Deicide (1)
I thought about founding a guild a bit later, but it had to be sooner given the remarkable members I wanted to recruit. There was Song Siwoo, one of the top blacksmith players. Lee Mina, who traveled with me, taking down Sentinels and making various contributions. Then, there was Han Jisoo, who was indisputably among the top-tier players. And Lin Taylor, the girl with some strange powers. Changwoo with his insight, and Luke who had excellent skills relative to his stats, were also fairly well-known.
And lastly, me.
I was a player who was currently attracting the attention of the gods. Quite a number of such players were included in my list. Day by day, the number of observers that followed us grew.
Add to that the return of GM Akartus, and GM observers would increase too. After the recent incident with Shin Jawoon, I realized the necessity for a safe place and proper management.
“Let’s think positively.”
After all, a quest related to guilds would start soon. I had planned to act as a mercenary for other guilds, but now it seemed better to establish my own guild beforehand. Dodging observers all the time was also a nuisance.
After the fourth quest, it became possible to found a ‘guild’ and buy a guildhouse in the city.
To be exact, one had to purchase land with an existing building, which would then be designated as a safe zone. Of course, the larger the land, the more it cost, so without substantial points, one could establish a guild but couldn’t buy a guildhouse.
Therefore, it was common for guilds to use regular buildings as bases, like the Black Heaven Guild did.
Even if it was declared a safe zone, it couldn’t prevent player intrusions, so the outcome wouldn’t change much.
“Observers can’t enter safe zones.”
They could only watch from the outside but not enter. Inside a building designated as a safe zone, you could rest without worrying about observers.
Additionally, it allowed for more freedom in crafting equipment or using DLC items.
“Is this building yours, oppa?”
“Whose else would it be?”
Mina looked up at the building for a while. It seemed like a roughly four-story building from the outside.
I could have bought a bigger building, but I didn’t want to draw too much attention, so I chose a smaller one.
“You can buy such things with points, huh.”
“With the current situation, there are many vacant buildings. Among them are those that can be bought with points.”
“Wow, I had no idea.”
It was all part of the game system. Even if the government tried to function again, the transcendental beings prevented it from exercising its power.
In time, it would be possible to invest in regions with points. By then, the government would only have influence over non-players.
‘I did buy a few more buildings, actually.’
I planned to use them as my personal workshop. I would have Siwoo make various items and store them in that building.
“Go inside and pick any room you like.”
“Wow! Oppa, you’re the best! This is why I like you!”
As Mina said this, she seemed to realize she had misspoken and glanced back slightly. Behind her, Jisoo stood quietly.
“Ahem.”
Mina cleared her throat subtly and continued.
“But buying a guild house means you’re thinking of starting a guild, right?”
“Yeah, let’s go inside and talk more about it.”
At present, it was just Jisoo and Mina with me. The others had other matters and would come later.
Mina would normally wander alone, but since being attacked by Shin Jawoon two weeks ago, she stuck close to either me or Jisoo. The defeat must have been a heavy blow.
“Han Jisoo.”
“…Yes?”
Jisoo seemed to be in a depressed mood as well. She had been so down over the week that I barely managed to speak to her. Was it because she couldn’t defeat Shin Jawoon? Unlike Mina, who got beaten up, Jisoo almost fought him on equal footing. If they had continued, Jisoo might have won – if she didn’t wear that mask of sorrow.
“Why are you so quiet these days?”
“No, I just… failed to protect properly.”
“Well, that’s…”
It was a matter of bad timing. Jisoo had always been around, but during the few moments she stepped away, Shin Jawoon launched his attack.
“The past is the past.”
“No. I think I felt many shortcomings this time. Not just increasing stats or learning skills; I need to acquire proper techniques.”
Jisoo’s resolve burned with a solemn determination. She was already strong; how much stronger did she intend to become?
‘Shin Jawoon.’
I recalled fighting him. It had been two weeks already, but the memory of the battle was vivid.
He was ambiguous, not clearly good or evil.
