Monster Soul Online

After Varee had left, Sila asked his teacher about the training schedule; he was wondering why the old man told him to go.

His teacher explained, “When we began, I thought that you were planning on biding your time so I applied this training method. However, it’s a different story if you plan to participate in Colossia’s battle tournament coming in two weeks. This training method can’t turn you into a champion. The time is too tight.”

“What should I do?”

“You have to engage in real battles. Only real battles can help you grow in the shortest amount of time. The experience gained from one battle is much better than a month of self-training.”

Sila felt glad that there was a way out for him. This method would allow him to become stronger in a short period of time and he would also get a chance to use Twelve Celestial-Traveling-Steps that he had practiced.

However, his smile soon faded away. Burapha explicitly stated that he was banned from fighting anybody during this time. Lockheart City was crowded with people and the level of monsters living around there were also too low; it wasn’t a suitable place for him to train.

“What’s wrong now?”

“Well, according to the plan, I need to be in seclusion until the tournament. I really can’t go outside now. Can you suggest a solution for me, Teacher?”

“No! That is your own problem. I’ve just provided you a training direction and now you’re expecting a training method from me? Think about it yourself. This is a part of your training.”

Sila nodded in agreement. There were many things that he needed to do by himself.

“What are you two doing?” A woman’s sound came from behind. Actually, Sila and the old man had long realized that someone was behind them. However, as Sila saw his teacher didn’t say anything, he similarly pretended to not notice her.

“Dao, you’ve come at the right time. How is the task that I assigned you?” said the old man.

“Not much progress, Teacher. But I do have some clues. I think I’ll obtain more information at the beginning of the next month.”

“That’s after the tournament... I guess we won’t make it in time,” The old man softly muttered.

“How is it related to the tournament, Teacher?” Silas asked.

Sangdao answered in his teacher’s stead, “The thing is, Teacher told me to search for the whereabouts of two of his friends.”

“They're the ones who will teach you the remaining martial arts. I hoped that you could learn more arts before participating in the tournament, but it seems you have to rely on what you currently have.”

“Even with just what I currently have, it will take a long time for me to master them,” Sila replied.

“Fufu. Being less arrogant, aren’t you? Anyway, you should go now; I need to talk with Dao. I will contact you if I get more information.”

“Yes, Teacher.” Sila was about to go. However, Sangdao interrupted him.

“Wait. You two are too careless. Have you come up with how Teacher can contact Sila?”

Sila froze. So did the old man. “That’s true.”

The nameless elder was an independent NPC. Although he had been added into Sila’s contact list, Sila was the only one who could initiate the conversation. There was no way for the old man to contact Sila. He was different from system NPCs like Lucy or Chris who could contact Sila if required.

“Let’s do this. You and Dao add each other as friends. If I get more information, I’ll tell Dao to contact you,” proposed the old man.

That was a good idea. Thus, Sangdao was added into Sila’s friend list after Bluebird. Sila left the bamboo hut, leaving a pair of father and daughter behind.

Sangdao asked the old man, “Dad, won’t you tell Sila about that matter?”

“The time has yet to come. He will eventually know it though.”

“Can he take it? It is a very big matter.”

“Regardless of whether or not he can, he has no choice but to take it. This is his fate. As a martial artist, his mind needs to be just as strong as his body.”

***

Sila returned to the city. He felt hungry; he hadn’t eaten anything for a week except for the strange soup his teacher cooked. An army marches on its stomach so Sila decided to stop by a small restaurant operated by a player.

A player who seemed to be both the restaurant owner and chef welcomed him.

“We are only selling noodles at the moment as ingredients are hard to find these days. Is that okay for you, sir?”

Sila wasn’t a demanding person so he ordered it.

The noodle with a soup came one minute later. As Sila was about to eat, he accidently heard some people talking about something.

“Have you guys heard? The rumors about that guy Sila.”

Noticing they were talking about him, Sila concentrated qi into his ears so that he could hear better and eavesdrop.

“Everyone knows about those. They were big news.”

“That includes the rumor about him being a trickster, right?”

Sila frowned. A trickster? Him?

“Yeah. Actually, that guy is very weak. He is only famous by depending on the Goddess of Purified Water’s fame.”

“He is only good at leeching off a woman. Look at him in the battle at the port. He could only watch the fights between the Four Emperors without being able to do anything. To think that he’s bragging about wanting to kill Magic Emperor Montra…”

Another man nearby gave his opinion, “Guys, isn’t this rumor fishy? He was a rising star player at first, but now he’s a weakling? The change of the news around him is very suspicious.”

“I thought that too at first, but there’s another rumor about him selecting the slime race. No one believed this news at first, however, the reliability of this news is easy to identify since there’s only one player who plays as slime race. I have personally confirmed this news. That guy really selected the slime race.”

“The slime race? You mean that gelatinous monster around Beginning Town?”

The two men nodded. “No smoke without fire, right? The rumor about him being the slime race is true, so other rumors must be true too.”

“A huge amount of people who were friends of players killed by Sila are seeking revenge on him right now.”

“Ah? I heard that the players who were killed by Sila didn’t want to seek action against Sila though. Why is there conflict between this group of players?”

“Maybe they have some sympathy for Sila. Who know? Maybe they just don’t want to trample on an ant.”

The conservation continued. They were mainly about the evil deeds of Sila who loved to bully newbies. Sila didn’t know whether this was Bluebird’s intended result or not.

If Bluebird wanted him to become infamous, it could be said that his plan worked splendidly. Right now, Sila was not only a weak player, he was also the most hated player in the game.

Sila was getting fed up listening to the curses directed at him. It seemed a talk with Bluebird was required. He opened his system window only to find that Bluebird was offline.

