Chapter 16: Guild Pre-Recruitment

The air inside the wooden hut grew tense after Ethan said that. It wasn’t without reason—he did it on purpose, to show them that killing him wouldn’t be that easy.

“Forget about killing each other. You don’t have to be scared,” Ethan said calmly.

“As long as you don’t do anything reckless, I won’t kill you either.”

The man leading the quest party nodded. He felt relieved that Ethan managed to keep his emotions under control.

The moment Ethan slashed that bear monster was more than enough to convince him that Ethan was on a completely different level from his party.

If he insisted on fighting, there was a high chance all three of them would be killed.

Ethan lay down on the bed, looking relaxed, while the three others stayed seated on their wooden chairs.

He could faintly hear them chatting about something—some kind of new event being talked about everywhere.

“Guild recruitment pre-tournament?” Ethan asked, overhearing.

“Yeah,” the woman replied. “Some big guilds came to the southern region to look for potential players. Looks like there aren’t many unguilded players left in the big cities.”

He sat up on the edge of the bed, narrowing his eyes, trying to figure out which guilds were coming to recruit.

If Lionark comes too, maybe I can join that tournament.

“I heard from a player in Estelle City,” the woman continued, “there are Silver Star, Redemption Sword, Sacred Hall, and Scavenger Guilds.”

I only know Redemption Sword and Scavenger. Lionark fought against them before—and won every single guild war.

“What about other cities? Are the guilds different in each one?” Ethan asked.

The woman nodded. “From what I remember, Lionark will do their recruitment in Nile City.”

“That’s it!”

“Lionark,” Ethan said, his voice full of excitement.

That made the three players in front of him freeze in surprise. They didn’t expect Ethan to show interest in the tournament.

But with his PK status, they knew it wouldn’t be easy for him to join.

“What’s with Lionark?” the party leader asked.

Ethan shook his head. There was no way he could tell them that Ashley was his friend. They wouldn’t believe him anyway.

Lionark had joined the ranks of the S-rank elite guilds, and Ashley had become incredibly popular—especially among male players.

“Nothing. I just admire Lionark. They’re an amazing guild,” Ethan said.

“They were amazing,” the man replied. “But since their guild master died two years ago, people stopped believing in them.”

“You sure know a lot about Lionark,” Ethan said.

“Of course. They were once the most powerful guild and even won the Tower of Ascension’s Grand Tournament.”

“Still,” the man added, “under Ashley’s leadership, many of the members started doubting her strength.”

“Didn’t she have two close friends who always supported her?” Ethan asked, curious.

The man went quiet, glancing at his two friends beside him. Ethan’s question felt strange to him.

News about Lionark had always been a hot topic across the entire CirdDos social media. Even a small issue in that guild would quickly spread among players.

“Maybe you’re not updated,” the man said finally. “But something happened to them.”

“Player JohnRick and MagisterDao left Lionark.”

“WHAT?!” Ethan shouted, shocked.

He instinctively summoned his Flamefang sword, standing up straight. The three players immediately drew their weapons and prepared to run.

“Rick… Gordon… what were they thinking?!” Ethan growled in frustration.

Lionark had fallen apart. No wonder so many members started to doubt Ashley’s leadership. The pillars of Lionark Guild had always been me, Ashley, Gordon, and Rick.

Now Ashley was the only one left.

Like it or not, I have to go there and help her myself.

Not only did Ethan’s tone turn aggressive, but his aura also surged, making the three players tremble. The party leader tried his best to calm him down.

Ethan slowly regained his composure. He let his power fade and returned his sword to safe mode.

The wind eased. The tension disappeared. Ethan sat back down on the edge of the bed, holding his head, feeling guilty for what had happened to Lionark.

“They’re still an S-rank elite guild, right?” Ethan asked.

“Yeah. That rank was given six months ago, when JohnRick and MagisterDao were still with them.”

“Then soon—”

“The next evaluation for all guilds,” Ethan cut in. The man looked surprised.

“Right. You sure know a lot about guild systems, Ethan. Is this your alt account?” the man asked curiously.

“You could say that.”

“When will the guild recruitment pre-tournament be held?” Ethan asked.

“Next week. Simultaneously in the three major beginner cities,” the woman replied.

Ethan nodded. He heard the soft sound of rain easing outside—the storm in the forest was ending.

Realizing that, the man and his two friends stood up to leave. Ethan cleared his throat and nodded, letting them go.

“Don’t come into the forest at night. Monsters here get extra damage buffs after sunset.”

“Got it. Thanks for your help, Ethan,” the man said before they left.

Ethan stayed by the hut’s doorway, staring at the trees for a while, thinking about what had happened to Lionark.

If the next guild evaluation dropped their rank, there would definitely be mass resignations. Ashley would be devastated.

The only way I can make them notice me again is to stand out in that tournament. That way, they’ll have no choice but to accept me.

He had six days left on his Talent Quest. Ethan decided to spend that time hunting monsters above level 10.

Going after level 15 monsters would only waste his time and MP. It was better to focus on level 11 or 12 monsters—ones he could kill with a single skill.

His goal wasn’t high EXP, but to finish the mission and get the reward: the Passive Skill “Intimidate.”

Ethan knew how valuable that passive skill would be in battle. That’s why he had to make sure he got it before the tournament started.

No more time to waste. It’s time to hunt again.

***

Six days later.

Western Forest Region.

Ethan raised his sword and unleashed a crimson slash at a group of Wild Boars. The hit landed cleanly, killing them instantly.

Wild Boars were mid-sized monsters with sharp tusks and Level 11. At that level, Ethan could easily wipe them out with one Crimson Slash.

[DING! Congratulations, you killed a monster.]

[Name: Wild Boar Forest (Lv.11)] [Amount: 12]

[+1200 EXP] [+1000 Gold]

[Congratulations! You leveled up!]

[Level 32 → Level 33]

[EXP: 11315/16050] [AP: +10]

The EXP gain pushed Ethan into a higher level range. He had passed the beginner phase and entered the mid-tier—players around Level 30–50.

[Talent Quest:]

[4. Kill 100 monsters above Level 10] [CLEAR!]

[Duration: 12:08:45]

[Reward: Passive Skill – Intimidate]

Right after killing the monsters, the Talent Quest panel appeared—mission complete.

A red aura flared around Ethan’s body, signaling that the new passive skill was being implanted into his system.

[Passive Skill Activated]

[Intimidate]

[Effect: After using a skill, this passive activates and spreads an intimidation field with a 10-meter radius around the player. Enemies inside suffer damage reduction and slow for 5 seconds.]

Ethan nodded slightly. He knew passive skills weren’t as strong as main skills, but he also knew how to use this one effectively.

[Talent Quest:]

[Next quest will unlock at Level 55 or when the 4th skill slot opens.]

Not only was the mission done, but the Talent Quest also informed him that he could take a break from talent missions until Level 55.

He was glad. No more grinding for now—he could finally focus on the guild and his PK status.

“The Guild Pre-Recruitment Tournament starts tomorrow. Tonight, I need to prepare everything.”

“Lionark… Ashley… I’m coming to save you.”

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