A contractee of a devil, whom I had intended to kill, but who ultimately survived.
‘Who was it at the end?’
I was certain that my fist had struck his body accurately. But something intervened and redirected the force.
Not a god, for they couldn’t intervene directly – it was a ‘game’, after all.
Then, the only being that could do so was a devil.
Devils don’t treat the happenings of this world as a ‘game’. They seriously live and interact in this world – forming genuine contracts with humans, discarding and killing them, protecting and dealing with emotions.
Of course, when they manifest in this world, their power is restrained, just like the star constellations. The more powerful one is, the more restrictions they face.
However, the force that protected Shin Jawoon was formidable.
‘At least a Greater Devil.’
Greater Devils were among the top 20 ranks in the demon world. Even Naberius was a 27th-ranked devil, but the difference was stark between him and one within the top 20.
‘It might even be one of the Seven Great Devils.’
And Shin Jawoon had caught the eye of such a being.
‘This is trouble.’
Apart from his intention to take revenge on me, his very existence was a variable.
Players who had made contracts with Greater Devils were rare even in past lives – maybe five? Among them, only one had a contract with one of the Seven Great Devils.
Of course, Shin Jawoon wasn’t that player.
There was no such formidable player like Shin Jawoon in previous lives, and there was no intervention by a Greater Devil at this stage either.
Devils did extend their reach into this world, but Greater Devils hadn’t shown much interest yet. It wasn’t until the demon world’s banquet that they would stir themselves.
Their world was as vast compared to Earth, which was insignificant in comparison.
“When is the next main quest starting? There’s no announcement, and it’s all radio silence. Do we have to go searching for it?”
“That won’t be the case.”
Mina looked as if she expected me to know everything, prompting a wry smile from me. I did know, but could I really tell her?
The next main quest differed from the previous ones. The prior ones generally ended with the defeat of a specific monster.
‘But this time…’
It was no coincidence that ‘guild’ had been updated.
***
In a building in Seoul’s Gangnam district.
Six individuals were gathered in a large conference room. They weren’t ordinary people; they were the leaders of the top three guilds currently in Seoul.
“So, is that why you’re proposing an alliance with us?”
“Lately you’ve been struggling with conflicts against Grummoon, haven’t you?”
“That’s none of your business.”
Rising quickly with a beastly smile was Outrising Guild’s Master, Gang Taesung, who reigned over the area west of the Han River.
“If you’re making such an offer, it’s probably your side that has issues.”
“I won’t deny that.”
Responding to Taesung’s words was a man of starkly different demeanor – Genesis Guild’s Master, Park Sunghyuk, who commanded the largest faction in Gangnam. Unlike Gangseo and Gangbuk, which had mostly settled, Gangnam still witnessed fierce skirmishes among guilds.
It may currently seem dominated by Genesis, but there was always a threat of others rising up.
“What, so if you two are just going to fight, are we leaving? Why call us here then?”
The woman, one of only two females present and the master of Pianhua Guild, Lee Ayoung, spoke with disinterest and yawned. Her hair and eyes bore the grace of the goddess Freyja, glowing with the beauty befitting a divine blessing.
Even during a yawn, no one in the room dared to criticize her. Precisely because she led the largest guild among them.
While the other two guilds were still brawling for their territories, Pianhua had long secured the Gangbuk region. With a single command from her, players would fight to the death.
The largest and most fanatical guild—none of the other leaders could easily face her.
‘That damn woman, I’d throttle her if I could.’
Taesung internally ground his teeth. In terms of sheer violence, he was the strongest there, favored by Ares, God of War. Yet, even with such brawn, he couldn’t confront Ayoung’s overwhelming influence.
“Alright, let’s not be too harsh on each other. I didn’t just call everyone here to propose a union.”
“If you’re not making sense today, I’ll leave right this moment.”
Agitated, Taesung made his impatience clear. Genesis’ Vice-Master, Hong Gaeun, who sat next to Sunghyuk, swiftly rested her hand on her hip, ready to unsheathe a blade at a word.
