Return Of The Strongest Player

'It's a pretty basic room,' thought Arthur, entering the room which his card opened the door to. It was as large as a one-bedroom apartment, and contained a hall, a medium-size bedroom, a tiny bathroom with a toilet and a shower, and a kitchen separated from the hall by a thin wall.

Groceries were somehow stuffed into the refrigerator. Towels were kept near the laundry, while appropriate clothing was kept in the closets. The hotel provided perfect living conditions for someone like Arthur, whose job revolved around combat.

There were other forms of training one could receive, but the crimson-eyed man decided to choose combat. Although he wouldn't learn significantly more than what he could learn by himself, he could still condition and refine his prowess.

Arthur changed into comfortable clothes before plopping down on the couch. He unsheathed Skofnung, deciding to inspect the change it underwent during the first trial. Its external appearance had not changed much.

Other than the fact that the sword seemed sturdier and exuded a slightly corrupted aura, there was no significant change. The corrupted aura was something that could potentially harm Arthur's rationality during stressful moments in battle, but the crimson-eyed man could suppress the meager amount Skofnung emitted.

The minor changes in Skofnung were a slight decrease in weight and the sense of invigoration Arthur experienced when holding the falchion.

'This is not the hunk of metal Melzer made it out to be,' thought Arthur. In fact, even the crimson-eyed man couldn't figure out its history. During his former life, he entered Heaven's Spire long after Melzer's prime.

Skofnung was a great mana conductor, as the metal it was forged using was quite high quality. 

There was one more peculiar aspect about the weapon. As Arthur took the lives of more people, the blade emanated what seemed to be hunger. A bit of its will leaked, as if the falchion was an intelligent entity.

But the intelligence was lower than an ant.

It could only express its will when stirred from its eternal slumber. However, even such a meager amount of intelligence caused Skofnung's value in Arthur's mind to soar. This was a weapon that could accompany him for a long time if the crimson-eyed man could assist the weapon in its growth.

Its status as a demonic blade was a bit troublesome, but that could be ignored as long as the weapon didn't spiral out of control. 

After inspecting Skofnung, Arthur simply concentrated on absorbing mana. 

A few hours passed, and evening came around. Finally, it was time for the entrance ceremony, the one where newbie training would be introduced.

*

As a portal manifested before Arthur, he stepped in without hesitation. His senses blurred for a few milliseconds before an entirely new scenery came into view. It was a hall with a stage at the front.

The hall was almost entirely empty, but several portals opened up immediately. Newbies spilled from the portals, taking in the new scenery with open minds. They all gazed at the entity who stood on the stage.

But time wasn't ripe yet.

"Hey," said Dino, approaching the crimson-eyed man with a friendly smile. Unlike his disinterested demeanor during the first trial, Dino had begun socializing with the other newbies now.

Randy, Harry, and Jenny also approached the duo.

For some reason, Jenny's appearance seemed enigmatic, as if something had changed in her mentality during the short period she had been away from the group. Her confidence seemed to have risen.

"Are we just a large group now?" Harry asked, letting out a chuckle. Dino and Randy shrugged, while Jenny and Arthur didn't display any reaction. Harry's laughter trailed off before an awkward silence overtook. "I guess not…"

"Acquaintances," Jenny corrected. The others nodded.

"For now," said Dino, wrapping his arm around Randy's shoulders. The latter didn't resist, and even revealed a faint smile. The two were bonding quite well.

A few minutes passed as Arthur and the others conversed.

Finally, the entity who stood calmly atop the stage extended his arm, and a microphone manifested in his hand. He tapped the microphone a few times before coughing to make sure it worked.

"Ladies and Gentleman," he announced. He was a short, dwarf-like man with brunette hair flowing down his neck. His face could only be described as "ugly," but his body seemed quite toned.

He wore a formal suit, and carried a smile on his face.

"Welcome to the Tutorial World," said the dwarf-like man. "I am Vector, an executive in the Tower Administration. By executive, I mean I am one of the highest-ranking Guardians in the entire organization."

A few newbies clapped awkwardly at his boasts.

"Today, we gather after the conclusion of the first tutorial," said Vector. "We are here to discuss the training that all newbies will undergo until the second trial, which will also be the last one before you guys become players."

"Becoming a player is quite an accomplishment, and you should value that."

"The styles of training will be offered to you, and you can choose which to undergo. The training will begin the day after tomorrow. Remember, one must choose at least 2, as one will not be able to become a player otherwise. Here is a list of the styles of training."

"Physical training, swordsmanship training, mana training, magic training, research training, alchemic training, assassin training, tamer training, summoner training, and blessing and curses training."

Once Vector announced all styles of training, he bid the newbies farewell and good luck before vanishing into thin air. Immediately, the newbies stirred, rushing towards the booth to sign up for training.

Since there were many options, there was a variety of paths one could choose to tread upon after the training. Most of the newbies, however, simply chose physical training and mana training.

As Arthur approached the booth, he quickly chose swordsmanship training and physical training.

Since his combat style was based upon magic in his former life, he didn't wield a sword often. However, in this life, he was pursuing both magic and swordsmanship. He was accustomed to the former, but for the latter, he still required assistance.

Although, his swordsmanship was still above average on his planet of origin.