The Arena of Couples IV

---Chapter 12: The Arena of Couples IV

“Thank you everyone for participating in this event!”

The moderator Chronos had brought the eight participants of Match 2 into a special prize room. After expressing some words of gratitude to them all, he called the winning pair forward.

“As the winning couple for your match, you’ve each earned the right to this special event-exclusive equipment. Since you’re both fighter-class, you each will receive the same item.” Chronos explained.

The match winners, R-Dragon and ComBuster, both nodded and gracefully accepted a pair of rare gauntlets.

I see, so even though the specific rewards weren’t advertised, match winners would get exclusive equipment like that, huh… This game’s pretty sneaky.

“Aw, it would’ve been cool if I got some cool new gloves like that…” Yui pouted.

“It’s alright, we did the best we could.” Quartz patted Yui on the shoulder, consoling her.

After that, R-Dragon started chatting with Chronos, asking about the larger tournament coming up in February. While that was going on, Quartz also began to hear the murmurs of the other players nearby.

“Oh, no wonder… So those two are high-leveled players that participate in basically all the PvP stuff?” MiracleBee whispered to her partner Sakura.

“Seems like it. If it were a pair of ordinary players, our strategy definitely would’ve worked. Man, this sucks…” Sakura sighed.

I guess everyone has their pride… But still, it must be difficult to make player matches like this truly equal, even with the level-matching…

R-Dragon soon finished his conversation, and he and ComBuster returned to the crowd. Chronos then began to speak to the other remaining players.

“Now then, everyone else will receive 1,000 gold as a participation prize, so please come forward by group and I’ll transfer the amount.” Chronos announced.

“That’s a pretty decent amount.” Quartz commented, feeling impressed.

Everyone started shuffling up and forming a line, with MiracleBee and Sakura up first, and DemonishDude and Breezy right behind them. Quartz and Yui took up the line at the rear.

“Hey…”

A voice suddenly spoke up. At first Quartz didn’t realize it was addressing him, but then quickly snapped to attention, focusing on the person in front of him.

“O-oh, Demon. What’s up?” he asked.

“Well… Just wanted to say, you two did good out there.” Demon looked away, as if pouting a bit.

“Yeah! We got you good!” Yui suddenly spoke up, giving a good flex to go with her boasting.

“Yui! C’mon now…” Quartz waved his hands, feeling a bit embarrassed.

“Hm? Hahahaha, you picked up quite the amusing companion there.” Demon laughed. “So are you two actually a couple or what?”

“Us? Well, um, we’re uh…” Quartz began to blush as he stumbled over his words.

“Hahahaha, well, you don’t have to answer!” chuckled Demon, amused by the reaction. “I just wanted to say… You don’t really seem so gloomy anymore. Sorry if that old nickname ever bothered ya.”

“Oh, no, don’t worry about it! That was all a long time ago anyway.” Quartz answered sheepishly.

“I always say: This is a game, so just have fun, man.” Demon spoke, before his partner Breezy poked his shoulder.

“We’re up, D.” Breezy whispered.

“Ah, right.” Demon acknowledged. “Well, seeya around, Quartz.”

“Yeah, seeya.” Quartz waved.

The two of them stepped forward toward Chronos to get their gold. Quartz and Yui were left alone as the last ones in line.

“He didn’t seem so bad after all.” Yui commented.

“It’s not that he was a bad guy, we just never seemed to get along back then…” Quartz answered. “So it surprised me seeing him get all earnest like that just now.”

“I see. Well, all’s well that ends well.” Yui smiled.

“Yeah, you bet.” Quartz smiled in return.

In front of them, they saw Demon and Breezy get their gold and head off back to the lobby. Chronos turned his attention to Quartz and Yui.

“Looks like it’s time.” Quartz whispered to Yui.

“Yeah…” Yui answered, feeling a bit nervous.

The two walked forward toward Chronos, each opening their respective game menus and swiping to the screen for gold transactions.

“Excellent work in today’s battle, you two.” Chronos stated with a small bow as he came face-to-face with the two of them.

“Thank you.” Quartz stated, presenting his screen to Chronos, who was already offering his forward.