“If you even try, let’s do it.”
“Stop that, Gaeun. Nothing will come of this.”
Sunghyuk managed to soothe her, and Gaeun reluctantly withdrew her hand. Taesung licked his lips at the thought of a byte.
“Anyway, fighting amongst ourselves now is unwise. You’ll soon be fighting soon enough.”
“What do you mean by that? Are you declaring war on our guild?”
“No, it has to do with the main quests.”
“Main quests?”
Only then did Ayoung, who had been absentmindedly filing her nails, show an inkling of interest.
“So far, ‘guilds’ have updated, but the main quest hasn’t started yet. However, we have some signs.”
“Signs?”
“Yes. Surely everyone is aware of the sudden emergence of many ‘dungeons,’ right?”
They all knew. Much of the recent conflict revolved around rights to those dungeons.
Equipments dropped from monsters in dungeons far surpassed those purchased from store-marked shops. More than just equipment drops, the boss of a dungeon could drop grimoires with rare skills, and some dungeons even existed solely for mining or gathering resources.
Dungeons had always existed, but their numbers had grown exponentially.
“I believe this is a sign.”
“A sign of what? It’s just more dungeons appearing.”
“We have been part of a quest all this time without realizing it.”
Although it had actually started with the second quest, Sunghyuk didn’t elaborate.
“With the raid bosses, the dungeons where monsters hid were discovered even before timers appeared.”
“That’s true.”
“But this time there are much more. As a result, disputes between guilds are escalating.”
Sunghyuk anticipated the imminent start of a main quest – a competitive battle over dungeons.
And at the heart of it would be the ‘guilds.’
“To be honest, I’m not proposing a union.”
Sunghyuk’s gaze swept over the two guild masters, both understanding his intent.
“Let’s at least avoid conflict amongst ourselves.”
There would only be disadvantages if the three most influential guilds clashed. Any gain would be for smaller guilds looking to take advantage.
Deicide (1)
I thought about founding a guild a bit later, but it had to be sooner given the remarkable members I wanted to recruit. There was Song Siwoo, one of the top blacksmith players. Lee Mina, who traveled with me, taking down Sentinels and making various contributions. Then, there was Han Jisoo, who was indisputably among the top-tier players. And Lin Taylor, the girl with some strange powers. Changwoo with his insight, and Luke who had excellent skills relative to his stats, were also fairly well-known.
And lastly, me.
I was a player who was currently attracting the attention of the gods. Quite a number of such players were included in my list. Day by day, the number of observers that followed us grew.
Add to that the return of GM Akartus, and GM observers would increase too. After the recent incident with Shin Jawoon, I realized the necessity for a safe place and proper management.
“Let’s think positively.”
After all, a quest related to guilds would start soon. I had planned to act as a mercenary for other guilds, but now it seemed better to establish my own guild beforehand. Dodging observers all the time was also a nuisance.
After the fourth quest, it became possible to found a ‘guild’ and buy a guildhouse in the city.
To be exact, one had to purchase land with an existing building, which would then be designated as a safe zone. Of course, the larger the land, the more it cost, so without substantial points, one could establish a guild but couldn’t buy a guildhouse.
Therefore, it was common for guilds to use regular buildings as bases, like the Black Heaven Guild did.
Even if it was declared a safe zone, it couldn’t prevent player intrusions, so the outcome wouldn’t change much.
“Observers can’t enter safe zones.”
They could only watch from the outside but not enter. Inside a building designated as a safe zone, you could rest without worrying about observers.
Additionally, it allowed for more freedom in crafting equipment or using DLC items.
“Is this building yours, oppa?”
“Whose else would it be?”
Mina looked up at the building for a while. It seemed like a roughly four-story building from the outside.
I could have bought a bigger building, but I didn’t want to draw too much attention, so I chose a smaller one.
“You can buy such things with points, huh.”
“With the current situation, there are many vacant buildings. Among them are those that can be bought with points.”
