Atlas Online: by Nick Venom (best books to read for knowledge txt) 📕

Tier’s leftover momentum pushed him forward into the blade of Ashbringer. However, before he could land headfirst into the blade, Tin moved it away from him. He threw it to his side before Tier collided with him. Both men collapsed to the ground with no damage.

Tier rolled off Tin and jump up to his feet. He then extended his hand to him. “With that short duel, I could tell your strength.” Tin grabbed his hand, getting to his feet. The siblings rushed to his side, asking if he was okay. He ensured them he was.

“Well, do I meet your expectations?” Tin asked, kneeling. He had learned through King Peter the proper way to communicate with nobles and other kings. Kneeling in front of kings showed that you respected the king and his reign. If you refuse to kneel, you refuse to submit to them and that you have no respect for their reigns. Troublemakers like that were often jailed or executed - sometimes both.

“Yes, you do. However, I need to test your loyalty. There’s a crime ring that has been claiming tens of people's lives per day. I know their hideout’s estimated location, but the leader has proved to be too tough for my men. I want to see how you deal with them. The crime ring’s leader is named Zero. He’s a skill bearer. Be wary of him.”

Tin nodded. “Yes, your majesty. I’ll complete the task. I hope that they-” he motioned towards the siblings at his side. “-can stay here with you..”

Tier nodded. “Of course, we’ll take them in for the moment. Now! Go out and kill Zero and his entire crime ring. I’ll take his head as your entrance ticket to the Atlas High Tournament.”

TBC…

Activate Tracker! Tin internally said. Announcer reacted by providing the red line. It swerved around and behind buildings, leading Tin to his target. Zero, the crime ring leader behind several tens of bodies every week. Based on what Tier had told him, Zero was a black-haired man in his forties who wielded a pair of sai with two skills. However, he only knew one of the skills---Black Fire. The other skill was unknown.

Fortunately, Tin was prepared. He was permitted to kill Zero if needed. Tin could use One-Shot Kill and Silent Kill, two skills that he wasn’t able to use against Tier or Dize. That skill was his trump card, but the backlash still proved to be extreme for him - though, he didn’t faint anymore because of it. 

Tin followed Tracker, Ashbringer at his side. He followed the red line that sprouted out in front of him. With his mission hellbent on Zero, he was shown by the line to Zero’s hideout. 

Tracker worked by having Tin or Announcer choose a person to track. However, the person has to be related to an active mission, a feature that Atlas Online used. It was an extremely useful feature to track people on the run or anybody kidnapped. 

The line led him out of the capital and along the walls, which were fifteen feet high. They were made out of stone, a beautiful act of magic and human ingenuity. Tier informed him that humans workers supplied the stone and the elves drained their mana to stitch the bricks of stone into the giant wall protecting the city. A large skill was later used to enhance the stone’s durability that proved to be useful in an ancient battle. The ancient battle was won by the Aska Kingdom mostly because of the wall. It became the highlight of the capital’s tourism.

“It is very beautiful.” He stared at the wall and its detailed patterns. Words, images, and random patterns were scribbled onto the wall, all done by the Royal Families of the past and the workers. Unlike the Lightstar Kingdom which discriminated against elves, the Aska Kingdom didn’t discriminate against anybody. There was no discrimination against humans, even though it became widespread news that the Lightstar Kingdom treated elves poorly. 

The noble elven families were initially against the Elder Elven King’s decision, who was the grandfather of Tier, but they submitted due to an incident that was never detailed in reports. It was a forgotten incident that no Aska historians talked about.

Tin turned away from the wall, continuing to follow the line. He walked in near-silence, hearing the chirps of birds near him. Outside the capital was farmland that stretched as far as the eye could see. Many small critters appeared near the capital, especially the famed Golden Jayhawk, that often attacked the farms but could be kept at bay by adventurers. 

Although a beautiful sight that many tourists looked for, Tin had no time. The Atlas High Tournament would begin soon and he needed to deal with Zero before the trip would be a waste. 

“Announcer, how long is it until I reach Zero’s hideout?” He asked out loud.

~Ten minutes, give or take. Is that all, king?~ Announcer remarked inside his head. Tin scowled but wasn’t sure if Announcer could see it. He was annoyed by Announcer’s remarks, but there was no way, that he could think of, to get rid of him. To add salt to injury, Announcer had control over Tracker and One-Shot Kill - and knew how to activate the hidden sub-skills that he couldn’t activate yet. Without Announcer’s help, Tin wouldn’t be able to use his abilities. 

Tin pressed forward, following the red line to an empty area. The line disappeared five feet from him, but he couldn’t see anything that would have bandits stashed away. The area was a normal field of grass and weeds. There wasn’t anything of interest in the area. 

“Is something with Tracker, Announcer? Also, we’re not with anybody, so you don’t have to speak in my mind?” 

