Chapter 37: Contributions Point or Guild Member?

“What… to talk about?” they asked.

Ethan sheathed his Red-Pillar sword and pushed the woman forward, returning her safely to her companion. He even handed her staff back to her.

“Leave before I change my mind,” Ethan ordered coldly.

Both nodded. Instead of leaving the inn, they headed to the regular room they had booked earlier at the reception.

Now, only Ethan and the two players holding the guild brochure remained in the corridor. He opened his room door and gestured for them to come inside.

At first, they refused, but the man convinced his companion that Ethan wouldn’t kill them.

From how Ethan had summoned them with the help of another player, it was clear to him that Ethan needed something from them.

“Relax… I’m not going to kill you,” Ethan said calmly.

The two exchanged glances, then nodded and entered Ethan’s rented room cautiously.

Nothing happened—Ethan didn’t threaten or harm them, and he even left the door unlocked to show he meant no harm.

“What do you want from us?” the man asked.

“You’re in a low-level, no-name guild filled with losers who don’t know anything,” Ethan replied bluntly.

“You called us here just to insult us?!” the man snapped.

“No.”

“I want to join your guild,” Ethan said plainly, sitting down and locking eyes with them.

Both players were stunned into silence, their mouths frozen. The woman shook her head in disbelief; accepting Ethan would be disastrous for their guild’s reputation.

“This is insane! Our guild will be shunned if we take you in,” she protested.

Ethan smiled, resting his chin on his hand, his gaze steady on them.

“I destroyed Twilight with my own hands. If I remember right, they were a Rank B guild.”

“Big guilds don’t waste their time picking fights with Rank D trash like you,” Ethan continued.

“At worst, you’ll have Rank C guilds harassing you.”

The woman kept arguing, talking about the guild’s future and ideals. Ethan laughed loudly at her idealistic nonsense.

“A Rank D guild will never reach Rank B, let alone A. That’s reality,” Ethan said.

“Your fate isn’t decided by your dreams—it’s decided by the big guilds above you.”

When she tried to argue again, her male companion stopped her.

He understood that the guild hierarchy was fixed—three major guilds controlled everything, and small guilds like theirs had no real power.

Ordinary members like them had no say in the guild’s direction. Only the guild master could decide that.

Right now, they just needed to figure out what EthanArk wanted from joining their small guild.

“What’s your purpose in joining us?” the man asked.

Ethan smiled and brought up the real reason. He opened his system panel, projecting the Event of 1000 Stars before them.

The two players recognized it immediately—the man looked shocked and confused.

“You don’t have a guild, and the big ones won’t take you. So you decided to join a no-name guild like ours?” he asked.

“Unlike guilds above Rank C, you don’t have a fixed headquarters,” Ethan said.

“That makes your movement flexible—harder to attack, though harder to coordinate.”

The man started to understand. Ethan wanted to join a Rank D guild because they were less likely to be targeted—they had no base, no obvious weak spot.

Even if Ethan’s presence stained their reputation, they could move freely and avoid retaliation.

“With my strength, I can secure a top 10 rank in the event. If I do, you’ll earn Contribution Points—and your guild rank will rise,” Ethan explained.

“Contribution Points?”

“What exactly are we supposed to do?” the woman asked her friend.

The man hesitated. Ethan’s offer sounded tempting—but the decision wasn’t theirs to make.

Only the guild leader could decide.

“So what do you want from the event?” the man asked.

“All the Legendary items,” Ethan said firmly, his eyes sharp.

“Legendary items?” the woman repeated.

“We can’t decide this ourselves. Would you mind waiting for our guild leader’s response?” the man asked.

Ethan stayed silent for a moment, then nodded. He allowed the man to go notify his guild master—but the woman would remain in the village.

“What?!” she exclaimed in shock.

“I need insurance… in case you try to betray me,” Ethan said coldly.

“I don’t trust anyone—not even strangers like you.”

The man was startled and turned toward her. The woman looked panicked, shaking her head desperately—she didn’t want to be taken hostage.

“Let me stay. I’m level 32—our guild master won’t ignore that,” the man offered.

“Fine. Then she goes.”

Before parting, the two exchanged a few quiet words.

Ethan ignored them, waiting calmly for the woman to leave and fetch her guild leader.

“Please… don’t hurt my friend,” the woman pleaded.

“That depends on your behavior,” Ethan said flatly.

Without another word, she ran out of the inn. Ethan remained in his room with the man, who still refused to sit down.

They talked casually for a while. The man asked why Ethan had killed so many people. Ethan just smiled—he didn’t owe him any explanation.

Let him think I’m a monster. It doesn’t matter.

While the man adjusted his stats and equipment, Ethan leaned back and enjoyed a mug of beer from room service.

The sun set, and night fell. The village grew livelier as more players arrived seeking peace away from the cities.

“Two hours have passed. She should be here by now,” Ethan muttered, glancing toward the window overlooking the street.

Through his view, he saw the woman returning—with three others.

They all wore the same guild emblem and abbreviation.

“She’s here,” Ethan said.

The man opened the door. A middle-aged man in armor stepped inside—it was their guild leader.

“So it’s true. You’re EthanArk,” the man said.

“So this is where you’ve been hiding all along.”

“If it weren’t for the terms of this event, I would’ve already sold your location to the big guilds.”

The guild leader entered alone. Ethan smiled and told everyone else to wait outside.

His plan was sensitive—only the guild master needed to hear it.

“So… is this luck or disaster for my guild?” the man asked.

“That depends on how you weigh them,” Ethan replied.

“The Event of 1000 Stars… my members told me about it,” the man said, introducing himself as Luscho.

“I still don’t understand—what exactly are you planning, Ethan?”

Ethan stood, poured beer into another glass, and handed it to Luscho, who accepted but didn’t drink.

“The event is a guild war. Solo players like me can’t join it.”

“Miranda explained your reason for joining on the way here—you’ll contribute points to us, right?”

“Yes. That’s my promise.”

“But I can’t ignore the possible hostility we’ll face for recruiting you,” Luscho said.

“That’s simple,” Ethan replied. “Just listen to my plan—then decide if you agree or not.”

They discussed it while drinking. Ethan laid out his strategy in full detail until Luscho suddenly slammed his glass down in anger. Ethan didn’t flinch.

“That’s insane! I refuse to do it!” Luscho shouted.

“It’s the only way to erase your guild’s bad reputation,” Ethan said calmly.

“Once people learn the truth, their hatred will turn to sympathy. They’ll understand.”

“But I can’t—”

“Think about it,” Ethan cut him off.

“Contribution Points… or your people?”

Luscho fell silent, torn. Both his members and the points were vital—he couldn’t sacrifice either easily.

“What if you fail?” Luscho asked.

Ethan went quiet for a moment. He hadn’t really considered failure—because he didn’t plan to lose.

But if he had to offer something equal in value to their risk…

“My neck,” Ethan said flatly.

“What?” Luscho frowned.

Ethan turned to him, eyes hard as steel. “If I fail… my life is yours.”

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