The Ancients World

~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~

~~~(Location: Training Grounds in Steel Legion Guild, Capital City Avalon)~~~

~~~(Time: 8:33 AM)~~~

"As you can see, we have several training grounds for our members. The recruits and lower-ranked members in the guild have to use these grounds."

We\'re in a large warehouse, but that\'s not the best description. It\'s like a pocket dimension that looks like a warehouse. You\'d be able to see this from the outside, but you can\'t. Meaning magic is at play somewhere in here.

"Our higher ranked and stronger members are allowed access to private training grounds. They\'re connected to these grounds by that door over there."

Sir Erikson points toward the ornate-looking doors where some Players are going in and out. But the vast majority are staying in the current location.

"Most people who try out for the guild do so here. We have a process to vet people who are capable of joining or not. We don\'t just let anyone in."

They\'re running a tight ship here, and this is just one complex of several here. I\'ve seen the Smithing complex, and now I\'m seeing the start of the training area. 

I wonder if he\'s showing me all this in hopes of joining, but that\'ll never happen. Guilds aren\'t really my thing, and I have no interest in being someone else\'s subordinate. 

"This is all impressive, but everyone in here is honestly a little amateurish. They lack power behind their attacks, and their coordination is extremely poor. You have instructors helping these newer Players, right?"

If he doesn\'t, then there is no point in having instructors if they can\'t help. He folds his arms and looks around the room. A small sigh escapes his lips, and he scratches the back of his head.

"We don\'t actually teach them to be better fighters. All we do is monitor their progress, and my officers get a report about who is doing better than others. We don\'t promote Players that can\'t get stronger and improve on their own."

That\'s one way of doing things, and I\'m not going to tell him how to run a guild. I have no clue about the inner workings and politics regarding guilds. They probably do this to compete with other big guilds. That\'s the best guess I have.

"Would you like to spar with some of our best members?"

His question is one I anticipated, and while the idea might be fun. I know that I\'ll win. There is no fun in that.

"To be honest, no. But I\'m willing to see the best your guild has to offer spar against each other. If I were to fight anyone here, it\'d be over before a person here could blink."

My speed kills, and my overpowering individual attack power makes any fights with other Players pointless. Cera is the only person I currently know of that can defeat me. 

"Then I guess we\'ll just have to do that."

He turns his head to his assistant.

"Prepare Dungeon Breaker Squad 2 to face off against Dungeon Breaker Squad 3. There has been some bad blood between the two, and this is a perfect chance to let out their frustrations with each other."

<br/>They even have codenames for the squads that attack dungeons. Which indicates they have other designations for other types of Players. 

The assistant takes off toward the door that Sir Erikson mentioned earlier. And he leads me to a viewing area on the stands. 

It takes a couple of minutes, but the assistant comes back, and he has the two groups behind him. I can feel the vibe each squad is giving to one another. The bad blood that\'s supposed to be there is thriving.

"It should be a good show. Squad 3 has been trying to move up in the squad rankings, but squad 2 is proving to be difficult for them."

The way they run this place is interesting. It\'s just like competitive pay on Earth. They implemented it here since they knew the process works. Somewhat. 

~~~(POV: Sir Erikson)~~~

~~~(Location: Training Grounds in Steel Legion Guild, Capital City Avalon)~~~

~~~(Time: 8: 41 AM)~~~

"Who do you think is winning this little spar, Sir Erikson? You know these Players better than I do."

Ms. Adamo\'s questions aren\'t that hard to answer. There is a reason why squad 3 hasn\'t gotten past squad 2. The difference in level and skill is something that will take constant grinding to overcome.

That\'s something my top officers don\'t have time for. Grinding to get stronger is left for the Players to prove themselves. My squads are normally too busy with quests and other guild business to grind for hours on end.

"My money is on squad 2. They have everything that squad 3 has, but just a bit better. They\'re both incredible squads, but the difference is clear enough for me to see."

She nods her head a single time at my answer, and right when I think that\'s the end of our conversation, she speaks.

"My bets on squad 3. I don\'t know them very well, but I can see that they want to win more than squad 2 does, and there are other factors to consider outside of experience and level."

Most people would dismiss what she just said, but I\'m not going to. She\'s a Legendary Class holder for a reason. She\'s cleared an entire Raid on her own. A Raid most guilds at my guilds level can\'t do yet.

"The match is starting soon, so let\'s hope it\'s as entertaining as you\'ve led me to believe."

The first match is indeed starting, and it\'s heading off with each group\'s weakest member.

That\'s how things usually role here. The strongest of the group is usually who leads, but there have been exceptions to this rule.

~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~

~~~(Location: Training Grounds in Steel Legion Guild, Capital City Avalon)~~~

~~~(Time: 8:43 AM)~~~

The blades of the Players Clash, but there is an obvious distinction in skill by squad 2\'s weakest Player\'s next move. He has far better control over his sword than squad 3\'s weakest.

"This match has already been decided."

Sir Erikson nods his head in agreement with me.

But that doesn\'t mean squad 3\'s weakest isn\'t giving it his all. He\'s using some of the skills lower and more common Class Skills. Not everyone has a Class above Legendary Grade. The lower Classes have more common skills that Players use. 

Two Players could be attacking each other with the same skill, and it really comes down to who has more experience with it and which one is stronger from leveling it up.

"I\'m impressed he\'s gone on this long, but the competition is just starting. The fight will get progressively better as we move up in strength with both squads."

I\'ll admit this is more entertaining than I thought it\'d be. 

"But the fight is coming to an end."

The moment those words leave my mouth, squad 2\'s weakest does a brilliant feint and lands a fatal his on his opponent. Surprisingly, Squad 2\'s leader is more upset than anyone.

"Squad 3 has gotten stronger since the last time they fought, and squad 2 hasn\'t improved that much. You may be right about who wins this in the end."

He changes his prediction after seeing the first battle, and I don\'t blame him. That match was a good competition. Something that showed how much squad 3 has improved. 

"Next match... Start!" 

The announcer for the match starts the next match, and everyone in the long warehouse-like room has stopped what they\'re doing and started watching. Some have come to the stands, and others are watching from where they are.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: Below this line, I\'ll be keeping Cera\'s player information. That way, I won\'t have to place it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up.

[Slayer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3]

[Exp: 42/100%]

[Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)]

[Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660]

[Mana aura control: 6/100%]

[Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000]

[Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500]

[Inventory] [Dice of Wayland (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir\'s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts]

[Passive Perks]

[Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [Slayer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever]

[Active Skills]

[Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [Slash Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingslayer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun]