Dragona's Awakening: MMORPG System

After hours of intense training and dueling, both Ryuichi and MorTyous had managed to even the score at ten wins each. It was now dawn and they were both sitting down feeling accomplished. "You're good, I doubt anyone can defeat us to be honest.". 

"Yeah, so are you, we got this! I got to go, I will see you here tomorrow" he said drinking some rejuvenation water. "We must train until next week." he added, his excitement for the upcoming battle evident.

"I Can't wait," Ryuichi replied. "I'm going to go too, I got to eat something and get some sleep, tomorrow we need to do some 2v2 unranked, see how we stand beside the other teams."

---

In a dimly lit room, Nathan's father, his voice thick with impatience, held out an item before his son. "I'm giving you this, son. You have no excuse to lose with this in your possession. Understand?."

Nathan's eyes widened, accepting the ominous object with trembling hands. "Yes, father. I will win."

The object pulsed with dark energy—a Soul Stone of epic quality.

Soul Stone of Fear (Epic)

This powerful artifact, forged from the mind of an ancient warlock, absorbs the fears of the soul and manifests the holder's opponent's nightmares into reality. The longer an adversary remains in contact with the stone, the more their deepest, darkest fears come to life.

Nathan clenched it tightly, feeling its power surge through him. Next week, he thought, he wouldn't just defeat Ryuichi—he'd destroy him, then maybe Niyane would realize how much of a looser he is.

---

It was now the tournament day, after a week of intense training, they had only lived two defeats in the unranked 2v2 teams over 200 matches, they thought they were sure to win this, but who knows who is out there, there might be some seriously intense ranked warriors in this tournament. Ryuichi woke up and quickly got ready for the tournament. As he walked to the tournament area, a giant island was floating above the city, with different environments materializing on it, suspended on a swirling cloud of wind.

Arriving at the entrance, he approached the guard and said, "Hi, I'm Ryuichi Kurogan. My team is listed as Shadow Requiem, and I'm with MorTyous Mixtist."

The guard nodded, checking the list. "Yes, you're registered. It'll be 5 gold for the cloud ride, please."

Ryuichi blinked in surprise. "Five gold for a cloud ride? What is this, luxury transportation?" he muttered under his breath.

"Cough Cough... I said it will be 5 gold sir" 

Looking angry at the price for a simple cloud to the event, he game him the five gold and took the cloud with Mortyous.

"Enjoy your ride, sir," the guard said, slightly amused.

"What a fucking rip off, think he is pocketing our money, I doubt it is that expensive, he probably knows we are from Dragon of Times, that is why... I wanna ask how much other paid for this, what a piece of shit." Ryuichi said.

Ryuichi stepped onto the cloud, which slowly ascended, carrying him toward the floating island. The island was bustling with activity. As he landed, he noticed various vendors selling all kinds of event-related items—hats, pets, clothes, and tasty treats that granted fun buffs. The atmosphere was alive with energy and excitement.

One vendor caught his eye, selling Wisp Stones—items that would turn the user into an invisible wisp, allowing them to witness the fights as a spectral observer. Beside the vendor, another table had enchanted bracelets, which were mandatory for every team. The bracelets allowed communication only between team members during the fight so the participant do not communicate with the outside world and cheat.

Ryuichi secured the bracelet to his wrist, feeling a surge of excitement as the tournament was about to kick off. With an hour until the first fight, he decided to buy a Wisp Stone, curious to scout the battleground before entering the fray. Activating the stone, he turned into a near-invisible wisp, floating over the arena to observe the layout.

The arena was dynamic, constantly shifting between different environments. At first, a volcanic landscape appeared, with molten lava bubbling in the center, surrounded by a shrinking dome. It was clear that staying inside the dome was critical—anyone outside for more than 5 seconds would be eliminated.

As he watched, the volcano vanished, replaced by a dense jungle with a shimmering lake, and then, in another flicker, the scene shifted to an endless desert, the sand dunes stretching out under the scorching sun. Each map brought its own set of challenges, and Ryuichi could see other wisps scouting the area just like him.

