World Online

"It will be a good help to everyone. Who wouldn\'t want to see the guild master of Bright Horizon, and who wouldn\'t want to learn from him?" Nolan nodded.

This was a test, for all intents and purposes. A test that Nolan was putting Jake through so that he could gauge Jake\'s power in the game.

Players that were practically rankers were valuable. Valuable enough that even though Horace put in millions of dollars into the creme of the crop here, they would trade all of them in a heart beat just to obtain ten ranker level players.

Each one of them was equal to a thousand normal players. The value that they brought to each guild was too much. The publicity, the increase in team power, and so many other factors meant that everyone wanted a ranker.

And Nolan didn\'t think that Jake was one just yet. But he hoped. And that was why he asked Jake to participate a little here with these people.

"Fine then. You showed me so much, I guess I will have to just please you for once. Who do you want me to battle?" Jake looked at the many people here, some sparring against each other, while others were just practicing on dummies.

Why they needed a separate place for them, Jake understood. He understood Nolan\'s intention of keeping them all private. Who didn\'t want a secretive battalion of the strongest players that any guild had to offer.

And Jake even knew what this battalion was called, because they had surfaced just once in his previous life and that one time caused a storm in the virtual one so big that Nova had to step in and act as a mediator.

The name? The Praetorian Guard. A name that didn\'t come off the mouth that well and yet everyone knew once they came out.

A terrifying group with power enough to rival whole guilds in just the small package that they were. And Jake was able to look at them before they were going to bud to their truest potential. Jake couldn\'t wait.

"Who am I going up against first?" Jake asked, rubbing his hands.

"It looks like you are quite eager as well." Nolan smiled, his voice getting hoarser by the minute. Jake didn\'t want to ask about it though. Surely, someone like Nolan would know to take care of his health, and would know when to stop what he was doing.

"So then. Let us get your first opponent ready." He raised his hands, and the moment he did, every single player seemed to gain a pair of eyes on the back of their head.

All of them turned around to look at their superior, and then bowed toward him. One of them stepped forward.

"Yes, Chairman? Is there anything you need?" He asked.

"Create a nice circle in the center of the hall. The guild leader of Bright Horizon here has kindly accepted my offer." Nolan said softly.

There was absolutely no way that those in the other end of the hall could hear him. And yet the moment that Nolan said this, all the players here dropped what they were doing and started gathering near the entrance of the corridor and created a gigantic circle with a path to enter from the corridor that Jake was still standing in.

"It looks like you had them prepare this from the very beginning? To think that you were so ready for this." Jake shook his head and started walking through the path that was put forward for him.

He could feel the watchful eyes of all of those players who wanted to battle him. He could feel their intent to defeat him.

All of these people were the elite among the elite. They had the arrogance of someone so strong. And who could stand it when someone wearing equipment that looked rusty and useless was the one who racked up the biggest achievement in the game to date?

"Who will be first?" Jake asked as he stood on one of the corners of the circle, looking around at the different players who looked expectantly, but none of them moved.

They couldn\'t afford to be the first fighter. The first fighter was practically the representative to the power of the Praetorian Guard. One who was not the strongest, but was still strong enough to put this foreigner in his place.

"I will be your opponent." A sweet voice came from one side.

Jake raised his eyebrows with surprise. He didn\'t expect that that person was going to be a woman. In his patriarchal society, women weren\'t given such power.

A petite looking woman walked into the circle, with all of the players giving her way. She had a staff in her hands, indicating that she was a mage.

Jake made a few calculations in his mind. There was no way that he could show his [Reflect] skill to this crowd. Nolan was strong enough to understand the implications of that equipment, and the fact that he had legendary equipment or a legendary class could come into light.

That was the last thing that Jake wanted right now.

"Well then, are you going to ask me for an official duel?" Jake asked.

Ping!

[White Jade has requested a Duel with you]

Jake accepted the duel, and a green circle the exact perimeter of the circle these elites created appeared. It was exact. Jake had to appreciate their precision even in standing around him.

These were soldiers, not rankers. They were trained perfectly.

The green circle meant only one thing though. No one would die within this circle and there would be no problem if one person attacked the other. It was one type of dueling where the players would not die.

The two other modes of Duels allowed players to kill each other, and obviously, as this was a simple show os strength and not a rivalry, neither party wanted to lose their precious levels.

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