(30 minutes ago, meeting room)
All the classifiers that had been invited to this once-in-a-year event had arrived, of course, there was no way any of them would miss out such an opportunity to meet up with their other strong peers as most were always busy with work/rifts.
'…'
'…'
'…'
Some brought their children along with them to show off, and the 'Archer King' was no different since he also brought both his children, Aoki and Lana, with him.
And counting everyone present… there were roughly 182 people in the room.
Once all of them left the elevator and opened the wooden door, they found themselves in a giant black room, no different from the other textures they had seen inside this building yet.
In the middle of that giant room was a round table big enough to host everyone.
And after only five minutes, all the participants sat on their own chair, each person had one designated for them as there was a name plate behind, their children/loved ones also positioned right beside them.
The lighting was really dim - so dark in fact that you couldn't see the face of a person three meters away from you, meaning that in this dark space, all they could do to see others was to check out their auras, each of their eyes burning with anticipation.
Among them were adults, obviously, but also children, teenagers, and even elderly people, after all age didn't matter with such a meeting as it was the top 100 classifiers that were invited.
And so after only another five minutes of silence, five minutes where all of them stared at one another, five minutes where nobody could say or do anything as they had been ordered not to…
"HE" appeared.
~FWISH, FIOUUUU~
His entry was spectacular, appearing out of thin air in the middle of the giant table in a flash of blue light all the while riding a giant blue dragon.
The man slid down the tail of the dragon, and with a simple snap of his finger, the creature vanished in a trail of smoke.
'…'
'…'
'…'
Most people would be speechless at such a scene happening, but all those present were already used to this.
And the person that suddenly appeared in the middle of the table was… the strongest classifier in Fellarburg.
Even among the crowd, their levels were majorly different, some were level 200, others 500, and some even level 900, but that man on the other hand… was rumored to be over level 1000.
His hair was a shade of gold that could rival the sun, styled in a short ponytail, and his emerald eyes held a piercing gaze that seemed to see through everything.
His name was… Drakon Greyrat, and he was in his late 50s.
"Hello, everybody!" he warmly smiled, as although he was the strongest, he wasn't as evil and cunning as many of the others.
'…' nobody answered.
"No answer huh, haha~" he scratched his cheek, "Well, that's fine, i'm sure you all want me to start the event already as this is only the starting phase…"
'…'
"I see that our Fellarburg top has grown stronger since last year, this is good," he nodded…
He was the one that organized such an event in the first place, and was also one of the most respected people in the entirety of the country, his influence even able to affect other countries as well.
Being strong was everything in this world after all.
"Well, if everyone is present, and there is nothing to say… then no reason not to start the event and make sure all of you can talk with one another!" he clapped both his hands and suddenly…
~VIOUUU~
The giant table began to descend slowly into the ground, and all the participants were forced to exit their chairs as they began to disappear as well.
This was a short introduction, but there was no need to keep it going for long as most of them only wanted what happened next.
And what happened next was… the FREE-TIME…
~BIM, BIM, BIM~
Suddenly, all the lights around them turned on, finally allowing them to see their surroundings, and it was… special.
They were in a giant party room, with many tables filled with foods and beverages, all of it was luxurious, and it was big enough to hold at least two thousand people, meaning they had more than enough space to talk.
"Have fun!" Drakon lifted both his arms in each side and vividly smiled before disappearing.
He didn't participate in such events after all, he only hosted them and explained to people the rules.
And so just like that, all 100 (182 counting the children) were finally allowed to roam around.
Instantly, they all regrouped around other people they wanted to talk to.
And so the event could finally begin.
***
"What about that rift you discovered, the one with the godless demon apostle?" a woman asked Arthur, he was surrounded by fifteen other people, and his kids were also just as popular as he was since many others tried to talk with them.
"Well… I sent 7 people and they all died after a few hours, and the last person I sent hasn't given any signs of life for 3 weeks, so I'm confident he just died…" Arthur shrugged as he smiled, not giving a single care about the lives that had been lost.
Lana hearing this felt a pinch in her heart, but no…
'Stark isn't dead,' she told herself.
"I mean, why would they even accept such a mission? Seriously trying to fight Sierra, the apostle that can transform people into monsters with a single arrow… it's a suicide mission!" a man said, holding his forehead while shaking his head.
"You never know…" Arthur span his wine glass lightly, his gaze indicating he knew that already.
The 6% chance of survival he had told Lana was a giant lie, because if he had to guess it… it would be 0.02% at best, he just didn't want his daughter to interrupt Stark from going.
Even classifiers in this very room could die after being hit by one or two of these arrows, and that is why almost no one took up this mission, at least anyone that didn't know of the true challenge that lay there…
But one thing was for sure now… he knew that he had sent Stark to his death, not expecting him to come back ever, no matter how strong you are or how talented, there was no way he could win at his current level.
Twenty minutes passed like that, and as the party was finally getting started, with people making connections and revealing their achievements…
~BAM, VIOUM~
They heard a loud noise coming from the entrance, and suddenly… the wooden door they used to come inside this room came out of its spot, destroyed by a powerful blow.
Immediately, all the classifiers stopped what they were doing and looked at the door, and even the music that had been playing until now stopped as well.
Arthur was no different, but his keen archer eyes already warned him of the possibility of who this individual could be.
But no… his aura was too powerful for a mere level 25 or 30, and he was gone for 3 weeks, it couldn't be…?
And yet…
Beyond the destroyed door appeared Stark, a wide grin on his face.
"I hope you don't mind me joining the party, Arthur?" he laughed as he entered the room like he hadn't just destroyed the door.
And suddenly… the atmosphere around them became at least a hundred times more tense and overwhelming.
Deep inside, many felt that this wasn't good.