VRMMO: Am I The Strongest Yet?

In the Great city of preservation, another dawn broke, spreading its gentle warmth.

The wide streets of the city were painted with the first rays of the shining morning sun, the old yet sturdily standing houses were painted with the light of a new day, making it seem like someone had just blown colors into a vintage black-white painting.

It was morning, so the citizens that woke up, picked up their tools as the sounds of chiseling and whistling filled the air when these artisans began their daily work.

-Swiiiiiiiiiish…

Just like every morning, as the sun rose, the once asleep town came back to life with the scent of freshly baked bread and roasting meats, sounds of stone carving artisans, as well as normal people who were starting their daily lives.

-Booooooooooom!

The central square of the Kalp was home to a majestic stone fountain that could not be compared to the fountain they had in either Moongold or in Yuta.

Crafted by an ancient stone, this pure white stone fountain was three times the size of the fountains one could find in the towns around this city.

-Oooooooooooooooong…!

The fountain was a magical piece of artistry, crafted by the hands of the various renowned artists with their combined efforts over a decade in the past. If one looked close enough, they could see the various different styles of the creators of this fine masterpiece.

"Ughhh!"

"TO THE RIGHT…!"

-BOOOOOOOM…!

In the markets of Kalp, just like every Normal day, the artisans proudly displayed their creations in wooden stalls, showcasing delicately crafted wooden figurines, intricately carved wooden boxes, and beautifully crafted stone statues.

It was a sight to behold for those who were new in this amazing city, however for those who had been in this fine place for some time, this sight would be something as common as the bright morning sky.

-Bang! Bang! Bang!

-Clank! Clank! Clank!

The sound of hammering grows louder with each hourly bell, signaling the start of another day's work in Kalp's many workshops.

-BOOOOOOOM!

However, the trimmers that fail to make their way to the ground above are never perceived by the common citizens that live a rather simple life in this vast city…

[{ "I was not expecting this when we received this Quest, Alex!" }]

[{ "Neither was I! Now shut up and give me a buff!" }]

-Booooooooooom!

As the sun reaches its peak, the town is bathed in a warm, golden light. While at the same time, under the feet of everyone, under the houses that have been standing here since the inception of this city, in the underworld… yet another orange flash of explosives graces the outsiders.

[{ "Alex. On your left! Odin! Assist her!" }]

The air above was filled with laughter and chatter as people gathered to socialize and enjoy each other's company. While at the same time, in the underworld that had been changing every single day since the inception of Kalp, yet another bloodbath was unfolding.

-Swish! Swish! Swish!

-Boooooooooom!

-Swiiiiiiiiiiiiish!

[{ "Miss Alex-." }]

[{ "Less talking more killing, Mister knight!" }]

All of this started when the two of them met Viscount Cromwell right before dawn and traveled with him as well as his party to a certain corner of the back alley.

He was leading a group of six knights and three battle mages, all who had achieved their first awakening and all of them combined were a kind of force that could take on an entire dungeon all by themselves if they wanted.

[{ "Alright, now, Alex. Start kiting them." }]

[{ "Alright!" }]

[{ "H-hey! What do you mean by-." }]

[{ "Just shut up and do what you are told! This is not the time to talk!" }]

But, they weren't going to any dungeon or to any forest area, or even to any Fields. They were going to a different kind of place that not many people knew about, a place that existed right beneath their feet.

-Swiiiiiiiiiiish!

"Yeeee–ghahahahah!"

The underground underworld of the city of preservation, the place that had been the only element of this city that had been changing almost every single day since the city was created.

The home to the criminals, the area that produced some of the largest profits for the city, as well as the place where the viscount spent most of his time when he wasn't working.

[{ "Elio! We will need Sera's help!" }]

[{ "I know! But just bring a bunch of them here so that we can decrease the load all at once! I'll call her out after I have some Mana to spare!" }]

This underworld, unlike it is the case with most of the places, was not the darkside of Kalp. Yes it was a different place compared to what this city was all about, but it was still an important part of the city since it allowed this city to truly remain unchanging.

[{ "Alright!" }]

-Swish!

It was a place created by the first Masters of Kalp, the ancestors of Cromwell, and it has always been a traditional duty for them to watch over this small village-sized place.

-Ooooooooooong!

The people that lived here were different from people who didn't even know the existence of this place.

They were delinquents, they were troublemakers, they were unconventional thinkers that could not live in the enclosed nature of the society that existed above.

The ideas they had were unique and different, radical and certainly something that would cause a lot of distress among the people that loved the peace that they had.

-Booooooooooom!

The first masters had foreseen the possibility of something like this in their time.

They knew if the city were to remain unchanging, then there would undoubtedly be some elements that would want to break out of it and go out into the vast world with unhealthy ideas that could cause trouble in not just the city above, but in the world outside the city walls as well.

[{ "Alright! Elio, get ready!" }]

The first masters of the Kalp sent any kind of troublemaker or potential threat to this underground where they could do whatever they wanted.

Some of them turned into criminals that made the life of the other people living here a hell, while the others ended up becoming an asset that had a great value to this city, as well as to those who understood their unique styles.

-Oooooooooooong!

It wasn't the Lord's job to look after these delinquents and troublemakers, but the Viscount of this generation found it fun to occasionally come down here and take care of some matters through a fun hunting game.

And, though rare, sometimes he would also invite some special candidates to join him, and assign them the task He was here to take care of.

[{ "On the count of three!" }]

[{ "Alright! Odin! Get out of the way!" }]

He had a perfect playground to evaluate the talent and potential someone had.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

And this time around, he had brought Three Foreigners to help him deal with an individual that had been a high value asset to the City until just a few weeks ago.

[{ "What's… what's happening?!" }]

[{ "Three!" }]

[{ "Shut up and move!" }]

[{ "Two!" }]

-Ooooooooooong…!

But then he went over to the dark side… and now, with a heavy heart, it was time for this city to let go of the only [Marionette] they have Ever had.