Virtual Reality : Dystopian Tales Online

010.4 | The Five Grand Bosses of the 200th Floor

Everyone has been closely following the figure, so it immediately caused an outcry when the individual disappeared. Those that are sitting could not help but stand up. Even the people that are already standing wanted to do something by reflex.

How could he be gone?

Some spells and potions could make a person invisible. The potions are pretty much costly, while only selected archetypes could have the skill to brew it. Clover could've used a spell or a potion, but the way he disappeared revealed that he didn't use any.

It takes a few seconds for the spell to activate, and it even needs more time to incur activation. If there is no spell casting, Clover must have taken a potion bottle out and drunk it. Yet, he did none of those, so how could he suddenly be gone like that?

Fortunately, it didn't take them a long time to know the answer. A few meters away from the border ring appeared a familiar figure. Clover is rushing towards the middle of the stage where the boss resides. It seems that the sudden disappearance is just Clover dashing towards the enemy!

"W-what kind of speed is that? How could he easily appear in the middle of the field?" One player asked.

"That is insane! Hey, hey, did you measure his speed? What did the system say?" The other one commented.

"That's not something weird. Clover is over level six hundred. It's reasonable for him to become that powerful!"

It is difficult to raise levels in DTO. What's more, the attributes and skills match their thinking ability. If Clover is regarded as the top player of the game with the highest IQ, it is reasonable for his mind to cross a distance.

The people in the venue only lost sight of Clover for a short time before they found him. They had long prepared for the battle and did not panic when Clover disappeared. Aries trudged ahead towards the ring borderline. He is looking ahead, marking the figure that is getting tinier as it goes farther from them.

Aries is wearing his usual outfit. All this time, he only has his bartender clothes on. There are no extra protective accessories on his body that made him look striking. He even looks peculiar now that he is standing right just above the boundary of the largest ring.

This human... what is he doing?

Clover is only a few meters away from the boss when he released a beacon. It wasn't loud but could be detected distinctly with the current stillness. After hearing his name, the beaming face of Aries suddenly became solemn. He snapped his fingers twice that mobilized his weapon.

A one and a half meter cue stick appeared in midair. Aries easily grasped the middle of the cue stick, then twirled it around before stomping it to the ground, followed by a small force wave. Aries has red and green accompaniment, so the force wave came out as a shape of growing roses coupled with thorny green vines. However, it instantly vanished by the wisp of air.

A strand of unfamiliar terms is then uttered by the player that activated a small circle under his feet.

Everyone is still guessing what Aries is trying to make when a regular-sized pool table materializes before him. This is then imitated by an excessively large ghost pool table that enclosed the entire game area. Since the pool table has angles, so it wasn't able to wholly occupy the whole stage.

However, nobody fretted about the array. The floor is enormous that it could accommodate a five robust ten-foot giant. It is already a feat for a humanoid race to cover a vast ground.

The enormous pool table is spectral, so nobody gets obstructed by its presence. The center of the pool table is where the knight centaur stood. It reached merely the lower frame of the boss, so the upper torso is away from the ghostly board. It also did not hamper Clover that is still rushing towards the boss.

Aries huffed a sigh of relief and no longer followed Clover. He directed his attention to the pool table as he calmly made rounds around the board. He knocked on the board twice, and fifteen colored balls appeared. The lone white ball floated right in front of him.

Most of the players saw this set-up for the first time. They have seen Aries' preceding battles, but they had never heard of this form. The humanoid player often finishes his battles with some random saber, so everybody assumed he was a swordmaster. Though they did see him carry this cue stick occasionally, they never thought it was considered a weapon.

Well, who would use a billiard stick in a game, anyway?

Questions immediately arose inside the world chat. The people within the venue also have the same consternation.

"Uh... is he planning to play pool here?" Shin asked. Leon shared the same sentiment. "I never thought that there is also this function."

"Of course, this function exists," Allen, the humanoid guild master, pointed out. "It is one of his main archetypes."

"It is?" Shin rubbed his chin. He had never seen Aries fight, so all he knows is that Aries has the bartender archetype. "What archetype could give him these props?"

"What else could it be?" Melon joined in. He pointed at Aries that is arranging the balls in a triangle. "He's the only one amongst us who managed to have this archetype."

"The only one?" Leon thought that none of his guild members were simple.

