The Empire Guild's executives gathered in the Arabas Palace's council chamber. It was large enough to house hundreds of people, and luxurious carpets, which were the Dellas Kingdom's specialty, covered the ground.

The carpet was so high quality that dropping an iron pestle on it wouldn't make a sound.

A marble round table, which was made by the guild's craftsmen, lay atop the carpet. The marble itself was mined from the Phamas Mountains.

There were ten luxurious seats around the table, and no seat was vacant.

The One and Only God, Dukeram!

Scheming Master, Jegal!

The remaining seats were filled with the Empire Guild's eight captains.

Yellow Dragon's Erik, Giant Soldiers' Tainos, Black Wolf, Red King's Kuskal, Iron Horse's Taker, Glacier's Irene, Moby Dick, and Brown Bears' Ridgeley!

Each and every one of them was famous.

"Let's begin the meeting," Jegal said.

"First, we looked into the Great Change via the broadcast networks. The people were right. It was Kang Oh," Jegal said, emphasizing Kang Oh.

Ridgeley, who had a poor history with Kang Oh, grimaced in anger and gritted his teeth.

"Then?"

"Kang Oh succeeded in reviving the God of Creation, and in the process, the God of Creation spread change throughout the world."

"The God of Creation, huh... It must've been some quest." Irene seemed interested all of a sudden.

"GBS will show us exactly what happened soon enough," Jegal said.

"I see."

"So what do we have to worry about? No, what might hinder our goal of taking over the continent?" Dukeram asked.

"First, we have to figure out whether this change is a one-time thing or not. Our empire's scholars and priests are looking into it, so we'll have an exact answer soon."

"Give them whatever they need. If another Great Change is to occur, we could profit off of it."

Dukeram's natural charisma made him extremely persuasive.

"Of course."

"What about the problems that arose in the empire due to the Great Change?" Dukeram asked.

"The Great Change got rid of a few useless deserts, and rivers now flow through those areas. We can use them as commercial areas or farmland."

"And?"

"The Fishman that came with the rivers are extremely strong. I think we'll be able to bring them into our army."

"What's the bad news?"

"The Great Change has caused a lot of civil unrest, and more groundless rumors about us have been spreading. Plus, some of the Fishman have refused to accept the empire's claim over the land. But... I've dealt with everything already." Jegal grinned.

The Empire Guild, which had taken over the three eastern kingdoms, had a significant military presence. Jegal used their military to deal with most threats that came their way.

He had dealt with the rumor mill using their military might, had stationed troops in the cities or towns that showed signs of civil unrest, and had banished the Fishman that wouldn't submit.

Jegal had originally intended to kill the Fishman, but the priests advised against it, as it would draw the God of Creation's ire.

"I expected nothing less." Dukeram looked satisfied.

"Next up on our agenda is turning all eight of our captains into Masters."

Turning their captains into Masters was key to controlling the entire continent.

At the moment, the Arabas Kingdom only had three Masters.

The One and Only God, Dukeram, the Arabas Kingdom's Guardian God, Dalton, and the Baiyan Kingdom's God Spear, Kantos.

Although they possessed incredible military might, it was nowhere near enough to challenge the free cities for dominance over the continent.

The continent had fifteen Masters.

They were in the process of bringing five of them over to their side, so they had to deal with ten others.

In other words...!

If all eight of their captains were to become Masters, then they would have a good shot at conquering the continent.

Of course, they probably wouldn't fight the entire continent like idiots.

'Hoo, hoo. I've already won a lot of them over.'

Jegal had already bribed several of the mayors and civil servants that lived in the central region's free cities.

He'd also finished negotiating with a few of the churches. If they helped them, then their church would become the state religion.

Of course, they would have to see whether or not that promise would hold weight later on.

In any case...!

When their captains became Masters, they would begin their war against the free cities.

It wasn't long now.

Erik, Irene, and Tainos already possessed 99% proficiency in their class skills. Ridgeley and Kuskal lagged behind, but even their proficiency was over 95%.

The eight captains, with the help of their guild, were growing at an exponential rate.

Even the other great guilds paled in comparison. The support of an empire versus the support of a guild was like the light of the full moon versus a firefly.

They received blessings from their priests, which increased their daily proficiency gain, and they also carried several God's Relics that further increased their growth.

Moreover, they had taken ten doses of Elixium (the max dosage). Their equipment was also the best of the best.

If they raised their proficiency to 99% and achieved a great feat, then the Empire Guild would gain eight Masters all at once.

Thus, they had to keep their heads down for now. If anyone caught word of their plan, then they might get attacked by their enemies, or even an alliance, before they were ready.

"Put your undivided attention into raising your proficiency to 99%. Those who've already completed this task, keep training. Don't be satisfied with where you are." Dukeram urged, looking each of his captains in the eye.

"Understood!"

Ridgeley clenched his fist.

The other captains steeled themselves as well.

