〈System Alert: You have received 100 World Fame!〉

〈System Alert: You have received 25 gold coins!〉

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〈System Alert: You have x1 «Special Material Bag»!〉

Name: Special Material Bag(Soulbound)

Usage: Randomly generates one rare or higher quality material that is related to the user's profession. If the user has no profession, this bag cannot be opened.

Special Note: This item is soulbound to its original owner and cannot be traded or sold. This item is automatically destroyed if dropped from the user's inventory.

The World Fame and gold coins were not that impressive since it was not uncommon to receive them for being the first player to complete a specific task. The Special Rare Material Bag, on the other hand, was something Izroth had never seen before today.

'Rare or higher... Does this mean that it can also produce a divine quality material? If so, this material bag is invaluable.'

Izroth was tempted to use it right away, but he had other plans in mind for it. In the end, he decided to place it into his inventory for the time being along with one of the two Five Cycles Pills he crafted.

As for the other pill, Izroth directly consumed it. The instant he did so, a refreshing feeling washed over his senses. His sight, hearing, smell—Izroth could feel every last one of his senses reach a new height as the world around him became increasingly vivid.

'The pill grade only increased by one, but the difference is like that of night and day. There is a clear gap between every pill grade; however, it's the first time the gap has been this wide with a single step forward. Grade four pills seem to contain a hidden energy within their core that separates them from grade three pills. That's probably the reason behind why it acted so violently at the last second when the Blessing of the Craft effect took place.'

Next, Izroth looked over his Unparalleled Craftsman skill to check on how much its skill mastery had risen after crafting for nearly thirty minutes straight.

'Hm? Strange... Why hasn't it gone up?'

Despite Izroth's efforts, the skill mastery for Unparalleled Craftsman had not budged even 0.01%!

'Even after crafting hundreds of grade three pills, it's still at zero percent. Can it be that merely crafting is not enough to increase the skill mastery? Or, are grade three pills just insufficient?'

Izroth had many thoughts as he waved his hand over the Dark Abyssal Cauldron and returned it to his inventory. He would have liked to continue crafting and pushing the limits of his new skills, but...

'I suppose I've kept them waiting long enough.'

"Come out," Izroth said to seemingly no one. However, a few moments later, a figure stepped out from the nearby forested area.

"You appeared to be in a deep state of concentration, so I figured it was best not to disturb you—was I wrong, Mr. First Place?" A familiar voice sounded. Not too long after that person walked out of the forested area, a group of individuals stepped out as well. In total, there were nearly thirty people!

"No, to be honest, given your personality, I did not expect you to wait so patiently, guild leader Meng Jiang," Izroth stated.

Izroth had detected Meng Jiang and the players with her around five minutes ago. Since he knew that they held no ill intentions and saw that they were staying back to allow him to concentrate in peace, Izroth chose to continue his crafting.

"Even I know how to read the atmosphere at times like this. Besides, I can say the same about you." Meng Jiang replied. She requested that Izroth hold off on attacking the Headhunter Syndicate for a few days so that she could make some preparations, and he kept his word.

She then continued, "So, were you successful?" Meng Jiang inquired with a smile.

"I'm sure you already know the answer to that question," Izroth responded.

"Hm... I suppose so? Though if you are worried, I have already given the order that what was seen here today is not to leave this place." Meng Jiang said calmly as she stopped before Izroth.

"As long as you understand." Izroth knew how insightful Meng Jiang could be from their previous encounter. From his earlier actions, she likely deduced his identity as the Pill Emperor.

Of course, it was only a matter of time until this news was widespread. After all, others would no doubt find it strange that no one had ever seen or heard of this mysterious Pill Emperor outside of Izroth himself. There were probably even those who already made the connection but had no proof to back it up.

But, even if this news would be common knowledge soon enough, Izroth did not enjoy others speaking behind his back. Ultimately, he was not too worried due to Meng Jiang's unique circumstances. Even though Izroth had not decided to fully trust her just yet, he felt that she was someone worth giving that opportunity to.

"Then, since that's taken care of—shall we proceed at once? It would seem that we have both been quite busy these past few days, Mr. First Place." Meng Jiang commented.

...

Five minutes later...

Meng Jiang brought Izroth up to speed on her plans regarding the Headhunter Syndicate.

According to the Sacred Beasts guild leader, she originally planned to simultaneously strike at the weak areas where the Headhunter Syndicate's players were mainly gathered in the Demilitarization Belt.

Unfortunately, this plan had been turned on its head by the sudden drastic shift of power that took place after Ekquilore's appearance on the battlefield. Now, it was almost impossible to go anywhere close to those areas since it was so deep within the Demilitarization Belt.

Therefore, Meng Jiang came up with a new route to take.

Meng Jiang removed a highly detailed Realm Chart from her inventory. It made those Realm Charts put up for sale in the auction house look like they were something doodled by children.

"This is... The Demilitarization Belt? You were able to map out the entire region?" Izroth suspected that Meng Jiang had a solid understanding of the Demilitarization Belt's layout; however, he did not think that it would be to this extent.

"It's important to know every corner of your home, don't you agree? Since my Sacred Beasts decided to set up our base in Rosentarus instead of Amaharpe like most of the other top guilds, we've had to take extra measures to ensure that we always hold the upper hand. The top guilds may look peaceful on the surface, but therein lies turbulence under the waves. One can never be too careful." Meng Jiang stated.

She then pointed to three different areas on the Realm Chart and explained, "As you know, the Headhunter Syndicate has multiple bases located within the Demilitarization Belt. The situation has changed over the past couple of days, but these three points contain the highest concentration of players from the Headhunter Syndicate. However, there is a problem."

Meng Jiang dragged her finger over the Realm Chart to a place marked "Ryden's Point".

"It is virtually impossible to get past Ryden's Point without being detected due to the open field environment in this area. Additionally, we will have to deal with whatever security measures Tempest, and their allies have set in place. That being said, if we want to reach our targets, finding a way to pass through Ryden's Point undetected is a necessity." Meng Jiang explained.

"Oh? If we take this route, couldn't we avoid Ryden's Point altogether?" Izroth questioned as he pointed at an unobstructed section of the Realm Chart that showed a path around Ryden's Point that led to their target.

"We could, but..." Meng Jiang released a helpless sigh as she shook her head.

"The land in that area has been contaminated by a vicious blood mist. Usually, one would consume a potion or utilize a skill to cleanse the poisonous effects, but nothing seems to work against the poison this mist emits. We've tried everything, but the teams we send have always ended up dying." Meng Jiang revealed.

'A blood mist that even potions and skills have no effect on? Interesting... It depends on the strength of the blood mist, but perhaps 'that' will work.'

"How long would it take for your fastest player to reach the blood mist and return?" Izroth asked.

"If we are talking in terms of pure speed, it would take me roughly fifteen minutes to make a round trip on Acogu'An. But, that would draw too much attention. If we want to use a more discreet method, it would take our fastest player on foot, Hundred Lakes, almost an hour to make it there and back. Why do you ask?" Meng Jiang inquired.

"Because—I may have a way that we can move through this blood mist unharmed. However, I first need to confirm something." Izroth said with a carefree smile.