Two Days Later,

2 nd Banem, 1093.

Moonberry Forest,

200 km. Northwest of Kerta.

Moonberry Forest, famous for its lv.150 ~ lv.200 monsters, began getting its first visitors in recent weeks. Although the average Summoned level still hung around the early 100’s, the hardcore leveling guilds and Summoned, who viewed the game as an opportunity to make some real-life cash, had already pushed to the late lv.140’s, rapidly approaching the significant marker, lv.150.

Moonberry’s monsters were not the only powerful things it had. Its trees, stone, and even minerals like iron had higher levels and ranks than those found in other regions. As a result, merchants often hired mercenaries and guilds to clear out regions to allow the gatherers to harvest the resources needed.

These gatherings of individuals from different ilk needed a place to stay. So, a no-name town was set up close to the forest by the kingdom to serve as a hub.

This outpost was just one of many the Rosen kingdom had set up in recent months all around Rosendun as its economy boomed, and adventurers found new places to explore and develop. This particular hub was unique, however, as it was the first built in a lv.150 region. A lot of care was taken to ensure monsters would not easily breach its walls. Its security consisted of some of the kingdom's strongest law enforcement officers, whose presence barely sufficed as a deterrent against the rapidly rising Summoned.

The men and women in this region were the best of the best—the frantic elite. Both Summoned and Residents alike were regularly found in the forest, locked in fierce competition to improve themselves beyond all others. They were eager to advance in levels, power, and prestige regardless of the dangers involved.

Danger flourished in this forest of wild beasts, which had yet to be conquered by man. This day, the threat presented itself in the form of a massive horde of raging direjackals, haunting barks chasing two black beasts through the dense forest.

The fleeing beasts, one a massive direwolf who only slightly lost in height to the stallion galloping alongside it, tore through the forest, crushing thistles and branches underfoot in their bid to outrun the rapidly encroaching horde.

The enraged direjackals, whose numbers had increased over time to upwards of a hundred, egged on, refusing to abandon the chase.

The direjackals’ anger exploded when one of them dropped dead with an arrow mockingly sticking out of its head. Seated atop the stallion, Kashi grinned as he released another.

With Drixlia's intelligence, Kashi did not need to bother directing the proud beast, which left both hands free to snipe the incoming beasts with extreme prejudice. A sick smile played on the daeben's lips as red petals blossomed atop a jackal's head with each arrow loosed before it crashed to the earth, their deaths adding even more fuel to the flames burning in the packs' hearts.

A snort from Drixlia focused Kashi's attention ahead, where rays of sunlight seeping through the trees revealed they had finally come to the end of this particular stretch of forest.

"Lune, Get Ready!" Kashi excitedly yelled, sparing a glance at the songstress whose body was plastered against Kira's back, twinkling eyes and trembling fingers revealing her bubbling excitement. Without reins, saddles, or stirrups to stabilize her, Lunette could only give a sharp nod in reply, for fear of falling off Kira's back.

Bubbles of laughter rose up Kashi's throat at her predicament. Laughter, which he vigorously let out as they crossed the trees' end into open, hilly plains.

The quartet hastily burst out of the forest, inadvertently catching the attention of a few Summoned that were in the middle of leveling nearby.

The Summoned stared with wide eyes, mouth agape as several dozen direjackals tore out of the forest with the ferociousness of hellhounds. The direjackals’ bloodthirst and hatred were so strong that they ignored the other users standing nearby and continued chasing the black silhouettes.

What was even more shocking was the daeben seated atop the stallion.

Each time the daeben released an arrow, a direjackal would drop to the earth in an insta-kill.

It should be known these were level 140 beasts.

Even though direjackals were pack animals by nature and weaker than other beasts, each one would still require a full party to safely hunt without fearing death. Yet this guy was dropping them like they were rabbits at the slaughterhouse.

"Hey, do you think?" A Summoned archer nudged his buddy, his attention drawn to the massive direwolf tearing off down the hill.

