The Grand Duelist

Joseph retired and called it a day.

"I still have four days left before the quest deadline arrives... I still have some time!"

He came out of his gaming capsule and answered the physiological needs of his body.

Right now, it was midnight and Joseph didn't have any desire for cooking meals for himself.

Actually, the reason why he came out of his gaming capsule was that he wanted to research some methods online that he could use to torture his fellow players.

After answering the needs of his body.

He exited his house and went to a local 8-11.

"Hmm, what should I eat today? Pork chops? Teriyaki? Or some ribs?" Joseph didn't mind spending some money when it came to food. After all, for Joseph...

A strong body was the foundation of everything. If one's body was weak and malnourished then it didn't matter how much riches they had in the world.

Enjoying wealth required a strong and youthful body. Joseph often always kept that in his mind. Although he knew that convenience store meals weren't one of the healthiest options right there. They were the quickest for someone like him that didn't have that much time to spend outside.

"Let's get some Pork Chops." He decided and immediately went towards the cashier. Since it was deep in the night, Joseph was the only customer of the convenience store and he quickly got in front of the cashier. Turning to look at the side, he saw a bunch of magazines in different genres.

"Damn that gravure idol is really stepping it up," Joseph commented under his breath when his eyes landed on the R+18 section of the magazines.

"Should this be heated, sir?" The young man behind the cash register asked and Joseph nodded in response.

Whilst the young man was working on heating up his meal. Joseph noticed something peculiar at the magazine stand which piqued his interest.

"Gruesome Ways to Die? Why would something like that be sold in here?"

"Sir, here's your order. Thank you, and come again." The cashier handed over Joseph's meal and he started walking towards the exit when he suddenly stopped on his tracks.

"Hm?" The cashier turned to look at him in confusion, when suddenly. Joseph turned around, swiftly fetched the magazine titled, "Gruesome Ways to Die" and carried it over towards the cashier with an excited look on his face.

"..." The cashier was rendered speechless when he saw Joseph's mannerisms. His eyes widened in shock when he saw the title of the magazine in Joseph's hands, and when paired with Joseph's excited, yet tired look on his face. The cashier gulped a mouthful of saliva.

"It's 150 pesos, sir..." He said and Joseph handed over his payment before taking the magazine away from the hands of the cashier and walking briskly towards the exit.

"Ah, sir! Please wait!" The cashier hurriedly stopped Joseph and walked over towards him.

"Please take this with you." He handed over a small paper that had a number in it.

"09325004242? A prepaid number? Why are you giving something like this to me?" Joseph's eyebrows knitted in confusion. The cashier turned to look at him with a melancholic smile and replied.

[ Author Note: This is a real working number in ph, plz don't dox it. ]

"I also went through that phase that you have sir, even though I cannot understand the problems that you have. I'm sure that you'll be better if you called that number."

Joseph's confusion further intensified and it didn't disappear even after he left the store.

"What's wrong with that guy? Is he trying to scam me?" Joseph thought to himself, but his rumbling stomach soon dispersed that thought. Before anything else, Joseph must eat.

Arriving back at his house. Joseph sat down on his couch and turned on the television. Of course, the channel that he watched was a channel dedicated to matters within Victory.

[ What do you think about the movements of the Crimson Guild at the Capital City Reinhardt? Seeing that their mobilizing their troops at the Region exclusive for nobles. Could it be that they are under gathered by an NPC that's a noble? ]

[ If we're talking about the movements of the Crimson Guild. None can say what they are doing for sure, but from the clues that we can get from where they are gathering. Most likely they are under the orders of an NPC that's, of course, a Noble... ]

[ But what kind of order did they receive? Does sir think that their quest can do something that could disrupt the delicate balance between the three guilds? ]

[ Actually, there's a huge possibility that the Crimson Guild's quest can disrupt the balance between their three guilds. I mean, why else would they gather such a large number of their members in one place at a time? I don't think that their guild leader would do something like that if the quest isn't worth even mentioning. ]

[ Yeah, right. I wonder what they are actually planning on doing. But since they are hurrying towards the noble region in a hurry. I am pretty sure that we'll get to know our answer soon. ]

