Chapter 574 - Unofficial event

I watch the man leave. Once again I feel the urge to estimate his level but I stop myself and let it be. I turn back to the screen and continue watching the rest of the event with everyone else. Small groups have formed around the area and a few players from hard difficulty move about taking the last bets or paying out the finished ones.

A few minutes before the event ends I stand up and teleport toward the fourth round's zone. Victoria is still inside the event, but I decide to wait for her there.

When I arrive a few guards notice me but, realizing who I am, they let me pass. I then head toward her palace. It is a flat area near the forest with a few small houses and a larger workshop in the center.

Victoria's group is there, with an incredible fifteen survivors out of the twenty-five who started in her Hell group. Most are women from the same prison where Victoria was held, but there are also a few men and two kids who were visiting their families when they were all taken into the tutorial. Some are still in the event, while others have already gathered outside. I’ve seen some of them before, and Victoria even introduced me to a few, though many still watch curiously.

I can't help but feel a strong admiration. Isn't my sister the best? Fifteen people in Hell difficulty are still alive and on the eighth floor. There are even three Beyonders—Victoria, Gloria, and another girl with a weird name who isn't here right now. There are also a few fancy nuclear warheads that Vic keeps stashed somewhere, maybe under the mattress or in a hidden room behind the shelves.

One part of me wonders what these women in her group did to end up in prison but another part thinks it hardly matters in the end.

"Hello," Gloria says as she steps up from one of the gathered groups. She greets me with an easygoing yet slightly bored air around her.

"Yo," I reply and notice she is not wearing the yellow shirt with a grumpy cat drinking coffee. Instead, she wears a gray one with a goose holding a knife in its beak.

"Are you staring at my tits?" she asks when I look back at her face.

"What tits?" I reply, irritated by her tone.

Taken aback she blinks a few times before clicking her tongue. "Cold. You really are her brother," she remarks.

I raise an eyebrow. "Because I insult people?"

"Because you don't bullshit." She leans in with a smirk. "So what were you staring at then? My incredible fashion sense?"

I nod and gesture at her shirt. "The goose."

She looks at it and then back at me. "It represents chaos."

"Fitting."

"I thought you'd approve." She stretches her arms behind her head. "So what now? Are you just going to stand around looking impressed or did you actually come over here for a reason?"

"I came to see Vic but I have a question."

"Go ahead."

"You seem to have a lot of earth clothes. This is the fourth or fifth set I have seen on you. I want to buy some."

Gloria smiles again. "If you want my used clothes you just have to ask nicely."

I roll my eyes. "I meant clothes in general, not yours specifically."

She chuckles while rocking back on her heels. "Yeah I figured. Just messing with you. But I have a stash. Some I brought from lower difficulties and some of my girls have more."

"I want to buy some," I say.

Gloria hums while crossing her arms. "Paying in items?"

"Yes."

She watches me for a moment then gestures for me to follow. "Alright, come on."

I follow her toward the storage building. I pass by a few of Victoria's people; some glance at me but most return to what they were doing. The place feels oddly relaxed despite everything.

Inside, Gloria kicks open a crate and starts rummaging through it. "So what is the look you're going for? Tactical badass? Mysterious wanderer? Luxurious brands? Tank tops? Crocs? Sweatpants? Sweaters? Underwear? Socks? Fanny pack?"

I shrug. "Something comfortable. And... crocs, I will take them too."

She smirks and pulls out a plain black hoodie, tossing it at me. "I knew it. Start with that. You want pants too?"

I glance down at the pants I got on the sixth floor. They aren't as stretchy as I would like, "Do you have sweatpants? Some shirts. Hoodies. Oh, and if you have pajamas that would fit me I will add extra."

Gloria whistles. "Pajamas too? Fancy."

I shrug. "Might as well be comfortable."

She rummages through another crate and tosses a pair of black sweatpants my way. "These should fit. Got some shirts too. Pick what you want."

I glance at the pile she is making, a few simple t-shirts, a couple of hoodies, and a pair of pajama pants covered in a cartoon lizard.

I stare at them. "What is that?"

She grins. "It's a gecko."

"Why does it look so angry?"

She shrugs. "Maybe it didn't get enough sleep. Fitting for pajamas, don't you think?"

I consider it for a moment and nod. "Fine. Add it. I will take all the shirts. You know what? I will take all the clothes."

"Didn't think you were the type to wear women's clothes," she teases.

"For my group," I reply.

"Sure. But, I cannot sell you everything. This is my pile so I will keep the pieces I want but I should be able to sell you plenty. One of our normal difficulty groups got teleported here with an entire mall so these guys have a ton of stuff. If you want I can hunt for more of them."

"Sounds good."

Gloria snickers and stacks everything together. "Alright, I'll take a few mid-epic items and one upper epic item for the whole lot."

"Tell me what kind of item and I will commission one for you from one of the crafters in our round."

"Oh? How nice of you. I heard you guys have Tent Creep and Miwa so the quality should be high."

"Yes."

