As the atmosphere within the arena transformed into one of celebration, Ioki stood atop the throne, the Kobolds barking and howling in reverence.
The crowd outside the arena watched in astonishment as the once-underestimated player had now claimed the Pack Leader's throne.
A peculiar sense of pride swelled within Ioki. He looked out at the sea of Kobold faces, his grin widening as he realized that they respected him as their new leader. The transformation from being a rookie player to a conqueror was surreal.
He descended from the throne and walked towards the center of the arena, where the celebration was in full swing.
Ioki's enhanced stats and newfound abilities from defeating the Pack Leader filled him with newfound confidence. He felt like he could take on any challenge that this virtual world had to offer.
"Brother! Congratulation! I'll be on my way to give you the golds. I really didn't expect the fight to go that way at all! Truly, after watching your LIVE, it is one exciting moment after the others! If just they have the donation updated by now..." Mr. Turtle typed.
"I don't need donations, Mr. Turtle. Just you watching my LIVE and saying you enjoyed it is already enough for me," Ioki said with a cheerful tone as he smiled.
"What about big sis? I watched your LIVE as well, you know (・∀・)" Ms. Maria typed.
"Do you guys know how to ban certain Players from your LIVE? I believe there are some that need to be banned," Ioki taunted playfully as he saw Ms. Maria chat.
"IOKI! I SWEAR!" Ms. Maria typed.
"Go ahead, try that. You want to end up in chains for real this time?" Rosaria typed.
"Sleep with one eye open~" SweetLily typed.
Ioki scoffed and then laughed after seeing their replies.
"I believe I have a bet to settle, but because we are currently on our way to fight a raid boss. Then, I'll be leaving it to Reinhardt, for that matter. You fought really well. Shame the Vermilion Dawn won't be having you under its name." KumaKuma typed.
Ioki smiled smugly after seeing KumaKuma's chat. He wanted to reply, but the Kobold barking started growing louder as he walked toward them. The Kobolds could be seen having drool dropping from their muzzles as they awaited Ioki's command to feast upon the very meals before them.
Ioki raised his arms, silencing the cheers. "Thank you, dear Kobolds!" he declared, echoing through the cavern. "Although your Pack Leader is already gone, instead of rushing against me, you honored me! Thanks to the Goddess Fortuna, an extravagant feast magically appeared before us!" Ioki once again made up a white lie after seeing the things before him.
"Goddess Fortuna, love your way of celebrating."
"Goddess Fortuna has decided to bless you over your triumph."
"Blessings of Luck (Minor) has been upgraded to Blessings of Luck (Mediocre)."
"God of Destruction smiled over your victory."
"God of Destruction wishes for you to prove your worth."
"Woah! Thank you so much for the blessings, Goddess Fortuna!" Ioki jumped excitedly as he saw the first few blue windows pop, "Ah, and for this old man... Seriously, what do you want? Hm? God of Destruction? How am I even going to prove my worth? I don't need to prove anything to anyone. It's not like you blessed me as well, bothersome..."
"HAHA! Other Players would go insane and do whatever they could to keep God's eyes on them, yet you turned him off. I can't hold myself!" DarkFlame typed.
"God of Destruction has blessed you with Fist of Ashura (Passive)."
"Listen here, kid! If you don't prove yourself worthy of my name, I'll descend and destroy your Dantian! Understood?" A heavy and coarse voice whispered to Ioki's ears with annoyance. Even though it sounded like banter, Ioki knew the source of the voice was enough to buckle his knees just for his furious presence.
Ioki smiled and clutched his fist, "Destruction, right? I'll destroy everything in my path if they stand against me!"
"God of Destruction smiled at your reply!"
"Another blessing... Even Goddess Artemis only gave me a minor blessing after a 1km kill shot..." Absusbsj typed.
As the chats went wild upon seeing another blessing on Ioki's screen, the Kobolds became more active and jumped on their feed as they couldn't hold their hunger back.
Seeing this, Ioki raised his hand, "My dear Kobolds! Enjoy the feast!"
The Kobolds erupted in cheers once more, their barks and howls echoing through the cavernous arena. They danced in a chaotic but joyous celebration, creating a unique bond between Ioki and his Kobold followers.
The arena walls were bathed in soft, mystical light, casting a warm and inviting ambiance. Long wooden tables laden with delicious foods appeared as if by magic, lining the center of the arena. Platters of roasted meats, piles of colorful fruits, and aromatic dishes of all kinds filled the air with mouthwatering scents.
"The Kobolds at Kobolds Cavern have crowned you as their new Pack Leader!" A blue window popped up, followed by another, "The Production of Minerals and other materials from Kobolds Cavern can now be collected weekly."