Chronos displayed the transfer amount and after both of them confirmed the transaction on each other’s screens, Quartz’s money increased in an instant. The same actions were then repeated between Chronos and Yui. As that was happening, Quartz finally broached the subject…

“Excuse me. Chronos, you’re a moderator, correct?” Quartz asked.

“Hm? Why, yes I am. I’ve been working at Cyber Moon for about a year and a half now.” Chronos answered.

“I see, well, the two of us actually have a question to ask you, regarding a quest that Yui here has been stuck on…” Quartz continued.

“I’m sorry, I’m not sure I’d be able to help. By asking other players for advice, or contacting customer support, I’m sure you’ll find a way to finish your quest.” Chronos explained, before being cut off.

“No, this isn’t any ordinary quest.” Quartz shook his head. “Yui, could you show him?”

“Right.” Yui nodded, swiping her screen to the quest menu, and showing it to Chronos. “Here.”

“Well, I guess I’ll take a look…” Chronos answered, feeling uncertain. He leaned down and read Yui’s quest page. “’In Search of the Precious Tear’, huh…”

“Chronos… What we really want to know is this…” Quartz began. “Does this ‘Mermaid’s Tear’ item actually exist in this game?”

Chronos raised his eyebrows the instant he heard that, which happened to coincide with the exact moment he read the name of the item in the quest description.

“This is… rather peculiar.” Chronos muttered, seemingly lost in thought. “Where was it that you accepted this quest?”

“I’m sorry, it’s been a few months, so I really don’t remember…” Yui bowed. “I wasn’t paying much attention to my quests at the time…”

“I see…” he muttered, still thinking to himself.

“So, do you know anything about this?” Quartz asked. “How familiar are you with the Mermaid’s Tear rumors that used to be popular among the players?”

“Yes, I’ve heard of those rumors.” Chronos responded. “But this is… Hmm…”

Quartz and Yui looked at one another, unsure of what Chronos’s hesitancy implied.

“I’m terribly sorry…” Chronos finally spoke up. “I’m afraid I’ll have to look into something first before I’m able to properly answer you two.”

“Wait, but why can’t you just answer us now?!” Quartz asked, feeling frustrated, but then… “Hm? Wait, what?”

“Here. I’m offering you both my friend code.” Chronos offered, displaying it on his menu for Quartz and Yui to see. “I’ll contact you both again next month, and hopefully I’ll be able to resolve this.”

“Wow, thank you…!” Yui began entering the code into her own menu.

“I-is it really alright for a mod to be giving out their friend code?” Quartz asked nervously as he began typing it in himself. “I thought you guys weren’t supposed to show favoritism or whatever…”

“Well, helping players is also supposed to be a mod’s job, so let’s just say I gave it to you as a temporary means of contact…” Chronos lifted his finger to his lips.

After exchanging friend codes, Chronos then began to make his way back to the lobby.

“Anyway, as I said, I will contact you both again.” Chronos repeated as he walked away. “There will be an announcement soon, but a big update is coming in December. At that time, I will contact you.”

Leaving the two with that message, Chronos left the room.

---

“So that’s what he said…” Quartz said, having just recounted what they were told by Chronos.

Quartz, Yui, Rokugo, Mint, and Striker had all left the arena and were now trekking back down the mountainous region to head back toward the capital. As they walked, Quartz explained Chronos’s cryptic message.

“I see, so you’ll hear back from him next month, then…” Rokugo replied. “If that’s the case, then I wonder if those rumors of the next update have to do with this situation.”

“Wait, what rumors?” Quartz asked.

“There’ve been a few leaks online about a big update coming in December.” Mint explained. “Considering you heard it straight from a mod, then it seems like it may be true.”

“What kind of update is it supposed to be?” Yui asked with a tilt of her head.

“Well, if the rumors are to be believed…” Rokugo pushed up his glasses. “Then a brand new area will appear on the world map in the next update.”

“Whoa, a whole new area?!” Quartz was surprised.

The party to continued to chat about the rumored leaks as they made their way down the hill. November was already nearing its end, and the last month of the year was just around the corner.

[To be continued…]