[ Yeah, what I'm more interested in is what the Knights of Justice and Dark Flame are going to do about this. Are they going to do some countermeasures and preparations towards the surprise that Crimson has in store for us? ]

[ There's a pretty good chance that something like that would happen. Particularly from Dark Flame. There are even some rumors that the first Mythical Class of Victory came from their guild. What will happen between them and Crimson could become the debut of their Mythical class player! ]

[ Oh yeah there was a rumor going around like that. But that rumor doesn't really make sense. Why would you hide such a strong player instead of letting him or her run wild? That doesn't really make any sense.]

[ Yeah, you're right about that. But who are we to judge about what's going on in the minds of their guild leader? But anyway, we'll soon get our answers about that rumor and what will the two guilds hostile to Crimson are going to do against them. ]

[ Are they going to let Crimson soar through the dragon gate and become a dragon from a carp? Or will there be a tribulation from them against Crimson that could potentially force Crimson back and severely injure them? GMA News Station is always on the look-out so if you're looking for up to date news for Victory, we've got your back! ]

The screen changed into commercials, leaving a dumbstruck Joseph who had a wronged expression on his face.

"What the hell do they mean about the first Mythical Class being in Dark Flame? I don't even know who those bastards!" Joseph audibly cursed.

Finishing up his meal, he took the plastic wrapper that he wrapped around the plate so that he wouldn't wash it because he was lazy before he ran up the stairs.

Kacha!

A loud sound rang out and Joseph felt a sharp pain on his right foot.

"Arghhh!" He instantly sat on the stairs and there, he found that his right foot went through the stair and was now stuck in the middle surrounded by sharp wooden splinters.

"Ah, fucking hell. I don't have any time for this!"

Joseph mercilessly dragged his foot from the hole as he cried out loud in pain. This was the first time in years that he felt such a sharp physical pain and he couldn't help but roll on the ground while cursing out loud.

It took about several minutes before he could properly stand up. Thankfully, there were no splinters stuck in his skin or else his day would've taken a sharp turn for the worse.

Jumping like a one-legged kangaroo. He went for his room while holding his foot in pain.

"That's the first time that something like that happened... Ah, goddamned it! it hurts!" Joseph seasoned his foot with some agua oxinada and betadine. Afterwards, he couldn't help but glance around his room and think.

"To think that it'd collapse under my weight. It looks like this house that mom and dad left for me really needs some repairs..." Thinking about his late parents, Joseph felt melancholic.

"Okay, then. Once I am done with that class-specific quest. I'll be sure to find some ways of earning money! After all, I have that monster Ezreal who's literally a treasure trove of knowledge. He can become my taxi when it comes to being a merchant!" Joseph lightly chuckled when he thought about his plans.

"But for now, let's open this magazine and learn." Joseph opened the magazine titled, "Gruesome Ways to Die" and excitement filled his eyes when he saw what's listed within the table of contents.

"Those bastards are pretty arrogant just because they can turn off their pain sensory. But what If I do something like this to them? Can I break them and force them to confess? I mean, aren't they just humans? They are not like those monstrous NPCs that had a lot of experience when it comes to hardships..."

"I bet that they'll be easy to break if I used this method." Joseph looked like he couldn't suppress his excitement anymore as he fiercely stood up and walked towards his Gaming Capsule.

"Wait, the number that the cashier gave to me. Where is that paper?" Joseph fumbled around his clothes and in his right pocket, he found the paper that contained a particular number.

The number didn't have any label on it, but seeing that it started with "09" it was clear that it was a prepaid number.

[ Author's Note: Philippine Prepaid Numbers start with +639 or also known as 09. Like I said, that number is real and someone could be the owner of it so please don't dox >.< ]

Joseph quickly went towards his Gaming Capsule and dialed the number on his capsule. Through the speakers on the Gaming Capsule. Joseph quickly heard a ringing sound, and a voice soon came out from the other line.

"Hello, you've reached the Depression Hotline, am I able to aide on your crisis?"

"..."