"In that case, since it is personalized, I want one upper epic item and two mid-epic items and I will get more clothes for your group four. What do you think?"

"Works for me."

"This'll do," she says as she tosses me the clothes. "Pleasure doing business."

I grab them and nod. "Yeah."

As I turn to leave, she calls out, "And hey, are you sure you really don't want my cloth..."

I ignore that last sentence and exit while radiating some mana that I shape into threads to tie piles of clothes together.

Indeed, I still remain the most normal person here.

***

I leave an hour later after a short break I allowed myself to spend with my sister.

As before, all of my rewards from the second event have been added to the final tournament reward.

While walking back toward our zone I read the notification that appeared after the second event formally ended.

The third event: Chronicle of the Past will start in 48 hours.

In the meantime, you have the option to participate in an unofficial event called Clash of the Disciples! Participating won’t grant you any rewards, and the event is limited to Hell difficulty.

Hard, Normal, and Easy difficulties will have different unofficial events.

If you decide to participate in Clash of the Disciples, which will start in 10 hours, your disciple will receive an invitation and can choose to accept or refuse.

The event will begin right after the disciples join the tournament floor and will last for a maximum of 14 hours. After the event ends, the disciples will remain for 24 more hours until the third event begins, giving you time to pass on your teachings.

Do you wish to offer your disciple participation in the event?

Yes/No

When that notification appeared I remember pressing Yes nearly immediately. Now that Biscuit isn't here I need my Emotional Support Minion. Plus, seeing her bulldoze through other disciples—how could I miss that?

Reaching our spot, I find Group 4 split across our property. Maya is sparring with Lily while Sophie does some experiments with Izzy in the workshop. I meet Min-Jae and the twins in the living room and drop all the clothes on the couch next to Noodle who rests there.

The pile of clothes slowly moves and shifts as the pearl white head of the snake pokes up with green eyes full of betrayal.

I remember my angry gecko pajama pants and go through the clothes again, piling the ones I don't like on Noodle.

In the end, I find pajamas, sweatpants, two hoodies, and a few shirts that should fit me. I even take some comfy-looking socks for myself. And of course, I do not forget to take the pile I got from Gloria for my minion.

"You can pick something that might fit you," I say to the boys.

Min-Jae eyes the pile skeptically and glances at the twins. "I'm not wearing anything with cartoon animals on it."

The twins do not seem as picky. One of them starts rifling through the clothes and pulls out a hoodie with a faded logo. "Doesn't matter. I missed Earth's clothes, that feeling of stretchy plastic against your skin, turning yourself into a walking billboard for a random brand and paying them for it. How could I not miss it?"

Noodle slithers out from under the discarded clothes and flicks his tongue at me as if deeply offended.

Min-Jae sighs and finally picks up a plain black t-shirt, giving it a quick shake before nodding. "Fine."

I glance at the notification still floating in my vision. Eight hours until the event starts. Plenty of time for some training with Whitey, who has been acting uncharacteristically off lately.

***

Once again in the common area, there are plenty of people from Hell difficulty waiting for the unofficial event to start. I notice some people are missing. Most are those who either decided to pass on having a disciple or lost theirs. Neither twin is here. Dennis’ disciple died and Aaron gave up on the disciple-master relationship in support.

Overall there are 269 people from all rounds of Hell difficulty participating in the tournament. That means roughly 100 to 150 disciples. I lean towards the lower end because I have heard some people in Hell chose to remain on the 4th Floor after dealing with The Colony and live as Virelia adventurers.

There are also many people from other difficulties waiting for the Hell difficulty unofficial event to start. Many are curious about the disciples they’ve heard of, while others are either uninterested in their own events or have already completed them.

Just in time, huge screens appear across the common area showing a new environment. It is an empty city with beautiful towers and well-kept gardens. The city is nestled against a mountain and a huge lake sits at its center on which a ship made of pearl white wood sails. The only sign of life is the disciples who begin to appear. There are many humans, feyliths, and lynthari. Less common are vyssari, thylarin, and velnar. I also see some unfamiliar races, and among them, demons seem rare, with only a few present.

All the disciples are around ten years old, mostly even younger. Children like Vega, who were saved from the brink of death by the system, offered discipleship and summoned to the 5th Floor of the tutorial.

Finally, I spot Vega. She appears near the lake and immediately moves to make herself a harder target to track while scanning the area. I really like that reaction and keep watching her.

Then a notification interrupts me.

Your master decided to participate in Clash of the Disciples!

Your location has been identified as the tournament floor, indicating your agreement to participate in the unofficial event.

You will now be transferred to the event area.

I feel a pull and suddenly disappear, reappearing in the city at the center of one of the gardens. Opposite me, a young lynthari boy freezes in place. He looks at me with wide eyes and a very very bristly tail.

Looking at that scared little guy, a thought I often had when I was younger back on Earth flashes through my mind:

How many five-year-old kids would you need to gather to beat an adult man?

***

From the author: So, Patreon is apparently run by three raccoons in a trench coat.

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