''What do you mean you couldn't lock the signal?!'' Lord Souldeath screamed inside his office, trashing the desk.
Several Government Officials kept their heads low as a sign of respect and fear. The sweat clouded their visions as they tried to explain.
''S-Sire, Arthur knew what he was doing…''
''?'' Lord frowned, motioning for him to continue.
The Government Official gulped, ''T-To lock the signal, the frequency must be active for more than a minute. However, Arthur stopped using the frequency at 59 seconds.''
''You couldn't even lock the general location?!'' Lord screamed hoarsely.
The Government Official nodded shakily, ''Y-Yes. But, the general location is Island Picu, which you already knew.''
''God damn it!'' Lord screamed and threw items flying across the room. The Government Officials bowed and decided to leave the office before any of the flying rubble would hit them.
''Well played Arthur… cough!'' Letting out a wet cough, Lord sat down with rageful eyes.
…
''Breaking News!''
''The first appearance of Arthur in over a year shocked the world!''
''The last stage, and the upcoming Tournament, stay tuned, and we will list out every possible theory!''
''The Second Stage would last six more days before the highly anticipated final stage!''
''Tonight, we will list out every known Top Player in the world and calculate their chances of reaching the final stage!''
''King, Queen or Lord, and Lady. The Alpha, and Beta Testers, who are stronger?!''
In each household, the News of different Channels showed on each TV. The discussions were slightly different, but all circulated around the Tournament of Champions.
The World's most popular News Channel was up in a debate. However, almost everyone agreed that National TV was the go-to channel to get the most interesting and accurate news.
Currently, hundreds of millions of households watched National TV. The studio had a fancy crescent-shaped table seated by three men and one fancily-dressed woman.
''The question which has been on everyone's tongue lately must also be part of the tournament!'' A slick-haired man slammed his palm on the table, announcing his towering presence to the audience.
''Agreed, Lord Kalzer and Wraith, who might not be as famous to the audience as he is to the Top Player community.'' A man next to him said, slightly adjusting his glasses.
''Well, between the two, Kalzer will definitely be part of the last stage, which is exciting news.''
The woman squealed with excitement as she smiled brightly, ''Agreed, agreed, Lord Kalzer, whose whole existence is shrouded in mystery, will finally show his true prowess!''
''However, there is one thing I haven't heard anyone discussing about…'' The man with glasses attracted everyone's attention, ''The Gods… they will also be watching, but they might be there in person!''
The public widened their eyes in shock and realization. They forgot that Arthur said that the tournament was for Gods Entertainment. What kind of entertainment would it be if they weren't watching it in person?
''That's right! The legendary Gods… they are a rare thing in White Online. An ordinary player wouldn't see a God even after thousands of hours of playing, while even the strongest players would be lucky to see them once!''
''Right, and I am sure the Worshipers will be the most excited about this news!'' The squint-eyed man said, earning frowns from others. He was notoriously known for being a Worshiper and also Semi-Cultist. He admired Norse Gods like Odin and Thor while despising the God Destroying Wolf, Fenrir.
The Worshipers started becoming more common after the announcement of the Gods surfaced. The mythical Gods that only lived in stories and movies were actually real, bringing a new wave of Cultists, religions, and Worshipers.
''I am not sure about you three, but I am quite excited to see Goddess Aphrodite.'' The slick-haired man's words caused chuckles from the men while eye roll from the only woman present.
''Now, back to the topic!'' The woman rapped her finger against the table and continued, ''What about Wraith, the possibility of him entering the final stage?''
''Low.'' The slick-haired man replied.
''He is strong, but not Top Player, so low.'' The squint-eyed man said.
''Marksmen are good for Long-Ranged, while they are poor fighters in Short-Ranged, so I am sure that Wraith is already dead.'' The glassed man said.
''You heard it audience, the chance we see the taste of Kalzer Vs. Wraith in the Tournament is low!''
''Now, enough of that, I have a question for you three.'' The slick-haired man stood up from his chair, circled around the table, and faced everyone.
The rest looked with curiosity.
The slick-haired man pointed at them, asking, ''Who are stronger, Lord, Lady or King, and Queen players?''
The glassed man held his glasses, moving it slightly up his nose bridge, ''Lord and Lady. They have Lord Kalzer, Lord Amour, and Lady Noelle.''
''I disagree.'' The squint-eyed man shook his head, ''Kings and Queens have King Xerxus, Queen Eliza, Queen Cecilia, and King Arawn. There are more King and Queen players in the top 10 than Lord and Ladies!''
The woman nodded, ''Also, there are some strong Guild Masters. With their Guilds, they are a force to be reckoned with. Like King Michael, King Jonathan, and Queen Diana.''
The glassed man started arguing with them. After they couldn't come to a conclusion, the slick-haired man coughed on his fist, attracting their attention.
''Easy now. But, I agree that Lord and Ladies are stronger.''
The squint-eyed man and the woman tried to open their mouths, but he immediately continued.
''Because there are some Lord and Lady players that started playing later. They didn't care about the game at first, but when the announcement came… they all hopped in. They had three months of a late start, but still, they have already caught up with the top!''
The room turned silent, and the public started siding with him. They already supported Lord and Ladies because of Kalzer. However, there was a minority that knew they shouldn't underestimate Kings and Queens. On each side, there were some hidden dragons that were keeping a low-profile.
However, when the time came, they would reveal themselves as the true protectors of humanity.