Upon seeing the blue window, Ioki was shocked... He took a deep breath and focused on the second one instead, "The same happened with the Fortune Squad, but I guess they have their jobs here? So they won't be following me like the Goblins."
"Ascension of the new Pack Leader! Bonus of 20% stats will be applied to the Kobolds as they watch the historic battle before them. Your fight has inspired them to become stronger! The stronger you become, the Kobolds, too, will benefit from it!" A blue window popped up as soon as Ioki finished talking.
Seeing the last one appear made Ioki feel more relaxed in a way, but at the same time, he can only wonder what is happening to the Fortune Squad... They were equipped with the Hell equipment, but they didn't receive any bonuses...
"Que sera sera, eh? Fortune Squad? Hopefully, fate will bring us together if I play this game again..." Ioki thought with a melancholic expression.
Meanwhile, the crowd outside the arena couldn't believe their eyes. Ioki had not only defeated the Pack Leader but had also become the new leader of the Kobolds.
"He defeated a Field Boss alone and got a group of Goblins, and now you are saying that kid actually managed to get a bunch of Kobolds following him?"
"Come to think of it, where did the Fortune Squad go? Why aren't they together with Ioki anymore?"
"Meh, probably died somewhere... What can a bunch of Goblins do?"
Some players were now even more intrigued by the virtual world's potential, seeing how a seemingly ordinary player could achieve such feats.
Ioki felt a renewed sense of purpose in this virtual world, and he knew that more adventures and challenges awaited him if he ever returned to Ashen Fantasy. More than just mobs or NPCs, Ioki felt a sense of belonging between them.
But for now, he only wishes to enjoy the moment and savor the rewards of his hard-fought victory. The virtual world was full of surprises, and Ioki was ready to embrace them all as its new King.
As the Kobolds ate the lavish feast before them, each of their fangs gnawed on the magical banquet before them. Ioki sat between them and started to sink his teeth in what looked like roasted meat glazed with Honey and herbs sprinkled on top.
The first bite had him doubt himself as he took a second and thought, "What the hell! This is different than the meal at Skye's Diner! This is on another level!" Ioki continued to enjoy the feast with his newly acquired Kobold friends.
***
"Chief! You need to see this!" A man rushed to a seat surrounded by computers and holographic screens while carrying a tablet filled with graphical charts.
Behind the screens could be seen a man with a dark circle around his eyes, a fatigued expression, and a messy look... By the time he looked at the other man, almost no sign of life could be seen in his eyes...
"What is it..." The Chief replied flatly while staring at the other man.
"Ah! Fuck... The pressure in his stare is too much for me to handle!" The man thought as he slowly extended his shaky hand to give the tablet, "Y---you see, this is the growth chart of a Player named Ioki!"
"And...?" The Chief replied with the same flat tone.
"He is one of the few players that have defeated The Warden in Tutorial," the man explained.
"Get to the point..." The Chief replied as he turned his gaze back to the stacked holographic screens.
"The pseudo-emotion of Omni-A.I. has been shown to spike around 8% and fluctuated between the early second stage of the planned procedure. All of this happened after the player called Ioki attracted around 9 divine entities toward him and finished 2 Special Quests in just the span of 2 days in-game time!" The man explained as he swiped and zoomed into the charts on the tablet.
The Chief could be seen typing something into his keyboard, "What was his name? Iyoki?"
"It's I-O-K-I with a capital I on the first letter, chief."
The Chief then pulled up a video showing Ioki's gameplay and his LIVE, and he watched all of it in detail as his eyes glued to the screen. The lifeless eyes of his could be seen sparked a few flames here and there upon seeing Ioki in action.
Behind the holographic screen, the man with a tablet could still be seen standing.
"Is there anything else you need to report to me?" The Chief asked while pausing the video of Ioki's gameplay.
"The Global team have finally come to an agreement and agreed for the first rai---" As the man spoke, the Chief raised his hand.
"If that's all you need to report, then just return back to your duty," The Chief raised his hand and hushed the man away, "Thank you for reporting it straight away. If you asked the others first, then I'm sure they'll either hold the report or ask you just to ignore it... I appreciate it very much..."
"Yes, chief!" The man hurriedly returned to where he came from with a little smile, "The Chief isn't that bad. Perhaps someone hated him and wanted him to be isolated?" He thought.
After the man returned, the Chief could be seen playing Ioki's clips once again and observed him in detail. He pulled up a chart and other documents from his computer as he drank from his mug.
After a while, he finally took his wallet from his pocket and opened it. A worn-out picture could be seen in one of the pockets.
"No wonder you picked him..." The Chief slowly murmured as he caressed the picture, "He is that great, huh?"
After looking at the picture solemnly for a few minutes, the Chief put it back into his pocket. His gaze shifted back to Ioki, "Are you the answer I've been looking for all this time, Ioki?"