"We're continuously increasing our military strength, and we have enough troops to control half of the continent already. Plus, we're ready to change our war footing at any time."

"Good." Dukeram softly applauded him.

As expected of Jegal. He did his job meticulously, and would always match his expectations.

"Finally, we have to go over our enemies. There are three obstacles we have to overcome. Raon, Han Seol, and Kang Oh. And the worst possible scenario is..."

"If those three band together," Dukeram said.

"Indeed. Raon has the Breaker Guild, while Han Seol has the Storm Guild and her incredible brain. Lastly, Kang Oh is a Master with incredible skill and fame. Things will get a lot harder if these three join together."

Of course, even if they banded together, he was confident that they'd win in the end. That's just how powerful the combined Empire Guild had become.

"Is there any way to deal with them ahead of time?"

"We're trying to cause a war between Breaker and Storm. The Great Change caused a lot of chaos, so the two are slowly inching towards war. After all, misunderstandings worsen and worsen until it's too late. And once you've formed a grudge, it's difficult to forgive or forget." Jegal smiled wickedly.

That's why he was called the Scheming Master. However, Jegal furrowed his brow.

"That's not all there is to it, right?"

'Don't disappoint me, Jegal.'

"Of course not. We're trying to break the two guilds from within as well. When you defeated Raon and Hernandez, they lost a ton of respect and influence they had in the past. That's when a ton of ambitious people began to move in the shadows. I'm secretly backing them. Ah, and one more thing! There's a saying, 'let barbarians fight it out among themselves'. We're making moves against the Steel Heart Guild too. Arthand must be thinking that the Breaker Guild is aiming for him. There would be nothing better if Steel Heart or Storm attack Breaker first."

If Jegal was born in the warring states or three kingdoms periods, then he would've fit right in.

"Good."

"What about Kang Oh?" Ridgeley suddenly asked.

"I don't have anything I can do about him right now."

"Why?"

"I don't know what he'll do. If we make a mistake, then he could start a second or third Dungeon Liberation Movement. We won't fall like the Swift Steed Guild, but there's no reason to stir the hornet's nest."

Kang Oh was incredibly famous. If they attacked him, it could blow up in their face.

"Plus, it's difficult to even do anything to him, since he's not affiliated to an organization. And if we fight a war of attrition with him, then we may be the ones on the losing end. He's also close with figures such as Bart, Helena, and Burkan."

Jegal believed that Kang Oh had to be dealt with last.

"Mm." Ridgeley sported a regretful expression. 'Looks like I'll have to get my revenge at a later date.'

"Ah, and I've gotten word that Bart has become a Master. I'll need more time to verify this information, but... if he really did become a Master, then it's not good news for us."

No matter what anyone said, Bart was close to Kang Oh. The same Kang Oh that would prove to be the Empire Guild's greatest obstacle to overcome.

"What if he really is a Master?" Dukeram asked.

"He still won't make much of a difference," Jegal replied.

"Is there any news on Helena or Snow Flower?" Irene asked.

It was said that Snow Flower was the greatest swordswoman, while Helena was the greatest mage.

Irene couldn't accept this.

She believed that she was the strongest female player, and that she hadn't gotten the opportunity to show her true power yet.

"No. If we do, you'll be the first to know."

"Thank you."

There was nothing more to report or discuss. The eight captains left one or two at a time.

Once Dukeram and Jegal were alone, Dukeram said, "How did it go?"

"We're still investigating. However, there are records of a being far greater than a Master. We also learned that these beings are called Grandmasters."

The original line of thought was to become a Master, master another class, and become a Dual Master. Dukeram was currently leveling up a hidden class of his own in addition to his Master Swordsman class.

However, he'd coincidentally learned that there was a realm above Master.

Dukeram immediately sought Jegal's counsel. In response, Jegal investigated the truth of these claims.

"A Grandmaster... How interesting." Dukeram smiled like a person who'd just found a new toy.

* * *

[Guardian of the Continent Quest: You have completed the quest, Punish the Baltu Tribe.]

[There is no reward.]

"I'm done." Kang Oh stretched out.

He had been crazy busy, since he'd been repeatedly getting Guardian of the Continent quests.

And...!

He'd finally finished all of the quests and was able to relax.

"I'm not doing any more! I'm taking a vacation for the time being!" he yelled at the ground.

"Ah! I can't hear you!" He plugged his ears and turned his head from side to side.

Had the earth heard him? Fortunately, he didn't hear the earth's whispers.

Kang Oh beamed.

'Now then!'

There were a ton of dungeons he wanted to explore. Is this what it felt like to not go to a bookstore for a long time, but when you actually went, you spent a lot more time than you'd first thought you would?

However, he had to manage his soul dungeons first.

If he didn't hear the Whispers of the Earth after managing his soul dungeons, then he'd go out and explore new dungeons.

He ripped a return scroll, returned to Altein, and yelled, "Teyno's Nest!"

'I want to see you, my little turtle!'

The gate engulfed him in bright light.