(Back in the game, Terra Nova Online)
Every day in the world of Terra Nova was filled with adventure, yet on this day, the excitement among the players was even higher than usual because it was the day when the quarterfinals of the grand tournament were to take place.
Every single NPC and player who remotely cared about world affairs was talking about the quarter-final matchups and how they felt excited to see their preferred candidate win.
The buzz had reached a fever pitch in Stronghaven, the capital city where the finals were set to unfold as from the bustling market squares to the ornate halls of the royal palace, every corner of the city was alive with anticipation.
Thousands of migrants, both NPCs and players belonging to other towns, had begun flocking to Stronghaven now, in anticipation to see either the quarter-finals, the semi-finals or the finals.
According to mass consensus, the quality of contestants this year was the best in the last two decades, as this year's tournament seemed to be creating a buzz that was almost unheard of before.
The grand tournament had always been a big deal even before this year as the winner got one of their wishes granted from the Emperor himself, however, this year it felt larger than ever before.
With all the drama involving royal academies and the rise of three general class players, this year's tournament saw the masses being invested in the outcome for the first time ever as the crowd was genuinely divided about who they liked and who they disliked, with everyone having an opinion about every single fighter.
With all the immigrants flocking to the capital, the local inns and taverns started to overflow with customers as the capital started to run out of space to accommodate all the guests, giving some business savvy individuals a chance to turn their houses into temporary lodging for visitors for a small price.
Depending on where one walked through in the city, they could find fan banners containing the faces of the contestants fluttering over the streets, with some depicting the fighters' most memorable moments from their previous fights.
In all the posh areas, the face dominating the banners was that of Luke, as he was shown riding his Griffin mount to complete the tower challenge or standing tall with his shield and sword in hand like a regal knight.
In these areas, the bias towards candidates from major academies was clear, as most who lived in such expensive neighborhood has some form of affiliation to the royal academies or aspired their next generation to join one.
The banner fluttering outside the headquarters of the DarkSky guild was that of Cervantez and Luke, as both were shown standing in guild robes with their arms folded, in what was a show of strength for the masses and free marketing for the guild.
However, the most visible hype was that of 'The Boss', as it was clear that he owned the streets of StrongHaven by a long shot.
Street vendors sold cheap copies of the Virex mask that Leo wore, while children bought them en-mass and pretended to be 'TheBoss' who was like a superhero for them at this point.
In the underprivileged regions of the city, his banners flew outside almost all houses with slogans such as
'FUCK THE RICH'
Or
'Unbroken'
Written underneath.
For players who visited StrongHaven from other cities, they were shocked to see such hype for the Grand Tournament as they felt surprised to see that the quarter finalists were not just gaining fame over global chat forums, but were genuinely impacting the culture of a city too.
As for the tickets to the quarter finals, they were the hottest commodity in all of Terra Nova at the moment, priced at a significant premium then their original selling price.
The tickets had gone on sale exactly at midnight the previous day through many government stores and special sales booths throughout the city and were all sold out within minutes.
Making the most of this opportunity, scalpers began doing brisk business, with tickets being resold at triple their original price, and yet, eager fans were willing to pay just to be part of the historic event.
With rumors suggesting that many surprise important guests could be seated in the audience, there were many who were just attending to catch a glimpse of all the 'Masters' and famous celebrities who would come to enjoy the Grand Tournament as the overall hype was insane.
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( Ben's POV )
Just like the other commoners, Ben had honestly waited in line hours before the ticket booth opened just to purchase a legit ticket of his own.
Though he could have easily stolen a ticket with his skills, or sneak into the arena without ever buying one, something about experiencing the tournament as one of the crowd appealed to him— as it felt more genuine, more thrilling that way.
As he clutched the ticket in his hand, a surge of pride mixed with a surprising dose of nerves washed over him.
Ben knew, in the depths of his heart, that his disciple possessed the raw talent and ironclad determination needed to win the grand tournament, however, despite this assurance, a nagging anxiety tugged at his senses as he couldn't shake off the feeling of what-ifs that fluttered like moths around a flame.
The nervousness he felt manifested physically—his palms started to get sweaty, and there was a slight tremble in his hands every time he thought about the matches to come, which was silly because even when staring down the face of death, he had never broken a sweat or felt jittery.
To calm down his nerves, he decided to stroll the city where the Royal Guards were apparently searching for him like hounds, however, he did not care about those weaklings at all.
Unbothered, he even paused occasionally to gaze upon the banners streaming from the lamp posts and balconies of people's houses, especially when those banners featured Leo.
Seeing Leo's image in a larger than life size—clad in the iconic Virex mask, with slogans like 'Unbroken' underneath —filled Ben with an overwhelming sense of pride.
He couldn't help but smile with his jitters momentarily forgotten as he witnessed the cultural impact his disciple had achieved.
For him, Leo's impact on the masses was more important than success in just another tournament, as in his view the chance to inspire a generation and become a role model was more important than winning matches and asking the emperor for wishes.
This young man, who had once been nothing more than a hopeful novice under his guidance, was now a symbol of hope and defiance for the masses, and that was his biggest achievement in Ben's eyes.
But although Ben's heart swelled with pride over whatever Leo had achieved so fat, the butterflies in his stomach persisted, a charming reminder of just how much he cared about his disciple, almost like he was his real father.
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/// A/N - Bonus chapter for hitting the Power Stones target yesterday, my apologies for the chapter being delayed by a day as I was tied up with work yesterday.
Thankyou for all your support- ///