Suddenly, his train of thought was interrupted by a message: "Hey, you. Counting on you to impress me as much as you did in the mountains ;)" It was Niyane. Just reading her words gave Ryuichi a rush of adrenaline, making him feel invincible, like he could conquer the world for her.

"Sure will ;)" he replied confidently, his heart pounding. 

As the time for the fight approached, a large, flickering dice appeared above the arena, cycling through the different environments. When it stopped, the dice landed on the desert landscape. Instantly, the terrain transformed into a scorching wasteland of sand dunes, the sun blazing overhead, creating an oppressive heat. The battleground was set.

The fight was about to begin.

The first Team was two mages vs a warlock and a paladin. Everyone in mist form was excited to watch.

The desert arena shimmered under the intense heat, the sand dunes casting long shadows as the battle was about to commence. On one side stood two mages, their robes flickering with magical energy—one specializing in fire and the other in ice. On the opposite side, a warlock, dark energy crackling around his hands, stood next to a paladin, his gleaming armor reflecting the blinding sunlight. Both sides prepared themselves, eyes locked, as the countdown began.

Three... two... one... fight!

The fire mage reacted first, launching a blazing fireball toward the paladin. The spell sizzled as it soared through the dry air, but with a swift movement, the paladin raised his shield and absorbed the impact, his armor glowing as he deflected the damage. The warlock, unfazed, began channeling dark energy into the ground. Shadowy tendrils erupted from the sand, racing toward the mages with terrifying speed.

The ice mage, quick to counter, formed a protective barrier of frost around them both. The shadows slammed into the icy shield but failed to penetrate. Meanwhile, the fire mage hurled another volley of fireballs, this time aimed at the warlock. But the warlock was prepared. With a flick of his wrist, he summoned a demonic entity from the sands—a towering figure that shielded him from the incoming flames.

The paladin charged forward, his sword glowing with divine light, aimed at the fire mage. The ground beneath him crackled with holy energy as he struck, his blade slicing through the air. The fire mage barely had time to blink moving away in a desperate attempt to dodge the strike, reappearing several yards out of sight, panting heavily.

While the mages focused on evading, the warlock unleashed a devastating curse, Corrupted Soul, aimed at the ice mage. The spell seeped through the frost barrier, infecting the mage, causing him to double over in pain as dark energy sapped his life force away from him. Desperate, the ice mage attempted to freeze the warlock in place, but the warlock was too quick—his demonic ally deflected the attack, buying the warlock enough time to cast a fear spell.

The ice mage's eyes widened in terror as his worst nightmares took hold. Panicked, he began to cast everything he had, Blizzards, Ice Spears and Ice shields. The fire mage did the same—MagmaStorms, Lavablasts, anything to hold them back. But it wasn't enough.

With the warlock draining the fire mage's strength and the paladin's relentless attacks, the mage was quickly overwhelmed. A final Rightous Judgment from the paladin sent the fire mage crashing into the sand, unconscious.

The ice mage, fled in terror, making him an easy target. The warlock's dark tendrils caught up to him, wrapping around his legs and dragging him down. The battle ended with a swift strike from the paladin, sealing the victory for their team.

The warlock and paladin stood tall as the crowd cheered, the desert sun blazing down on the victorious duo. They had claimed their win decisively, their teamwork proving too much for the mages to handle.

The announcer's voice boomed across the desert arena, "The winners! CursePaly!"

Ryuichi watched as the two victors exited the stage, basking in their glory. The tension in the air was thick as the next match was announced.

"And for our next participants, we have a Warrior and a Warlock, up against an Elemental Black Shaman and a Judicator Priest!"

Curious, Ryuichi's eyes scanned the teams, his heart skipping a beat. There he was—Nathan, standing tall and cocky beside the Warlock, ready for the next fight. This was his chance to observe, to study his every move, Ryuichi was watching closely.