Side Chapter - Arthur

I wake up with the sun streaming through my window, casting a warm glow on my face. I stretch, feeling the energy of a new day coursing through my veins.

I start my day with a smile, greeting my neighbors as I jog around our small town. I love the sense of community here, the way everyone knows each other. It's like we're all part of a big family. I make it a point to remember everyone's names, likes and dislikes, and stories. It's the little things that matter, after all.

After my morning run, I quickly showered to prepare for college. I was a bit early today, so I headed to the local café to get my morning cup. The barista, a young woman who dreams of becoming a YouTuber, greets me warmly. I asked her about her latest videos, showing genuine interest in her passion. I believe in encouraging others to pursue their dreams, whether big or small. Everybody has their aspirations in life, and I would like to think that giving them a little push to follow their dream helps them find happiness in the long run.

As I walk to class, I pass by the local bakery. The smell of fresh bread wafts through the air, and I decide to buy a few pastries. I know that my classmates will appreciate the surprise. I've always believed in the power of small acts of kindness, and this is just one way I can contribute.

I'm greeted by familiar faces once I reach our little communal college. I hand out the pastries, and the smiles on my classmates' faces make my day. We chat about our assignments, projects, schoolwork, and everything in between. I love these moments of connection, of shared experiences.

In class, I make sure to participate and help others when I can. I believe that knowledge is meant to be shared, and I always try to assist my classmates in understanding the material. After all, we're all in this together.

After class, I head to the local community center, where I volunteer. Today, we're organizing a food drive for families in need. It's hard work, but seeing the gratitude in people's eyes makes it all worth it.

As the day comes to an end, I head home, feeling fulfilled. I may not be able to change the world by myself, but I can certainly make a difference in my own way. And that's enough for me.

After eating my homemade meal, I glanced at the time.

"I'm going to be late for the logistics report," I murmured as I placed the dirty dishes in the sink to be washed later.

I hurriedly went to my room and entered my VR pod. After logging in to my account, my consciousness disappeared and reappeared instantly to a different perspective. Currently, in front of me is our guild master’s office, where a middle-aged man in his 20s was seated in an ornate chair, dutifully reading the logistics. He saw me and stood up from his seat.

“My liege,” Lancelot greeted me with a respectful bow as he saw me inside the Guild Master's office.

His shoulders are broad, his arms muscular, and his posture is always upright, exuding an air of confidence and nobility.

His hair is a rich chestnut brown, and his eyes are a striking blue, reminiscent of the clear skies. He has a handsome face with a strong jawline and high cheekbones.

He is currently the vice leader of the Round Table and maintains the logistics when I am unavailable. He is one of the best players in our guild, definitely better than me in terms of pure skills. It is a shame he is in his 20s, or he would've been the best teammate I could ever hope to have for the tournament.

“I told you already. Just call me Art,” I replied exasperatedly.

“My lord, it is unacceptable for a humble knight like me to address you as such.

I sigh. He is into his cosplaying mode again. No use persuading him this time. He even bought a name-change item to play his role better and immerse himself in it. It's better to just ignore it and go with the flow.

“Status report?” I said as I sat in a guest chair near his work table.

He nodded before continuing. “We have given a total of 242 full sets and 374 weapons to players in the newbie zone just this week.”

That’s good; those sets and weapons can help new players greatly adapt to the harsh world of CoA. Those sets came from donations from veteran players who do not need the items anymore. Many players just sell their unwanted sets at low prices, but I’m glad that there are still many players who wish to donate their old sets and weapons for the sake of helping newer players.

I nodded at him to continue.

"My Lord, there are also a total of four new recruits who want to join our main guild and twelve players who wish to join the branch guilds this week. All of them have already passed the skill tests. The four players who wish to join our main guild show promise."

"Understood. Please do a background check on them and see whether their true intention is altruistic in nature or just to join a top guild like ours. Their skill matters little if they do not share our vision."

It’s easy to do a quick check on people today, with everyone posting everything they do online. This is a flaw of humanity that opens up too many hazardous possibilities but is helpful for us in knowing the true nature of our members.

“We also have donated half of the profits from our materials to charities that help those in need...” he droned on, reporting every minor detail among other news in the current affairs of the guild.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

After my meeting with the vice leader about the state of our guild and branch guilds, I headed towards the training yard for my daily spar in preparation for the u20 tournament. As I walked slowly toward my destination, I pondered how far we had grown as a guild.

At first, I started the Round Table as a means to help new players assimilate into the game. CoA had always been infamous for being an extremely punishing game, especially for those unused to VR ones. We were few at first, promoting kindness and altruism and spreading positivity to everyone we meet. Some of the players whom I've helped flock to me intending to spread their gratitude by helping others who once were like them, someone who needed aid in times of need.

It also helps that I am skilled at the game, so much so that most adversaries I face (mostly strong players preying on the weak) started to become wary of me. Eventually, we formed a guild that focused on helping people in need. And here we are today.

I arrived in the huge open space training yard, a spacious, open area enclosed within the castle walls, specifically designated for the honing of martial skills, physical training, and the practice of our guild's combat techniques. It was a bit deserted, only a few people sparring this time. They gave me a respectful nod of acknowledgment (which I returned with a smile) before returning to their practice.

I quickly scanned the area and saw my very close real-life friend and current teammate Xeno at the edge, who shockingly was not flirting with a member of our guild this time. I always remind myself that his skills in VR games are the main reason I recruited him to join me in the u20, not for his personality.

“Ready for practice? The first day of the quals will start next week.” I asked as I got near him.

“Oh, wait a second. Remmy just replied to one of my messages. Can't keep a lady waiting, right?”

“You never change, do you?” I sighed as I continued to ask a question that had been bugging me this whole time. "Why are you even so fixated on creating a harem in CoA?”

“Why, you ask? Well, that’s a dumb question. Of course, because it is my dream to have a harem!”

“I don't think society will approve that kind of dream.”

“Society's rule be dammed. I'm going to follow my dreams no matter what!”

Well, looks like I finally found a dream that I won't be supporting.

“If you're done, let us start the spar now.”

“Wait, what? So you're going to use your main account in our spar now?”

“Yes, as begrudgingly hard as it is to admit, you're improving at a pace far faster than I initially assumed, so I'll be using my main account now whenever we have our practice spars. The qualifiers will be held this week, so we need to increase your training difficulty.”

"I see, that makes sense. I am 'the' 'Lighting Demon’ after all. But what are you going to do with that other account? It has many good loots we got from our dungeon runs, right?"

"Hmm... I will probably give away the sets, weapons, and materials to someone who needs them, as I won't be using that account anymore. It's way over-leveled to be used in helping newbies in dungeons."

"You are aggravatingly kind sometimes. Are you an anime harem protagonist or something?"

I sigh.

"There you go again with your lame jokes."

"I'm serious this time! You're so fucking kind. It's actually sickening! Save some ladies for others, you bastard! You're the main reason I have no harem members yet! They all flock to you instead of me whenever we are together!"

I'm pretty sure your actions are the ones to blame for that." I stared at him flatly before continuing. "Besides, you already know that's not my intention. I just want to help in any way I can. It makes me happy to see the smiles on the faces of those I helped. It gives me a sense of purpose that I somehow made the world a better place with every little act of kindness."

"Hmm... yeah, just like your usual MC harem protagonist."

It was then and there that I decided I would not show mercy on this guy in our sparring practice later.