Aectaeon had read that he could use the Demons in his portal to aid his travels.
But rather than taking the easy way, Aectaeon chose to walk on his feet. The detour he had to traverse would take him, at the least, half an hour. Be that as it may, he was more than glad to have time to quell his curiosities while breathing some fresh air.
'So Meisters are divided into eleven ranks. According to my profile, I'm a Mentor Meister, meaning I'm one level below the top. Isn't this too much of a perk for the Expert Meister difficulty?'
In the current Game World, the importance of Meisters was second to none. Though everyone could own a portable device, not every aspirant could bear the title of a Meister.
Once a year, the Meister Grand Council would conduct a ceremony to promote the pool of commendable individuals. There was no fixed date for the ceremony. That being so, aspirants and Meisters worked day and night to attract the attention of the Council Observers.
Aspirants, who had the goal of being a Meister, would have to register their names in the database of the Council. They could do that by visiting any branch of the Grand Council. Failure to do so wouldn't make them eligible for a promotion.
Once they're registered, all aspirants would be given the title of 'Apprentice'. If they're skillful enough to be promoted, they would assume the title of 'White Meister'.
'Wouldn't it be better to conduct a Meister Examination? Using observers all year round will just incur a mountain of unnecessary expenditures. What is the council thinking? Besides, there are a lot of loopholes that can be exploited in this method.'
Aectaeon's interest regarding the Meister Ranks soon waned. For the rest of his journey, the man did nothing but read his journal and explore the map.
The moment he stopped reading was when he could hear the sounds of the hustle and bustle on the Hunting Ground. He quickly closed the panels and paid attention to the happenings in the distance.
The man activated the command 'Inspect' immediately, making sure that the entire field was within the frame. A panel appeared containing the list of demons that were captured by the device.
"The Demon with the highest level is only level 38. The lowest, on the other hand, is level 4. I suppose not every Meister here is an Apprentice."
After closing the panels, Aectaeon placed his hands inside his pockets. His steps weren't hurried so as to avoid earning someone's attention. He just wanted to observe for the most part. If the urge to engage someone in a battle visited him, that's the time he would make a move.
The foremost sight that Aectaeon arrived at was a Meister who was trying to talk to a Demon. Regrettably, the Demon paid them not a sliver of attention.
As Aectaeon passed by, the Demon's gaze followed him. He turned his head towards the Demon, and as covertly as he could, shook his head. The man then proceeded with his stroll, occasionally glancing at what interested him.
"Hmm, the Hunting Ground is full of low-ranking Meisters. They won't pose that much of a challenge to me."
Though he spoke under his breath, a nearby Meister happened to hear his sentiments. The said Meister glared at Aectaeon as they made their way towards him. Aectaeon noticed the Meister before they could even take a step. However, he paid no heed and just continued what he was doing.
In no less than a few seconds, Aectaeon felt someone grab his shoulders. He stopped walking and forcefully removed the hand that was on him.
Without looking at the Meister, he spoke, "I have no intention of creating trouble. Mind your own business."
"No intention?! Didn't you say that no one here can pose a challenge to you?!"
Since the Meister was shouting on top of their lungs, his voice echoed loudly within the Hunting Ground. Nearly everyone in the vicinity heard the scandalous Meister, prompting them to turn their heads towards the two.
Aectaeon wanted to declaim against the Meister's slander. Withal, he refrained lest garnering the ire of the others.
"If you're so arrogant to say that, then why don't you battle me?!"
'I didn't know that I'll experience this cartoon-like event in this game. It's wrong of me to not expect it from the very beginning.' Aectaeon thought as he faced the Meister behind him.
The man couldn't help but look down on the Meister, being that he was half a foot taller than them. Lamentably, the Meister took offense at how Aectaeon's eyes looked. They bared their yellowish teeth at Aecteon.
"What are you looking at?!"
"You're directly behind me, shorter to boot. What, you want me to crouch down just to be on an eye-level?"
Aectaeon's remark, of course, didn't help in de-escalating the situation. It only served to amplify the anger with the Meister.
"Just battle me! I'll make you pay for this humiliation!"
"Sure, sure, you set the rules."
To initiate a battle with another Meister, the command 'Battle' should be activated. Aectaeon had assigned the aforementioned command to his right forefinger. He took the initiative to activate the command, a panel with a list of players nearby appearing in front of him shortly thereafter.
"What's your name?" Aectaeon queried as he distanced himself from the Meister.
"Hano Berkley!"
Since Hano was on top of the list, Aectaeon was able to tap his name right away. Following that, the list panel vanished, replaced by the rule panels that appeared in front of the two Meisters.
"I will let you decide what rules I'll choose. In total, you can set four rules." Aectaeon announced as he crossed his arms.
Hano thought hard and long about what rules he should select. Aectaeon, in the meantime, merely watched the man agonize over such things that he found trivial.
'It would be more favorable for me if there is a time limit. I can't bear to listen to his voice any l- Wait--' Aectaeon then squinted his eyes at the man, 'Why can I hear his voice?'