They all look amiable and easy to crush. Though he knows that they are capable, he never considered that they are better than that. He had seen Clover and Frass fight, but have they actually showed their maximum capabilities?

Shin asked, "Then what is it?"

"A gambler," Rios responded on cue. "Aries had the archetype of a game master and a gambler."

"Fck, such archetypes exist?" Shin exclaimed. "Isn't it a bit too fitting? That dude is also a bartender. He could work out his own business within the game by just his archetypes!"

Being a game master and a gambler, isn't that exceptionally good?

Of course, it is, but only individuals like Aries who have significant concentration could obtain it. On a gambling table, quick minds and hands are a valuable advantage. Added by his charismatic presence, there is no way for Aries to quit the table soon. He also has the paranoia of amassing money, so every game is a decisive win. 

The pool table has been set. The fifteen colored balls were placed in the middle, while the white ball is near the table's middle side. Incidentally, fifteen large ghost balls also turned up on the ghost table. By just looking at the set-up, anybody could guess what type of weapon Aries is carrying. 

The ghost pool table is the replica of the actual board in front of Aries. It will reflect whatever events will take place on the actual board. Aries could not charge the boss in a close melee, so he supported Clover by setting up a field. In this manner, there's a slight chance for the humanoid player to get injured by the boss. 

Aries finished his preparation. He drew the cue stick up then stoop over to the pool. The cue stick is positioned to the white ball, bracing to seize a shot, but Aries did not do it and stood motionless.

Clover is already very close to the boss. The centaur did not react when the players are away. Now that Clover is particularly within an arm's breadth, the centaur started operating. Two red flashing dots menacingly appeared from within the eyes of the helmet. It instantly motioned towards the closest player. 

The massive cylindrical cone weapon is pitched by the centaur. It is quick, like a snap, despite its enormous body. Then, as if pursuing a fish on the water, the centaur pointed the weapon towards the incoming player. It made a jab - bam - and the ground is pierced harshly!

The mist of dust dispersed in the air in relation to the charge brought by the jab. A pulsing pressure then waved after that drove any entity away from the center point. Clover wasn't affected as his figure emerged from the cloud. Whereas Aries has a defensive barrier that impeded the gale.

The players on the neutral ground have the guild leaders seized the front line, so nobody got pushed away when the force wave hit. Colorful barriers are then placed on display that seems to glow within the cave. None of the barriers cracked when the force struck it, telling everyone watching the broadcast the power held by these significant people.

Still, they felt the heavy pressure when it contacted the barrier. Allen rubbed his chest, feeling the feedback tingle on his body. As a humanoid race, he is the weakest point amongst the guild leaders. It is expected for him to suffer a backlash against magical attacks.

"Fck," Allen coughed up a chunk of blood. A healer immediately treated his internal wounds. He took a glance at Aries, who appeared unaffected by the force. "Isn't he a human?"

The first charge failed, but the centaur did not get discouraged. One after another, the boss maintained on its jab and stab movement hitting the places Clover had been precisely. If not for Clover's sharp reaction time, he could've died from the first stab. This reality made the players watching the broadcast become breathless.

This is the fake Clover? Clover is powerless?

Who had their brain switched to an ant and started talking rubbish?

Any other players would have been injured on the first attack, or if not, be blasted away by force. Nobody could do this feat easily. They could not even think of matching Clover's reaction speed. It already exceeded the previous image of the legendary player.

Clover did not know that his image has been upgraded. Anyways, he never truly cared about it. He simply wanted to play the game, that's all. If anyone would learn about it, they will surely vomit blood. If getting the best title in the game is easy, then wouldn't they be considered pests for being weak?

The centaur was not able to hit Clover, so the smart game system modified the controls. The alteration of the functions was smoothly assimilated that immediately incorporated a new set of operations. The stab and jab action ceased and is then replaced with a scraping motion.

The small player can't be struck by stabbing, so how about scraping the ground until there's no floor to stride on?

The tip of the weapon met the ground with a spark. The centaur drags it around, making itself the fulcrum. It started spinning crazily like a toy top as it moved towards the player. There is no way for Clover to evade the attack unless he stops residing on the ground.

He could jump up, but there is no landing spot. It is also unsuitable to employ a flying spell since the centrifugal force brought by the spinning top will push him away. But this is not an issue at all. The players know Clover's primary mode of operation in situations like this. 