Sila hurriedly ate the noodles. Despite the ingredients being common, the taste was superb. This meant the chef was very skilled.

“How did it taste, sir?” The chef asked while taking 500 silver from Sila. For the record, it was considered very cheap.

“It’s very delicious. This is the most delicious meal that I have ever eaten.” Saying these words reminded Sila of the baby manta ray bentos. For Sila, that bento was the actual most delicious food he had ever eaten. “Wait… There’s that place…”

“Which place, Mister Customer?” The chef wondered.

“Oh, it’s nothing. Thank you for the food. Excuse me.” Sila smiled and quickly took off. He finally found an answer. The talk with Bluebird could wait. Right now, there was a place for him to visit, no, to revisit.

Sila went into an alley. He looked left and right to ensure that there were no other players beside him before taking out an emblem. The emblem that he had long forgotten.

“Go to the Mansion of the Seven Deadly Sins.”

With Sila’s declaration, the black emblem disintegrated into dust. The dust flew into Sila’s shadow and absorbed him into complete darkness.

***

Upon regaining his consciousness, Sila once again arrived at the same lounge that he had visited before. This place was where his training truly started. Last time, he had come with Lone Wolf and had obtained two of Qi of Little Divine Beings. But now, he came alone. This was the most suitable place for him to train himself.

“Welcome back again, Mister Sila.” A familiar sound rang out.

“Hello, Mister Sebastian,” Sila turned his head to greet the butler.

Sebastian’s appearance was the same as ever. Both his hair and his eyes were black. He wore a black butler uniform, contrasting with his smooth and white skin. His face was handsome and gave off a friendly yet mysterious aura.

“Mister Sila is the only person who has visited this place a second time.”

“I would like to use the training room for a week. Is that fine?”

“You were granted such a privilege from the start, sir. Of course, it will be fine. Our service is the same as before. The resting room is there and the training room is there. Do you want to hear the explanation again?”

“No need. Thanks.”

Sebastian nodded. “You can only be here for one week. No more, no less. Also, you can call me anytime you need something, sir.” He smiled, which causing Sila to feel a strange chilling sensation.

“Y-Yes,” replied Sila prior to walking to the training room.

Sila began his training by fighting against large amounts of different kinds of enemies. They all had distinct attacking patterns. The training program included situations allowing him to be able to resist the qi, magic and psychic oppression. Although the oppression wasn’t as intense as his teacher’s, the quantity of the monsters made up for it.

His comprehension toward Twelve Celestial-Traveling-Steps grew significantly. It took Sila less time to take each step. He didn’t need to think before he took a step anymore.

Sila summoned stronger monsters as the days passed. He also summoned more of them at the same time. However, with him having fought against the Marquis Rank Water Dragon, Sila realized that Knight Rank monsters could no longer intimidate him very much.

Sila’s level had yet to reach Knight Rank, Level 1000. However, with his newly adjusted basics, his opponent had to be a monster of Marquis Rank or above, or else a player, to pose a threat to him.

Sila kicked the last Shadow Wolf, Knight Rank, Level 1000 monster causing it to disappear. He took a short break to regenerate his qi. Although he gained a lot of actual combat experience, it wasn’t enough for him to be confident in winning the tournament. Knight Rank monsters had predictable moving patterns if he fought them for long enough. He was in needed of a neck-and-neck or superior enemy, not large numbers of inferior enemies.

Nevertheless, the training room in the Mansion of the Deadly Sins only allowed the player to summon monsters of Knight Rank, Level 1000 at maximum. Now Sila knew why Lone Wolf gave him the emblem without hesitating. With Lone Wolf’s ability, the monsters in this place were far too weak.

“Let try asking Mister Sebastian if there’s a higher-leveled monster to fight. I only have one day left.”

Sila walked outside of the training room to call for Sebastian. After a short while, a black butler appeared in the room.

“Yes? What can I do for you, sir?”

“I just want to know if there’s a stronger monster for me to fight.”

Sebastian smiled at the corner of his mouth, but Sila didn’t notice. “Mister Sila wants to fight against a monster that is stronger than those that can be summoned, am I right?”

“Yes. Is there a monster like that?”

“Yes, there is. There is one monster like that,” Sebastian replied.

Sila smiled. One is better than nothing. “Can I fight it?”

“Are you sure?” Sebastian asked.

“I’m sure. Please let me fight it,” Sila confirmed.

“If you have decided, then it’s okay. Please follow me, sir.” Sebastian leaded Sila back to the training room. Sila quickly followed. Sebastian stopped at the center of the room.

“Where is it? The monster that you mentioned?” Sila looked around. The room was still empty. There was no monster in sight.

Sebastian turned around. He took off his white gloves and bow tie, then threw them away.

“It is me. The strongest monster currently living in the Mansion of the Seven Deadly Sins.”

At the end of the word, Sebastian eyes reddened. Dark magic particles together with sprinklings of blood scattered around him. Sila jumped back by reflex.

A system sound alerted. It confirmed Sila that Sebastian wasn’t joking. He was indeed a strongest monster in the Mansion of the Seven Deadly Sins.

Player Sila has achieved a secret condition: Ask Sebastian for a Duel. Player Sila has gotten a hidden quest: Duel Against the Black Grim Reaper. The details of the quest can be inquired from Sebastian.

Player Sila has asked for a duel against Black Grim Reaper Sebastian, Undead Race, Lord Rank, Level 350 in conjunction with a hidden quest Duel Against the Black Grim Reaper.

If player is killed by the Black Grim Reaper, player will take up to 3 days to resurrect. Player will also lose all items in possession.

Sila was sweating. As expected of an old saying, ‘Be wary of what you ask for, as it might turn out to happen for real.’ Sila wanted to fight against a strong monster. Now he got what he had asked for.