……

Cruelty, the branch leader of the HeadHunter Guild within the Saint Heaven Kingdom, fell in deep thought as he closed the virtual screen in front of him.

He had gotten an unexpected call from an unexpected person just now, and it was about a business that he could not refuse.

Closing his eyes, he recalled the recent conversation.

…

“It has been a while,” greeted Shin almost instantly after the call was answered.

Cruelty nodded heavily as he heard that. “It has indeed been a while. But what do I owe the famous Battle God for this call?”

Shin chuckled a little as he could see that Cruelty was not that interested in having a conversation. “Since you are straightforwardly asking me about it, then I must be honest too.”

“I have a pretty good proposal for an interesting business opportunity. But not only you will be able to earn some profits from this, but it is also another opportunity for your guild to build up a good image to clean up the stained reputation,” he added with a mystifying smile.

Cruelty sensed a sudden chill running down his spine when he saw that smile. He had done a deal with Shin just recently, during the huge incident in the Saint Heaven Kingdom. Even though it was almost like a one-sided offer, the HeadHunter Guild indeed won a decent image for their guild.

However, he had no idea that Shin and the Empyrean Talons would be able to clear a huge Empire Quest that was changing the state of the neighboring empires and kingdoms around the new map that was about to be opened.

He knew that he had been used, but he could not complain about it either since the HeadHunter Guild indeed benefited from that deal.

Since Shin was proposing another deal, Cruelty could not help but feel that it was something similar to the previous deal. But this time, he had the right to refuse since there were no ‘hostages’ involved in this deal.

Cruelty fell in silence for a brief period before asking. “Let me hear it first.”

Shin shook his head since he could read the line of thoughts of the other side. He knew that Cruelty would try to see if it was worth risking another deal with him.

He paused for a moment before briefing Cruelty on the current situation. “It is like this. My friends and I are currently in the Sacred Light Kingdom and helping the NPCs to defend their homeland.”

“We are currently stuck in a tricky situation where we need some people. What do you think? Are you interested in joining the fun?”

“So, you and your friends have joined that event as well,” Cruelty fell into another deep thinking when he heard that. As another powerful guild within the game, his information network shouldn’t be that bad. He had already received the news about the events in the Sacred Light Kingdom and was very aware of the situation there.

Since that kingdom was one of the special places that had strategic resources and extremely rare materials along with a special profession called Apothecary, all powerhouses were keeping an eye on that region.

But since it was already under the influence of three powerhouse guilds, not many would want to trouble themselves at extending their hands in there, especially since the three big guilds had bonded together to chase away any other powerful organizations that would want to ‘invade’ their territory.

From the most recent news that Cruelty had received, the Sacred Light Kingdom seemed to be in deep trouble. The whole kingdom was currently in the middle of the withering event where the corruption of the evil faction was slowly swallowing the kingdom. Even their king was assassinated, so it was clear that the situation on that side was not looking good.

It was also said that the kingdom was currently flooded by hordes of corrupted monsters and demonic creatures. Under the leadership of the so-called ‘Big Three’ who turned their backs on the kingdom and joined the evil faction, the state of the Sacred Light Kingdom was not that optimistic.

From the views of the outsiders, it was already clear that the kingdom was doomed to fall. It was just a matter of time before it happened.

But for some unknown reasons, Cruelty felt that the result was still unclear when he learned that Shin and the others were currently there. He felt that the tides of the war could still be turned at any given moment.

Following his instincts, Cruelty nodded at Shin. “Please continue, Sir Battle God.”

Shin smirked as he knew that the other party wanted to play it safe. “We already have a way to turn the situation around. But the tricky part is we are lacking a few people to hold the frontlines for the time being. I wonder if your guild wants to join as well?”

“And the benefits that we can get?” asked Cruelty as he knew that this was the most important part.

Shin chuckled as he started to this guy for his straightforwardness. “Well, there are quite a few. For the indirect ones, your guild will be seen in a different light by the players, especially the ones residing in this kingdom since you will be saving them and their land.”

“Your reputation improved quite a lot because of your victory over the Wing’s Alliance just recently, but don’t you think that news is already dying? This is a perfect opportunity to improve your image, which is good for your guild.”

Shin purposely paused as he let Cruelty digest those words for a moment before continuing. “As for the other business opportunity – I can’t say that it will be a direct profit, but it will not be bad.”

“I am sure that you already know about the current situation here given the information network of a powerful guild, so I will not dwell on that matter. But let me tell you something, since those guys have turned their backs to the kingdom, the seats for the ‘Big Three’ will be empty. What do you think it means?”

