Vell sat in what had once been the Guild Leader’s ornate chair, though he had unceremoniously moved it from its elevated platform down to ground level. The remaining guild masters stood before him, their once-proud postures now tinged with a deep and unsettling uncertainty.

“Let us make this simple,” he said, his eyes scanning the group. “The old system is dead. You can either help me build the new one, or you can join your former leader in retirement.” His smile showed a hint of his sharpened teeth. “Permanent retirement.”

A few of the masters shifted uncomfortably at that. The Guild Leader’s utter defeat had shaken their entire worldview, but decades of hoarded power were not so easily forgotten.

“What exactly do you expect from us?” asked Chen, one of the older members. Unlike the others, his tone held a genuine curiosity rather than just fear or resentment.

“First, you will unlock all of the restricted training facilities,” he replied, his voice flat and uncompromising. “They belong to everyone now, not just your chosen few. Second, you will return every single coin you have extorted from the people of this section. Every. Single. One.”

“That is preposterous!” Levi burst out, his face flushing with anger. “Those fees are what maintain order! Without them-“

His words were cut off as Vell appeared directly in front of him, moving faster than any of them could follow. “Without them, people might actually be able to prosper?” His voice was soft, but it carried an edge that made Levi instinctively step back. “It is funny how ‘maintaining order’ always seems to involve taking from those who have the least.”

The other masters watched silently, each one carefully gauging which way the wind was blowing. Levi’s face reddened with a mix of anger and embarrassment, but he held his tongue.

“Does anyone else want to defend the old ways?” Vell asked, returning to his seat. No one spoke. “Good. Now, about those training facilities…”

“I will handle that,” Chen volunteered immediately. “I know where all of the restricted areas are, and which scrolls were kept hidden from the public.” He smiled slightly. “Truth be told, I never agreed with hoarding knowledge in the first place.”

Vell nodded approvingly. “See? Change is not so hard.” His eyes found Levi again. “Though some seem to need more convincing than others.”

Later that day, as Vell was inspecting the reconstruction efforts in the market district, a messenger brought him some urgent news. Levi and two other masters had been caught trying to move their “personal wealth” out of the section.

“Haaah, why is there is always that one person?”

He found them at the border checkpoint, surrounded by carts laden with gold and rare artifacts. Levi’s face paled when Vell stepped out of the shadows.

“Going somewhere?” he asked pleasantly… too pleasantly.

“These are my personal possessions!” Levi protested, though his voice shook. “You have no right-“

“No right?” The temperature in the air seemed to drop several degrees. “Like you had no right to burn down shops when their owners could not pay your ‘protection’ fees? Like you had no right to cripple those who spoke against you?”

Levi took a step back. “That- that was different! We were maintaining-“

“If you say the word ‘order’ one more time,” he cut in, his voice dangerously low, “I might forget my promise about showing mercy to those who want to change.” His eyes glowed faintly. “Do you want to change, Levi? Or should I show you exactly how I dealt with your former leader?”

The other two masters immediately dropped to their knees. “We will return everything!” one said quickly. “We were just following Levi’s lead!”

Levi’s face contorted with rage. “Traitors! After all these years-“

His words ended in a choke as Vell’s hand found his throat. “Wrong answer.”

But before he could do more, a new voice called out. “Wait!”

Chen approached, his expression troubled. “Let me handle this,” he said. “Levi is a proud fool, but he is not evil. He is just… corrupted by power, like many of us were.”

Vell studied Chen’s face for a moment, then looked at Levi’s purpling one. After a long moment, he released his grip. Levi collapsed to the ground, gasping for air.

“You have one chance,” he told him, his voice cold. “Master Chen seems to think you can change. Prove him right, or our next meeting will not end with you breathing.” He turned to Chen. “He is your responsibility now. Do not make me regret this mercy.”

Chen bowed deeply. “Thank you. I promise you will not regret it.”

As Vell walked away, leaving Chen to deal with the would-be thieves, he heard the system chime in his head.

[Alert: Multiple resistance factions detected]

[Analyzing threat levels…]

[Recommendation: Monitor closely]

He smiled to himself. Some people never learned. But that was fine, he had plenty of time to teach them.

The next few days showed some promising changes. Under Master Chen’s guidance, the training facilities were opened to all, and young talents who had been held back by a lack of resources began to flourish. The market district, despite its recent battle damage, buzzed with a new energy as merchants realized they no longer had to pay protection money to the guilds.

Even Levi, surprisingly, began to change. Perhaps it was Chen’s influence, or perhaps the near-death experience had truly shaken him, but he threw himself into the reconstruction efforts with an unexpected vigor.

But not everyone was so quick to embrace the new order. His system warnings continued to flash.

[Warning: Detected underground communication networks]

[Multiple section involvement confirmed]

[Threat level: Moderate and rising]

‘Let them plot,’ he thought, watching the sun set over the healing city. ‘Change never comes easily. But it does come.’

He had promised to build something better, and he would, whether they liked it or not.

‘Who would have thought I would end up as a leader of a whole city-sized town… plan A, complete.’

Elsewhere, in a dark alley, a young girl was being harassed by a group of thugs. They wore the tattered remnants of old guild guard uniforms, but their badges had been torn off.

“You think you are so special now?” one of them sneered, pushing her against the grimy brick wall. “Just because that monster changed the rules?”

The girl tried to look brave, but her voice trembled as she spoke. “The new laws say-“

“The new laws?” another one spat. “We do not follow that freak’s laws. We are going to show everyone what happens when the old order breaks down.”

They moved closer, cruel grins on their faces as the girl closed her eyes, preparing for the worst.

But the worst never came.

A wet gurgle made her open her eyes. One of the thugs was floating in the air, held up by a girl with long yellow hair.

“Now this is interesting,” she said, her voice carrying a dangerous playfulness that often preceded violence. “A bunch of players bullying an innocent girl, how vulgar.”

She dropped the first thug, who crumpled to the ground, gasping for air. The others backed away, their former bravado evaporating in an instant.

“Wait! We were just-“

She did not waste any time in ending their lives, and her fingers were covered in blood as she looked back with a feline look in her eyes.

“So many bugs trying to ruin his plans.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep