14 Gathering of Leaders (1/2)

Since it was a Sunday, all action times were vacant unless Arata decided to go around places or take date-ables to dates around the city. It was the 8 AM action time when he got home, and straightly sat on his computer to enter the forum site. There were tags and messages everywhere, but he chose to go through the thread and hope someone was talking about the Challenge Mode. Then again, none had, making him announce his presence again.

”Challenge Mode for Dummies: Tips and Guides from Anyone,” had become the subject of his post. It was then followed by a short entry post for the thread. ”I'm going to find myself in a Challenge soon. Any advise from those who had succeeded already? I don't want to fail. Getting knocked out is bad; getting my date-able knocked out is worse. Worried emoticons.”

For a while, no one posted a reply aside from that guy who asked what a Challenge Mode was. Arata complied with an answer, but he knew that person would not help him because he was probably taking a routed playthrough.

Then again, Giddyup Horsepower posted a response. ”Look at all those idiots not taking a non-routed playthrough at the beginning of a new calendar. Well, at least you knew better than them, huh.”

”Get off of my post, Horsie. This isn't for bragging.” Arata grunted as he posted a reply. ”Got anything?”

”Well, not much.”

That was a suspicious answer. If he was someone else, the followers of the post would have bashed him for being arrogant.

”Got K.O.-ed, didn't you? Devil laughter.” The king managed to smirk.

”Well, in my defense, everyone else who played Challenge Mode got one-hit-kill-ed by Attori.” It was followed by a smug emoticon. ”I pressed retry seven times, until I just let it happen.”

”Attori was the attacker?” Arata murmured his response as he typed it. He then sent it with a thinking emoticon. He then spoke to himself, ”well, that could be real. Then again, a one-hit-kill?”

”Attori has high Accuracy because of her passive effect, remember?” Devin sprouted out of nowhere. ”Even if you have 80% Dodge, she'll hit you. Not to mention that she armed.” He posted in a different reply. ”The attacker varies depending on your completion rate. The last one you maxed will always be the first attacker. The game sees it that you chose her last.”

”I knew this has something to do with some ranking!” Arata posted a reply as well. ”So... Keiko would be my attacker. Her passive effect was All Eyes on Me, so... how does it affect her as an attacker?”

Devin took a while to respond, but no one dared to interrupt the flow of their conversation. ”All Eyes on Me grabs a date-able's attention so it would probably affect your Dodge Rate as well. How's your Dodge rate?”

”33%? I haven't met with Tohru again.”

”Haha, good luck with that.” Devin sent a salute emoticon.

”Nice, a hacker comes to brag his findings.” Horsepower must have snorted as he posted that reply. ”How come you can spill the beans even before anyone finds out about it, huh?”

”Whoa, hold your horse self. He's a beta player.” Arata glared at the man attacking one of his friends as he responded. ”Of course he knows the features before they get released.”

”Stupid loaf of bread, there's no beta for an update patch.”

”Who're you calling stupid loaf of bread, frizzy horse hair!?”

For others, it might have seem to be weird for veterans to be cursing at each other like children. Then again, the veterans knew that in context and harsher words, they could be caught by CM Ruby who guards the forums. Arata and Horsepower had been both suspended for engaging in a fight in the forums before, causing them to get banned for a whole week, lose EXP, and half of their JPY. That was why the veterans ended up mudslinging like five-year-olds, not that almost-adults like them should be still mudslinging at all.

”Ladies, please. Sunglasses emoticon. I just have a good source, that's all.” Devin could have been laughing as he watched the thread move.

”Data mining, huh.” Pantsu suddenly appeared in the thread. ”Then again, you haven't answered the post. Geez, I thought there are a lot of tips right now after all that reply count.”

”Someone's getting killed by Attori, too?” Horsepower sent a barrage of laughing emoticon.

”Whoa, shut up. You gave up on her, too.”

Arata felt the need to organize the thread by then. Some more veterans started complaining about Attori killing them. If Devin was correct, it was not questionable that Attori becomes the first attacker since most veterans completed her last due to her date-able difficulty. The king would not encounter that problem, but it meant that if ever someone managed to give tips, it might be exclusive to Attori's Challenge. The player sighed at the way the thread was going.

Notifications started singing again, but Arata only looked at them. He saw Devin asking about the situation in his playthrough; but being the good goat that he was, Arata tagged Devin in a reply in his post. ”(At) Charge Devin, if you have to say something. Say it here please.”

”Just when I gave you tickets to a cheat.” Devin laughed with his emoticons. ”Fine, to have a good outcome, you should study the scenario and every item you could buy from the shops. There should be an item that voids the first strike.”

His tips went on and on, but Arata realized that those were only for the normal players. Those items would not probably work in his current state. However, he got some valuable things from their accounts and tips. Items play a big role during a Challenge. He should stock up with anything he could carry. There were also magazines which could help him develop a defensive fighting style, and increase his Dodge and Subdue Rate, or the rate the gauge fills.

Arata's mind was then disturbed by another notification beep from the computer. He checked the tags, and saw Devin tagging everyone with (at) posters, or everyone that followed or posted in the thread.

”Be reminded that even if it was not said, your stats will play a role in the Challenge. High Strength will reduce the damage to your HP, high Charms will heighten your Subdue Rate, and high Intelligence will give you a Dodge buff.” The so-called data miner continued. ”Try to max one of those, or two using various items, to survive a Challenge. Devil laugh emoticon. Take it from someone who didn't die during Attori's Challenge.”

”Keh, I'll just keep that in mind next time.” Horsepower sent a barrage of sighing emoticons, learning about these too late. It also seemed he got the agreement of most veterans.