The curse of competition. Having been an athlete for several years, Daiden discovered the existence of a thin line between talent and performance. There were those that performed just as well as he did during practice, only to succumb under pressure during competition. He realized the rarity of talent in that moment, but more so the near non-existence of obsessive confidence. It’s what separated the great from the phenomenally good. It may have been what separated Michael Jordan from his fellow competitors, or Roger Federer during a four year stretch that left the tennis world entirely helpless.

Combat wasn’t different. When pushed to the brink of defeat against the Sand King, Daiden noticed something change. He lifted from the shackles of indecisiveness. His feet moved with greater swiftness, and his body turned with incredible flexibility, unhindered. Just as he did with gymnastics, he had managed to wade into performing at the level of his potential. But even with that, Daiden felt a touch of doubt. He brushed his performance aside, a mere combination of adrenalin and luck. Until now.

With a deep breath, Daiden watched Amora crawl towards her weapon. She collapsed at an arm’s length from the handle, clutching her neck in pain, breathless almost.

“I think we are done here,” said Daiden, out of concern. He knelt to her side, and added, “Should I bring someone from downstairs?”

Amora fiercely swatted away any indication of failure. She glared at Daiden and struggled onto her knees, upright next. One step, then two, Amora dragged her hammer along the march. She prayed to Ehedus, building the aeter for another attack. In a sprint, she swung her hammer once more. But Daiden met the weapon halfway, breaking momentum by parrying Amora’s charge. He pivoted from his position and swiped his arm across the latter’s knees, forcing a fall.

“Didn’t you just want to spar for a little bit?” reminded Daiden. “Stop. Please.”

After a short pause, Amora spat a sigh in frustration. “Fine, fine…fuck!”

***

Daiden finished a meal while Amora recovered in a different room. He balanced a healthy portion of rice with grilled meat and some juice. Despite the offer of a free meal, he stuck with his old nutritional habits. He thanked the employees that had attended to him and washed up soon after. A little later, Amora returned. She quickly apologized for her behaviour and transferred a little over five thousand bloodstones into Daiden’s Mioveroldian account.

“Two thousand for the raid, and the rest…well, consider it a part of my apology,” said Amora. “You have a bright future ahead of you, Daiden Lost; to think that you’re just a trainee at the moment!”

“Ah, I wouldn’t go that far…” said Daiden, his cheeks red with embarrassment. “My friends…two of my peers, they’re better, better suited to your praise.”

Amora smiled at the comment, warm to her visitor’s presence now. Daiden confirmed the transferred amount on his Mioveroldian Page. He then swiped to the Quest Network and noticed an immediate change in the flow of information. He casually tapped on some of the options but froze from the result. His throat dried a little, forcing an involuntarily loud gulp. He swiped through some of the extra information, in the form of maps, rumours, and exclusive quests – some linked to the Mioveroldian Government and Military even.

“Congratulations on being upgraded within the GCQI Magic Network!” said Amora, happily. “You met the conditions after clearing the raid against King Erlendur.”

Daiden shook away his curiosity and addressed a different matter first. “Wait. Wait! Is this why the raid reward is as low as two thousand bloodstones?”

Amora cocked her head to one side, then back in a laugh. “Raiding a Natural Monarch isn’t the only way to upgrade your presence within the GCQI Network. A few Grade A adventurers, and most of the Grade S and higher adventurers are offered this access.

“Think of it from this point of view. We want only the most reliable of our assets to chase after rumours, especially those with the potential to alter the fate of the Empire and beyond, perhaps follow leads that may result in their deaths. Not everything is recorded as a quest. Here, it’s common to follow a longer process split into investigations, reporting, and eventual acknowledgements. Some may make it into the quest catalogue, yes. But maybe some of them require closures in secret. You’ll get used to it.”

Daiden tapped on the table in a rhythm. His body tremored a little even, excitedly. He felt the urge to prod for more information, from the topic under discussion. But with a deep breath, he calmed his heart and returned to his original question. “It still doesn’t explain the poor yield from the Sand King raid. What’s the story there?”

Amora swayed on her seat for a moment. “Ah, I suppose I could tell you since you’re now privy to more information.”

Daiden gulped.

“It’s on purpose,” said Amora, suddenly. “The Godvildian Empire discourages raiding the Monarchs. And let me finish…” Amora raised an arm, watching as Daiden jumped from his seat. “It’s impossible to forge an alliance with any of the Natural Monarchs. But there’s no denying their threat to trade routes and merchants.

“Let’s look at Multana Desert as an example. The Empire has spent a lot of bloodstones fortifying a trade route that is safe from the rest of the desert. Even the Sand King couldn’t claim it as a part of its territory. But the existence of King Erlendur ensures that there’s always someone willing to use the route…a heavily taxed, relatively safe, aeter-fortified route.”

Daiden gaped at the revelation. He slowly closed his mouth and lowered his head onto the table. “The rewards are shit to discourage stronger adventurers from raiding the Sand King?”

“Yes, and because they’re a threat, the Empire maintains public perception by having a bounty out on the Monarchs at all times,” said Amora, with a nod. “It’s close to impossible for a Grade B raid team to handle a Natural Monarch. Everyone Grade A and higher understands this compromise.”

“A high risk…low reward quest…” summarized Daiden, slowly. He hastily recovered from his state of mind to ask another question. “Ah, but what happens if someone raids a Monarch despite these vague restrictions?”

“Nothing…?” answered Amora, with a shrug. “You just raided Kind Erlendur. You’re a hero. And now you know not to do it in the future.”

Daiden buried his face to hide a tired expression. A little later, he snuck an eye out with a groan, and exclaimed, “This sucks!”

Amora experienced an unusual, childlike side to Daiden in that moment. She waited for him to ease from his frustration, and said, “But you can now choose your quests more efficiently!

“And just for today, feel free to use one of our in-house services at no cost whatsoever.”