Staring at the brand new gaming cabin, Phanas could barely contain his glee. He also understood what this device meant. He could now nurture true blue experts with fighting techniques. It was a well known fact that virtual technology had led to advancement and discovery the current fighting techniques and what they represented.
With the advent of virtual games and other virtual platforms, the need for immersive virtual platforms skyrocketed, and so did the people in the industry. With virtual fighting and training platforms, people thought that one could exert themselves fully without causing any damage to their body.
In virtual online games, many players had learned unbelievably strong and superhuman fighting techniques. But sadly, at the time, they were only limited to the virtual platform, never to see the real world.
Nobody knew who it was that made the leap, but soon, it had became known that those who could learn virtual fighting techniques, with sufficient nurturing and other factors, one could actually exert some of the fighting techniques in the real world.
This realization had sparked a new age, especially for fighters and warriors. It was these fighting techniques that defined the difference between an expert fighter, and the rest. Why, because anyone who had learned a fighting technique and exert it in the real world was practically invincible. Like a lion in a herd of sheep, they could easily suppress their competitors.
This, coupled with the advancements in body refinement, ushered the age of expert fighters. Anyone with the desire to fight stood a chance to stand at the peak. Even corporations would use expert fighters to duke it out while competing for resources.
Soon, these competition had become the norm. One such competition was the fight of the five families. While Planet Tres had been at a resource planet, it had five ruling family-ran corporations. They had come up with this competition as a way to distribute wealth and resource allocation.
At the time, each family would field its players. They would engage in hunting competitions, and then have a grand finale tournament. Points would be allotted based on the quality of their hunt, and the performance in the tournament.
As planet Tres's resources dwindled, the families soon left the planet in search of better resources. It their place, the Tres family, which had not even qualified back then to be part of the five families, opened the competition to the public, allowing any competent corporation to fight for the planet's resources.
This was where Phanas and the family-owned Iresal corporation came in the picture. The company had been growing well, amassing quite a lot of influence in the planet. However, they were at the stage where they needed to control major stakes in the planet. If they didn't, they would stagnate, and possibly even go into a decline.
As for Phanas, being the eldest in the lead family, he was the one most likely to inherit the position as head of the family, and corporation. However, given how outstanding many in of his siblings and cousins were, he couldn't just take it for granted that it was his seat.
To earn recognition from the family elders, he had to perform meritorious deeds, and this competition was just the way to do it. He spared no expense in his quest, knowing that he could earn all that and much more once he gained victory.
Unfortunately, gaining any form of victory in this competition was easier said than done. Given the magnitude of the resources at stake, all the competing families and corporations were frantically looking for ways to improve their edge.
So far, he knew of more than fifty corporations in the running. Moreover, given planet Tres' management, almost every major corporation had their own territories they managed. The competition being held would bring about all these people together, leading to what seemed like some international competition.
Watching the hunt, Phanas had been downcast as he watched the griffins bring down his select hunting party. Moreover, given that this was an planetary wide competition, many media groups had purchased broadcast rights for the events.
Few had hopes of the company coming out on top. Fewer still understood how much the Iresal corporation had sacrificed to get to that point, yet it all seemed to be for naught. Based on the team's performance, they were fated to die or escape, both would lead to the company loosing.
However, in a sudden turn of events, Haiser and his team had shown up, drastically changing the trajectory of the competition.
For a time, many had thought that the new additions were not some passerby group of hunters, but reinforcements the company had sent. While sending reinforcements was frowned upon, it was not exactly forbidden. Moreover, many companies would often do this if the team was in danger of a party wipe.
However, unlike many, Phanas knew that this group was not one of his. He had tried everything to get an additional group of people to go assist in the fight, especially after so many of his had fallen. Unfortunately, he had not been that lucky. Besides, even if he did get a team together, armed them and released them, would they make it in time?
Seeing Haiser's team appear, and how easily Haiser had handled the griffins, he could barely believe it. They had won, and with the performance, they were bound to receive additional points. Phanas knew this victory did not come from his people, but the new arrivals. Therefore, he had been preparing to offer all sorts of rewards and incentives to Haiser and his people. That's when disaster struck.
After the hunt was over, the media group's broadcast would be cut off. However, the family could still monitor their parties.
Phanas had seen Levantine's group come in, and their shameless attempt at poaching their people. He had watched as his group was surrounded. Matter of fact, he had not had the stomach to continue watching anymore, so when his assistant had informed him of the arrival of his special packages, he had left the viewing room.
He hated Levantine for their actions, but he knew, they were the underdogs, attracting all manner of bullying. There was nothing he could do about it either, Levantine was not something they could take on just yet.
You just wait, Phanas thought as he eyed his capsule. This would be his chance to fight back. Suddenly, an excited assistant suddenly came running, and her message was beyond shocking: "They've managed to escape sir, while also dealing with the troublesome fellas. They even managed to kill Golden Kirin."