~Nothing’s wrong with Tracker, stop bothering me!~ Announcer grumbled. ~Tracker’s right. The hideout is in front of you. It’s being masked by an invisibility barrier. Currently, three bandits are staring at you, their weapons are drawn~

Tin’s eyes widened. Okay, speak in my mind for the moment. Wait… can anybody even hear you?

~Nope, nobody other than you can hear me. Plus, if you think about it, I talk to you in your mind in both ways. The only difference is whether or not people think you are crazy. Trust me, I’ve been monitoring the expressions of people nearby and they all think you’re psycho~ Announcer said in his mind.

That last remark was unnecessary. Tin took a step back. Okay, how do I destroy the invisibility barrier?

~I don’t know nor care~

Tin shook his head. Announcer wasn’t going to be helpful in this situation. He instead decided to brandish Ashbringer, pointing the tip forward. He swung, emitting a wave of fire. The wave of fire made contact with the barrier, deactivating it for a few seconds before it reverted to normal.

“It worked!” He exclaimed. He smirked as he prepared himself. He swung several tens of times, throwing more and more fire at the barrier, cracking it. Every strike pushed the barrier to its limit before it, finally, cracked. The barrier broke into shards, grinding into dust and disappearing in an instant. 

With the barrier gone, Tin was met with the bandits and their shantytown. Zero stood in front of the bandits, more of them appearing by the second. Tier’s depiction of Zero was accurate as the man who stood in front of him was a black-haired older man who wielded a pair of sai. 

Zero grinned from ear to ear, facing Tin. “I’m surprised to see such a young boy with the ability to crack our protective barrier.” He glanced at his men. “Kill this boy quickly before the army storms us. Henry, reactivate the barrier as soon as you can!” Zero ordered his men. Everybody nodded, all staring at Tin with ferocity. They pushed forward, the only people staying back being Zero and Henry. 

“Activate Silent Killer.” He ordered Announcer. With a sigh of annoyance, Silent Killer was activated, turning him invisible. The bandits that were charging towards them stopped short. They all looked around for him, none able to see him.

“He turned invisible!” A bandit shouted.

“He’s gonna kill us all!” Another bandit shouted.

“I’m leaving!” A third bandit shouted.

“NO!” Zero roared. “Activate Roaring Winds!” Zero used his trump card, the secret skill that Tier notified Tin about. 

Tin took a few steps back, watching in shock as Zero connected his fingertips while muttering something under his breath. As soon as he finished his muttering, the wind reacted by shooting high into the air before diving downward. The wind was as sharp as knives, tearing at his comrades while on a search of Tin.

Unfortunately, the sharped winds made contact with Tin and tore at his clothes and skin. His skin was sliced but only grazed. “Deactivate Silent Killer!” He ordered. Announcer complied with his order, taking away his invisibility. 

Tin faced Zero, staring at him. Most of his comrades were killed by his Roaring Winds. 

“Was that necessary? You killed your friends?” He asked.

Zero grinned. “Pawns, not friends. You don’t live this life by making friends. You make them by stepping over people.”

Tin glanced at the carnage in front of him. “I could tell.” He muttered before pointing Ashbringer at Zero. “Let’s get this over with, I have something to do.”

Zero chuckled. “Man, am I some kind of common bandit that you couldn’t-” He didn’t finish his sentence, immediately charging forward. He caught Tin off-guard, closing the distance quickly.

Do you think I can defeat him easily? He asked Announcer.

~Nope, but you can try your best~ Announcer told him in his mind.

Thanks for the pep talk. Tin thought before charging forward, swinging Ashbringer. The waves of fire were easily dodged as Zero raced to close the distance before Tin could use Fire Slash anymore. 

“Activate One-Shot Kill.” He muttered under his breath. Announcer complied, giving him the ability to kill Zero in one shot. 

Zero closed the distance, raising his weapons to stab him. The tips of the sai were collecting a blackish-red substance, being his other skill Black Fire, that was being prepared to be emitted and thrown onto Tin, burning him to death in an instant. 

Tin smiled, holding Ashbringer tightly. He stared at Zero, watching as his sai were getting closer and closer to him before raising his weapon. He slashed at him, cutting him in half horizontally. Zero’s eyes widened as he realized that he had no time to react. The slash was instant, faster than Zero could transfer Black Fire from his weapons to his fists. 

The slash cut through him vertically, killing him instantly. The leader of the crime ring was now dead.

Tin stared at Henry, noticing that the man was shaking. He then sprinted in the opposite direction of Tin, running with his tail in between his legs. 

“Well…” He started, looking at the carnage in front of him and his shirt. Zero sprayed blood on his shirt before he collapsed on the ground, cut in half.

“I think I earned the ticket.”

***

Tin returned, showing the Royal Knights the bodies of Zero and the shantytown. They began the process of cleaning up the carnage and taking Zero’s body to Tier. With the