...

A few moments later, Vault finally managed to quell his anger—at least, to a certain extent.

​​

However, it was clear that he still had a sour taste in his mouth from recent events.

That's when an image of Izroth flashed through Vault's mind after he remembered what happened earlier today.

"While I'm here dealing with this mess, that bastard goes and clears a crusade...! How dare he...! That's right—ever since I met that guy, everything has been going downhill! I swear I won't rest until he gets what he deserves!" Vault thought to himself as he grit his teeth.

Suddenly, the sound of a system alert rang in Vault's ears. It was a message from someone he did not feel like dealing with right now. But, with the way things were currently going, Vault knew that he needed more allies, not potential enemies.

〈System Alert: Player Haishe has sent you a message, "It looks like you and your Headhunter Syndicate are becoming an overnight sensation again, Vault."〉

"What the hell is this guy going on about?" Vault frowned.

Haishe was the current leader of Fatal Touch, an organization of players who performed practically any task as long as the price you paid them was sufficient.

In terms of overall strength, Fatal Touch was not inferior to any top guild. However, since they were not technically a guild, they were not counted among the top ten guilds in RML.

Vault often used the services of Fatal Touch to take care of his enemies in RML. But, it was strictly a business relationship with their former leader, Silent Steps.

However, after Silent Steps was forced to step down from the leadership role, Haishe took his place. And, Vault saw this as a unique opportunity.

In truth, Vault hoped to form a stable alliance with Fatal Touch, which is why he had been trying to get on Haishe's good side lately.

If he could form an alliance with Fatal Touch, it would only act to further solidify the power and influence of his Headhunter Syndicate!

〈System Alert: Player Haishe has attached a video! Would you like to view its contents?〉

"Hm? A video? What is he-" Vault opened the video; however, the moment he saw its contents, Vault immediately closed it out.

"I'll kill them... I swear I'll kill every last one of them!!!!" Vault yelled at the top of his lungs. He was just beginning to gather himself but had once again erupted into a fit of rage!

Doctor Dark was startled by Vault's abrupt outburst as he watched on with a troubled expression. He released a sigh of relief after seeing that Vault had started to come back to his senses. But, out of nowhere, Vault had reverted to his initial burst of anger!

"Hm?" Just moments after Vault received the video from Haishe, Doctor Dark's system alerts went off as one of his guildmates sent him a video attachment with the message "Urgent! Must Watch!".

Doctor Dark furrowed his brows as he watched the video and it did not take long for his face to turn pale.

"Don't tell me...!" Doctor Dark quickly closed out the video and opened the official RML forums.

When he saw what was listed as number one on the trending page, Doctor Dark nearly coughed up blood from anger.

[RML Official Forums]

[Trending]

[#1 (Video)The Headhunter Syndicate becomes the Headhunted Syndicate!] [Views: 485,109,992][Likes: 101,952,143]

[#2 (Guide)Preparing for the Night Lord's Crypt] [Views: 185,028,192][Likes: 25,039,692]

[#3 (Video)Defiant's Great Sea Palace Raid Full Clear] [Views: 152,018,966][Likes: 19,987,221]

...

Doctor Dark opened the number one trending video with hopes that it was something completely unrelated. Instead, his worse fears were confirmed.

The video showed their battle against the owner of the Mystical Realm Palace and Sacred Beasts within the Demilitarization Belt!

From their total annihilation to Vault's face being buried in the ground as if he were willingly submitting—the video showed it all!

The only saving grace was that the owner of the Mystical Realm Palace's face was blurred out. However, if certain groups of people chose to dig, it was only a matter of time before this was revealed!

Doctor Dark read over some of the top posts on the video.

"Ha! Serves them right! It's about time they got a taste of their own medicine!"

"LOLOLOL! Dude, this video's golden! Haven't they been a little too arrogant lately?"

"Ah, finally justice has been served. Some of their members killed me and my friend, but there was nothing we could do about it. I'm sure many others feel the same way."

"Looking for GF! Will help with equipment and leveling! ;)"

"Eh? Why is that one guy's face blurred out? I want to see who that hero is!"