“Wow, I had no idea.”
It was all part of the game system. Even if the government tried to function again, the transcendental beings prevented it from exercising its power.
In time, it would be possible to invest in regions with points. By then, the government would only have influence over non-players.
‘I did buy a few more buildings, actually.’
I planned to use them as my personal workshop. I would have Siwoo make various items and store them in that building.
“Go inside and pick any room you like.”
“Wow! Oppa, you’re the best! This is why I like you!”
As Mina said this, she seemed to realize she had misspoken and glanced back slightly. Behind her, Jisoo stood quietly.
“Ahem.”
Mina cleared her throat subtly and continued.
“But buying a guild house means you’re thinking of starting a guild, right?”
“Yeah, let’s go inside and talk more about it.”
At present, it was just Jisoo and Mina with me. The others had other matters and would come later.
Mina would normally wander alone, but since being attacked by Shin Jawoon two weeks ago, she stuck close to either me or Jisoo. The defeat must have been a heavy blow.
“Han Jisoo.”
“…Yes?”
Jisoo seemed to be in a depressed mood as well. She had been so down over the week that I barely managed to speak to her. Was it because she couldn’t defeat Shin Jawoon? Unlike Mina, who got beaten up, Jisoo almost fought him on equal footing. If they had continued, Jisoo might have won – if she didn’t wear that mask of sorrow.
“Why are you so quiet these days?”
“No, I just… failed to protect properly.”
“Well, that’s…”
It was a matter of bad timing. Jisoo had always been around, but during the few moments she stepped away, Shin Jawoon launched his attack.
“The past is the past.”
“No. I think I felt many shortcomings this time. Not just increasing stats or learning skills; I need to acquire proper techniques.”
Jisoo’s resolve burned with a solemn determination. She was already strong; how much stronger did she intend to become?
‘Shin Jawoon.’
I recalled fighting him. It had been two weeks already, but the memory of the battle was vivid.
He was ambiguous, not clearly good or evil.
A contractee of a devil, whom I had intended to kill, but who ultimately survived.
‘Who was it at the end?’
I was certain that my fist had struck his body accurately. But something intervened and redirected the force.
Not a god, for they couldn’t intervene directly – it was a ‘game’, after all.
Then, the only being that could do so was a devil.
Devils don’t treat the happenings of this world as a ‘game’. They seriously live and interact in this world – forming genuine contracts with humans, discarding and killing them, protecting and dealing with emotions.
Of course, when they manifest in this world, their power is restrained, just like the star constellations. The more powerful one is, the more restrictions they face.
However, the force that protected Shin Jawoon was formidable.
‘At least a Greater Devil.’
Greater Devils were among the top 20 ranks in the demon world. Even Naberius was a 27th-ranked devil, but the difference was stark between him and one within the top 20.
‘It might even be one of the Seven Great Devils.’
And Shin Jawoon had caught the eye of such a being.
‘This is trouble.’
Apart from his intention to take revenge on me, his very existence was a variable.
Players who had made contracts with Greater Devils were rare even in past lives – maybe five? Among them, only one had a contract with one of the Seven Great Devils.
Of course, Shin Jawoon wasn’t that player.
There was no such formidable player like Shin Jawoon in previous lives, and there was no intervention by a Greater Devil at this stage either.
Devils did extend their reach into this world, but Greater Devils hadn’t shown much interest yet. It wasn’t until the demon world’s banquet that they would stir themselves.
Their world was as vast compared to Earth, which was insignificant in comparison.
“When is the next main quest starting? There’s no announcement, and it’s all radio silence. Do we have to go searching for it?”
“That won’t be the case.”
Mina looked as if she expected me to know everything, prompting a wry smile from me. I did know, but could I really tell her?
The next main quest differed from the previous ones. The prior ones generally ended with the defeat of a specific monster.
‘But this time…’
It was no coincidence that ‘guild’ had been updated.
***
In a building in Seoul’s Gangnam district.
