Chapter 32- Invitation (Part 2)

The logo was stomped right in the middle of the letter cover as if it wanted Arthur to instantly notice it and that was exactly what happened. That logo was something he had seen so often in the past year that he could draw it from memory if he wanted to.

"A letter from Divinity Corp? Why am I being sent this?" He frowned as he turned around and walked inside again after making sure the man was completely gone. Sitting down on the sofa, he turned the TV off and opened the letter to check its content.

Inside, he found two pieces of paper. One seemed to be a letter while the other one was a smaller piece of paper. That smaller piece of paper was the one that instantly caught his attention. 

"Is this… Is this a plane ticket?" Arthur blinked as he looked at the ticket with wide eyes. "My name is even on it."

Arthur felt even more confused than he was before. Receiving a plane ticket was not something he expected for that day or any other day. Reading the ticket, he found the exact time and destination too.

"Tomorrow, 3 AM, Blue Crest Island? What the hell is this place? I've never heard of that name in my life." The boy muttered. Although Arthur wasn't extremely knowledgeable when it came to geography, he was at least confident that he would know of an island with that unique name.

"Blue Crest island… I have to look this up on the internet." Opening his laptop, he searched for the name of the island to see where it was. That was when he was faced with the second surprising realization. 

"... Nothing? Nothing showed up." Running his hand through his hair, he continued scrolling down, searching for any information. Yet, from what he could see, there was not a single site that talked about an island with this name. It was as if it didn't exist in the first place.

That naturally confused Arthur as this plane ticket didn't seem to be fake. The fact that it came from Divinity Corp made it even more believable as they aren't people that like to particularly joke around with random citizens.

"Is this some kind of newly found island? That could be the case. But, if you can travel there, then surely there should be some information about it, no?" 

Feeling like he was about to lose his mind, he quickly pulled out the second piece of paper in hopes of finding any answers. Flipping it open, he immediately saw the game's logo at the top of the letter with a big colorful title beneath it.

"Blue Crest Academy Invitation? Wait, Academy?" Then, he read the content of the letter. 

'Player Arthur, 

You have been chosen amongst other players who are invited to attend Blue Crest Academy to continue your high school education. Blue Crest Academy is a new institution built to take in all the inspiring Divinity Online young talents and nurture their growth with the help of a plethora of very capable teachers and professors.

We at Divinity Corp, have worked very hard to ensure the game is up to our standard, and to make sure the future is but a bright beacon carried by the young talents, we believe that taking the best talents in will help them achieve their true potential.

You are one of those amazing talents and we believe with our help, you will reach new heights. Divinity Online is unbelievably massive and filled with challenges that only the best of the best can truly overcome. Join us in the Blue Crest Academy, and we shall make sure to help you achieve all your dreams.

PS: Since this is a scholarship invitation, all your lodging and daily necessities are under our care. Your Capsule and serums shall also be sent to your new place soon after.

Warm regards,

Divinity Corp, Academy Committee.'

At the end of the letter, Arthur saw several signatures that seemed to belong to members of the committee and even the CEO of Divinity Corp. That was perhaps the nail in the coffin that made him cover his face.

"You have got to be kidding me, right?" He muttered as he rested his head on the sofa. "A scholarship invitation to an academy made for Divinity Online Players? Hey, Author, you truly outdone yourself. This is a development even I didn't expect." Arthur talked to himself as if he had gone insane. "Why am I being chosen? I haven't even done anything? I'm not that good in school either. Did they choose me based on what I did so far in the game? But, how did they even prepare this so fast?!"

No matter how he looked at it, Arthur didn't feel like this was something that should happen. "Blue Crest Academy, huh? Well, I guess this explains why there is no information about this island. It's because Divinity Corp hid this project from everyone till this point so naturally, nobody knew anything about this."

'This entire idea sounds quite weird too. Why would they want to nurture players? This is just a game, isn't it? Gathering kids from all over the world just to train them sounds really off. I don't know if this is even legal or not.'

Arthur felt that the entire thing was shady. But, knowing Divinity Corp and their tactics, he doubted they would actually risk putting themselves in a legally grey situation even if it was for a greater benefit. They have an extremely good public image that they can't allow to be tarnished by lawsuits or legal actions.

That also meant that this 'Blue Crest Academy' project was perhaps something the people in control knew about and even supported. That led Arthur to the most obvious question.

"Should I accept such an invitation? I mean, they're saying they're going to pay for my lodging and other necessities. A full-on scholarship. I won't even need to work anymore." He muttered. Even without looking at the possible consequences, the positives were just too enticing.

High school was but a few weeks away and Arthur was already imagining how ruthless it was going to be to balance between work, studying, and playing Divinity Online. His days were going to be very hectic and almost too exhausting if not outright exhausting.

If he can get rid of the working part, things would be much easier. But, if he can integrate Divinity Online with school, then that was just the best outcome possible.

'That outcome just jumped right into my arms just now. This invitation could be really good. There is also not that much chance that my identity will be revealed, right? I mean, it defeats the entire purpose of giving the players the option to hide their player tags if it was going to be revealed in the academy.'

No matter from which angle Arthur approached this idea, it felt like it was the perfect next step for him. It could also give him a better idea of what he should do in the future and if he truly was ready to change his life from the very root.

"It feels like it was almost perfectly tailored for me. But, that couldn't be the case, right?"

A//N: Hand me all your PS!