Hearing those words, Cruelty already knew what Shin was trying to say. If the three biggest guilds had already converted to the evil faction, then the seats for the overlords of the kingdom would be empty.

But that was only if Shin and the others defeated those three first and succeeded at defending the kingdom.

With that concern, he could not help but say. “I don’t think it is a guarantee. There is still a huge chance of your group failing.”

“Can I ask how confident you are for this battle?” he asked with a slight frown.

Shin smiled mysteriously before answering with extreme confidence. “I don’t think that we will lose.”

“Can I know which forces have you invited for this?” asked Cruelty with another time.

Shin thought for a moment before answering. “The Hand of Midas will be sending a couple of their chiefs for assistance. We have also invited the Titan Guild and they have confirmed that they are interested in the deal.”

Cruelty had already expected the help of the Hand of Midas since he knew about the connection of the guild with Empyrean Talons. But the case with the Titan Guild was a little surprising, but not farfetched since it was quite reasonable.

After falling into another silence, Cruelty suddenly asked. “How can you guarantee that we will be the ones to take those empty seats when we win?”

Shin raised his brows for a moment before answering. “One of the reasons is the ‘people’ of this kingdom. Once you have become one of the major contributors to this war, both the players and the NPCs will feel grateful to you and full of gratitude.”

“The other reason is because we hold the ‘priority’ for this quest. The person who initiated the main quest scenario is on our side. Once the event is over, she can recommend you as one of the people who help her during the entire event.”

The first case was already to be expected, but the second reason made Cruelty raise his brows higher. He now understood why Shin and the others joined this seemingly hopeless event.

While he was lost in thoughts, Shin suddenly added. “But instead of taking over the seats of the previous Big Three, we are planning to offer a few more ‘seats’ for other people. We are planning to build an Alliance between the smaller guilds and organizations, adventurer teams, and independent players that will represent themselves in the new council.”

“It is a necessary move to prevent the conflicts that the previous council has faced,” he added a little more.

Hearing that Cruelty knew that this was going to be a little tricky but the benefits in the long run were already laid in front of him.

If the HeadHunter Guild indeed had taken a position in the council that Shin was talking about, then the guild would gain access to the rare and unique materials that could only be found in the Sacred Light Kingdom as well as the great masters of the Apothecary Profession.

Those two reasons alone were more than enough for him to see the positive light on this proposition.

But the problem remained. He was not sure if Shin and the others would be able to successfully save the Sacred Light Kingdom against the forces of the Evil Faction.

But at the same time, he felt that it was worth risking since the person in front of him was giving him the impression that they could not lose this battle.

After a deep thinking and serious consideration, Cruelty nodded his head. “I will convince my side. Wait for the good news.”

Shin nodded his head before saying. “I hope that you will be able to come up with the same conclusion. I also hope that you make it quick since we don’t have much time to waste.”

Clink! 𝑖𝘦.𝒸𝘰𝑚

With that, the call ended. 𝘳𝑎.𝒸ℴ

…

Cruelty tapped as index finger on the wooden table repeatedly and rhythmically. After a few moments, he suddenly sighed. He then stood up and shouted outside. “Tell the others to gather in the meeting room. I have something to discuss with everyone.”

Hearing his words, the person on standby outside the room quickly responded. “Right away, Guild Leader!”

*********

As Cruelty was gathering the people from the HeadHunter Guild, Shin was already greeting a couple of people, who just arrived at the Maze Forest.

“It has been a while,” he said as he greeted the people in front of him.

Tinker smiled as he nodded his head. “It looks like the young master has grown greatly since the last time we met.”

Beside him, Adept Hands suddenly appeared, hopping before stopping in front of Shin. She smiled widely as she said. “I knew that my assessment of the young master was accurate. I have indeed made the right choice at that time.”

“You are always in the middle of trouble wherever you go. It is the perfect opportunity to test my potions!”

“How is it? How is it? Have you tested the new ones? Do you have any reviews for them now?” she asked in a single breath as she was filled with enthusiasm.

Shin sighed when he heard her before shaking his head. “I have not tested them yet. I don’t have the opportunity for that since I have been busy.”

“But your Stealth Potions is very useful,” he added as he remembered his job earlier.

Adept Hands rolled her eyes when she heard that. “Obviously! They will not be in demand if they are not. They are different from the other stealth potions out there!”

Tinker shook his head before chiming in. “Let’s save that for the later. How about we discuss the more urgent matters for now?”

Shin turned to the chief engineer of the Trading Firm and nodded his head. “Let’s go inside first. This is not a good place for discussion.”

He swept his gaze at the surroundings before leading the two chiefs inside the tent.

…

Updated from 𝑖𝘳.𝒸ℴ𝑚