...

"No one seems to have made the connection. But..." Doctor Dark released a heavy sigh as he closed out the forums.

"Our guild's reputation will take a big hit if nothing is done about this. We have to strike back and return the humiliation tenfold. Otherwise, we'll become a laughingstock!" Doctor Dark internalized.

Meanwhile, Vault secretly cursed under his breath as he started requested a voice chat with Haishe.

[Voice Chat Started]

Vault, "Did you send me that video just to humiliate me?"

Haishe, "I just wanted to confirm something. That guy with his face blurred out who did you in, it's the owner of the Mystical Realm Palace, right?"

Vault, "That's right..! It was that bastard's sneak attack that ruined everything! But, how did you know it was him?"

Haishe, "Naturally, I have my ways."

In truth, it was not Izroth himself Haishe recognized, but rather the sword in his hands. It was the same sword Izroth used to slay Silent Steps back near Avalonia's Arboretum, which ultimately allowed Haishe to ascend to his leadership role in Fatal Touch.

That sword was a great treasure; therefore, Haishe did not believe Izroth would hand it off to another player so easily.

Vault, "If that's all you messaged me for, then you got what you want. I'm a bit busy right now, so I can't talk."

Haishe, "Now, now... Don't be so quick to get rid of me, Vault. I have some good news that you might enjoy."

Vault narrowed his eyes with a doubtful expression. Right now, no more bad news would already be considered good news to him. Nevertheless, he was interested in what Haishe had to saw.

Vault, "If this is your definition of good news, then-"

Haishe, "The request you made is about to be fulfilled. Well, at least, part of it."

Vault was taken aback by Haishe's words. However, his expression of shock swiftly morphed into one of excitement. At last, it truly was some good news coming his way!

Vault, "Then, you're going to kill that bastard for me?!"

Haishe, "Weren't you listening? I said a part of it. As of right now, the owner of the Mystical Realm Palace is above what you've paid us. Not even taking his own strength under consideration, we would also have to worry about a response from Sleeping Gardenia, Sacred Beasts, and possibly even Cross Haven. I'll be blunt. Unless the Sword Saint decides to make a move, you should get the thought out of your head."

Vault was frustrated when he heard Haishe's response; however, he did not openly express his displeasure. Still, he knew that Izroth would be a headache to deal with because of the connections formed using his Mystical Realm Palace. But, he never thought that it would require someone like the Sword Saint to personally make a move!

The Sword Saint was recognized as the strongest member of Fatal Touch. If one did not have his approval, it was impossible for them to become the organization's leader. However, there was a rumor that the Sword Saint did not like dealing with others and only showed himself openly when Fatal Touch was in trouble. How could Vault get someone like this to make a move on his behalf?

Haishe, "That aside, we've located six potential targets. All you have to do is say the word and sent the other half of the payment. After that, you can leave the rest to me."

〈System Alert: Player Haishe has sent you a message, "Targets: Halls, Guan Yu, Mirage, Midnight, Valentine, Qi Jiguang."〉

As he read over the listed names, it almost caused Vault to grin ear to ear.

"Hmph, you might be safe for now, but your misfortune is not your own. Those around you will have to suffer the consequences of your actions! I'll be sure to return the humiliation you've given me that day one hundredfold!" Vault thought to himself as his gaze turned cold.

Haishe, "Well? Shall we proceed?"

Vault, "Do it."

...

Approximately one hour later at the Mystical Realm Palace...

〈System Alert: Congratulations, you have successfully crafted x1 «Self Awakening Pill III»!〉

Izroth had spent the past hour experimenting with the Self Awakening Pill. However, the crafting process took much longer than he anticipated as he was only able to craft one pill every thirty seconds—even with the buffs to his crafting speed.

Izroth examined the Self Awakening Pill he most recently crafted using superior quality materials; however, the results did not go as he expected.

'Even with the use of higher quality ingredients, the rarity is not guaranteed to be of similar quality. I should have known that the system would not be so generous. Still, it's the first time I've obtained a Self Awakening Pill of this quality.'