Six individuals were gathered in a large conference room. They weren’t ordinary people; they were the leaders of the top three guilds currently in Seoul.
“So, is that why you’re proposing an alliance with us?”
“Lately you’ve been struggling with conflicts against Grummoon, haven’t you?”
“That’s none of your business.”
Rising quickly with a beastly smile was Outrising Guild’s Master, Gang Taesung, who reigned over the area west of the Han River.
“If you’re making such an offer, it’s probably your side that has issues.”
“I won’t deny that.”
Responding to Taesung’s words was a man of starkly different demeanor – Genesis Guild’s Master, Park Sunghyuk, who commanded the largest faction in Gangnam. Unlike Gangseo and Gangbuk, which had mostly settled, Gangnam still witnessed fierce skirmishes among guilds.
It may currently seem dominated by Genesis, but there was always a threat of others rising up.
“What, so if you two are just going to fight, are we leaving? Why call us here then?”
The woman, one of only two females present and the master of Pianhua Guild, Lee Ayoung, spoke with disinterest and yawned. Her hair and eyes bore the grace of the goddess Freyja, glowing with the beauty befitting a divine blessing.
Even during a yawn, no one in the room dared to criticize her. Precisely because she led the largest guild among them.
While the other two guilds were still brawling for their territories, Pianhua had long secured the Gangbuk region. With a single command from her, players would fight to the death.
The largest and most fanatical guild—none of the other leaders could easily face her.
‘That damn woman, I’d throttle her if I could.’
Taesung internally ground his teeth. In terms of sheer violence, he was the strongest there, favored by Ares, God of War. Yet, even with such brawn, he couldn’t confront Ayoung’s overwhelming influence.
“Alright, let’s not be too harsh on each other. I didn’t just call everyone here to propose a union.”
“If you’re not making sense today, I’ll leave right this moment.”
Agitated, Taesung made his impatience clear. Genesis’ Vice-Master, Hong Gaeun, who sat next to Sunghyuk, swiftly rested her hand on her hip, ready to unsheathe a blade at a word.
“If you even try, let’s do it.”
“Stop that, Gaeun. Nothing will come of this.”
Sunghyuk managed to soothe her, and Gaeun reluctantly withdrew her hand. Taesung licked his lips at the thought of a byte.
“Anyway, fighting amongst ourselves now is unwise. You’ll soon be fighting soon enough.”
“What do you mean by that? Are you declaring war on our guild?”
“No, it has to do with the main quests.”
“Main quests?”
Only then did Ayoung, who had been absentmindedly filing her nails, show an inkling of interest.
“So far, ‘guilds’ have updated, but the main quest hasn’t started yet. However, we have some signs.”
“Signs?”
“Yes. Surely everyone is aware of the sudden emergence of many ‘dungeons,’ right?”
They all knew. Much of the recent conflict revolved around rights to those dungeons.
Equipments dropped from monsters in dungeons far surpassed those purchased from store-marked shops. More than just equipment drops, the boss of a dungeon could drop grimoires with rare skills, and some dungeons even existed solely for mining or gathering resources.
Dungeons had always existed, but their numbers had grown exponentially.
“I believe this is a sign.”
“A sign of what? It’s just more dungeons appearing.”
“We have been part of a quest all this time without realizing it.”
Although it had actually started with the second quest, Sunghyuk didn’t elaborate.
“With the raid bosses, the dungeons where monsters hid were discovered even before timers appeared.”
“That’s true.”
“But this time there are much more. As a result, disputes between guilds are escalating.”
Sunghyuk anticipated the imminent start of a main quest – a competitive battle over dungeons.
And at the heart of it would be the ‘guilds.’
“To be honest, I’m not proposing a union.”
Sunghyuk’s gaze swept over the two guild masters, both understanding his intent.
“Let’s at least avoid conflict amongst ourselves.”
There would only be disadvantages if the three most influential guilds clashed. Any gain would be for smaller guilds looking to take advantage.