Clover fished out five brown pebbles from his satchel and threw it up. Chanting a spell, five violet-colored translucent circles appeared above the pebbles before moving down passing through. As the magic circle went down, the pebbles changed forms turning into three feet sized round golems. 

The summoning is brief, and the five heavyweights landed on the ground with a thump. As the centaur's weapon came to 'scrape' the golems, Clover already made a tremendous leap that made him jump up high, reaching the upper area of the ghost pool board. At this moment, a raucous voice rang out, "GO!"

Aries' attention has been on the pool, so the moment Clover gave the signal, his hands instantly moved into action. He thrust the cue stick to knock the white ball, and the white ball followed the direction of the force that hit the colored balls. 

There is the crisp sound of ivory clinking that is frequently heard in pool tables. The balls rolled around in various directions - either hitting each other or hitting the walls of the pool table. The balls on the ghost pool table also started moving, following the schemes on the actual one. 

The centaur had shifted direction when it started changing attacks and can be located farther from the middle of the ghost pool table. None of the balls touch the boss. The players wondered how much damage the boss will get if it got hit by any of the balls. 

"Nobody knows," Rios answered. "Not even Aries."

"What do you mean?" Shin is still peering at the balls that somehow stopped moving after squandering the pushing force. 

"Wait a minute," Leon sought to step closer but still at a distance from Aries. "Don't you think those balls look like lottery balls?"

"Ah? Lottery balls?"

"You've got a keen eye," Rios clapped his hands. "Those are indeed lottery balls."

Shin scratched his head. "Why is he using lottery balls? What can it do?"

"That's easy," Rene-88 raised her arm. "There are various prizes inside lottery balls. It means that those balls will also have different effects on them!"

"Really?" Shin is impressed. "Is he really from the Humanoid race? I am from the humanoid race, too, but why is he so different?"

"Of course, we are different," Allen laughed as he elbowed Shin before placing his arms over Shin's shoulder. "I will give you a hint. All humanoid-raced players entering the first server are considered powerful. Why do you think that is?"

"Why?" All non-first-server players asked. 

Aries smiled. "I've offered you a hint. Now, make your mind work."

Everyone made a booing sound. How would they know if they haven't entered the first server? Shin pondered over the question. His mind is making a breakthrough to the past, reaching the time when he first started the game. He examined everything to see any flaw, but he couldn't detect any.

What is on the first server that the other servers did not have?

"The existence of the fifth race?" Shin guessed. "There... there are no dragons on the next servers."

"That's correct," Allen grinned. He tried to push the falling crown on his head. "And that guy is a dragon slayer."

A dragon slayer?

The information is too fascinating to be true. If this is the reason, then it is natural for Aries to have a peculiar, powerful constitution. All the humanoid-raced players took part in a large dragon-slaying event on the first server. They have been granted with amazing buffs and traits.

Aries, the main person who conquered the fiercest dragon, is endowed with the dragon's protection.

"If that is true, then who is the strongest?" Someone asked. "Aries-nim defeated a dragon. Shouldn't he take the first place?"

Yet, Clover and Frass occupied the highest position. Allen just shrugged his shoulders. He did not want to suggest anything and watched the game. Leon, listening from the sidelines, suddenly has enlightenment. He gazed at Aries that moved around after turning over the first move, and the other player jumping inside the aggro field.

Aries defeated the dragon, so he had turned into the strongest player.

Yet, Clover and Frass occupied first place and second place.

Clover and Aries...

Leon knows a secret between the two. A dragon slayer is a position available only to the Humanoid race. Its fundamental mission is to defeat dragons. But the moment dragons died, the dragon slayer title also ended.

The dragons are not gone.

Leon smiled.

Only ten players are coming from the fifth race. One of them is a dragon. And Aries did not wish to trouble that remaining dragon. This is a simple equation, and Leon easily solved it. Shin found the smirking face of Leon and breathed some tea brewing.

"What? You discovered something?" Shin asked.

Leon's smile broadened, and he spoke, "Give me five grand, and I will consider."

Shin immediately sent five thousand gold coins. The transaction is swiftly completed, and a message in response appeared on his interface. Shin read it with a gossiping heart.

Leon-36: Aries likes Clover very much.

Shin closed the message very quickly then sent a bomb to Leon. This information, he knows it! EVERYONE KNOWS IT! Those five thousand gold coins have been put to waste!