to make a lot of money.

The tournament prize, being the first one, was on the lower side, but it was already in the millions of dollars, which would give Arthur a good cushion for a long time.

Anyway, he talked to the game’s producer.

"Good evening," he said, "I want to ask about a first class ticket. I’d like a flight tonight for two people, I’m bringing my bodyguard with me."

"Good evening, Cinder."

It felt strange for him to hear someone calling him by his in-game name. They already knew his real name, so they could have called him that instead...

"We got you two tickets for 11 PM. Does that work?"

The timing was tight, but doable.

"Yes, that works. And the hotel? Can you send me the location of the hotel where all the players will be staying?"

"Of course."

Richard heard the whole conversation, and he knew very well that the upcoming tournament would take place in Japan, since tickets to watch it were already being sold. It would happen in a stadium.

As soon as the call ended, Richard, curious, had to ask.

"Sir, are we going to watch the tournament?"

He was already all excited, imagining that he would finally get to watch Cinder, his favorite player, live.

Arthur thought, for a moment, about telling him that he was Cinder, but decided to wait and tell him only once they were there. His reaction would be funnier that way.

"Yes, we are. Excited?"

"Really excited! I can’t believe it! Man, but in that case, I think John would want to watch the tournament too... Can’t both of us go?"

Richard had a point. Taking only one of them could cause unnecessary friction between the two.

’If I win the tournament, with the money I’ll have, I’ll be able to move out of my current apartment... In that case, I don’t think it’s that bad if someone breaks into this place.’

There wasn’t much of importance inside his apartment to begin with. At most, they’d manage to somehow clone his key, install cameras, or something like that. It wouldn’t make any difference if Arthur won the tournament and took the millions of dollars for himself.

Arthur called again and got one more first class ticket for his other bodyguard.

Richard went excitedly to his apartment and John’s to tell his friend what was going on. Arthur found his way of doing it funny, almost bouncing down the hallway of the building.

While they did that, Arthur packed a basic suitcase for the trip. Nothing too elaborate. If he needed to, he would just buy some clothes in Japan.

John and Richard came back with their bags already packed! Men were really simple when it came to traveling. In a little under 30 minutes, the 3 of them were ready, leaving the building and heading to the airport.

They called a driver, who got a bit pissed about putting so many bags in the trunk. Arthur gave him a tip to make the man happy.

The whole time, the two bodyguards couldn’t believe it.

"Boss, did you already get tickets for us? From what I saw online, there aren’t any left for sale."

Arthur hadn’t bought them, but as one of the key participants in the tournament, he could easily get tickets. It wasn’t something he worried much about.

They boarded the first class flight, which had a game helmet to play with during the trip!

Arthur first slept, ate, and rested before getting back into the game. Richard and John played a little, but once he logged in, one of them always stayed active, protecting him.

Even inside a secure airplane, they couldn’t slack off. What if some assassin was on the plane, waiting for the chance to attack Arthur?

As soon as he got back into the game, Arthur found Eddy, who was already killing monsters at the lake.

’Let’s reach level 25, get that special quest, become a mage, and craft new equipment. I have so much to do in 2 days...’

Would Arthur have enough time before the tournament?