"Holy Shit! No Way!" The buddy, a rogue by profession, screamed as recognition dawned. "It's really Kashi from the Maggots! There's no way a daeben with a direwolf can be a coincidence. Fuck! Contact the boss! I'll give chase, see what he's up to."

The young man quickly summoned his mount, a beautiful ostrich-like bird, mounted it in one go, and swiftly gave chase, ensuring he kept sufficient distance between himself and the jackals, so he did not risk drawing their aggro.

Not that he should have bothered. Kashi had secured so much aggro that the young man could have probably walked among the jackals, and they would have still treated him like fart.

The rogue clucked his tongue as he noticed several users mirroring his actions. Damn, it seemed he was not the only one to have recognized Kashi. More than likely, the others also called over their guild’s nearby bosses to come over.

Who could blame them?

After all, the bounty on Kashi’s head was huge! Janez recently upped the reward to ¥ 20,000,000—an astronomical figure that revealed how much of a thorn the Hopeful Maggots had become to many guilds.

After all, no one wanted to be second or third when there was first place for the taking. Unfortunately for the other guilds in Rosendun, the Hopeful Maggots had a solid foundation that was nigh unshakeable, seeing as they were more or less vassals of the Royal Family itself.

To touch the Hopeful Maggots without just cause was to go against the kingdom’s authority, which was one quick ass way to get yourself annihilated. After all, no matter how much gold the guilds had acquired, it was nothing but a strand of hair on an oxen's back compared to the Royal Family's riches.

One could only imagine how many hyenas would come sniffing for blood if the Royal Family put out a bounty on any guild's head.

The Royal Family’s favor locked the rival guilds in a stalemate where they could not openly attack the Maggots. But of course, the fields and dungeons were another issue. It wasn't uncommon to hear of Maggots being ambushed out in the field by other guilds in an attempt to demoralize them.

The only thing saving the Maggots was the rigorous training required for every recruit before they became official guild members.

Unlike other guilds, the Hopeful Maggots regarded every single member as deadly important, instead of just cannon fodder used to make up the numbers should a massive battle occur.

The guild proved its philosophy by assigning mentors to every recruit. The mentor was in charge of the recruit’s development and leveling, placing personal skills above gear from loot. This idea, proposed and imposed by Leila Lightwood, was as revolutionary as it was effective.

Although at first, the recruitment numbers took a nosedive, when the results began to show themselves, the Maggots had to make their training and requirements much more stringent to combat the overflowing number of candidates who wished to join.

The bottom line was that each guild member was a powerhouse of their own, resulting in very few casualties from such ambushes.

Of course, when former teammates saw their friends become so strong after joining the Maggots, they too applied, which meant the Maggots were gaining more and more monopoly on recruits despite their harsh requirements. The other guilds were beginning to feel threatened and had schemed many plots to take them down.

Unfortunately, Leila Lightwood’s presence seemed to loom over everything. She sometimes appeared omniscient as she thwarted one plot after another with seemingly effortless ease.

The best example of this was still Janez, who was eventually chased out of Rosendun without a single blade crossed despite all his power and bluster. Thus when an opportunity to possibly capture the fabled daeben of the Hopeful Maggots, the one rumored to be responsible for the [ God's Apparation ] in Merriheim, no one wanted to be left behind.

Before long, a comical sight appeared down the hill slope: A stallion and direwolf racing down the hill, chased by a pack of raging direjackals, who, in turn, was closely followed by a variety of Summoned and Residents, eager for a piece of the pie.

As if oblivious to the commotion his presence had caused, a small smile lit up Kashi’s face as they reached a flat piece of land at the bottom of the hill.

"Lune!" Kashi yelled as he jumped off Drixila, spinning backward as his feet touched the earth to dispel the momentum. He came to a halt, bow already reaping the lives of the incoming jackals.

To his side, Kira screeched to a hard stop, nearly throwing Lunette off in the process. Luckily, Kashi's warning gave her enough time to grab a firm hold on Kira's soft fur, thereby enhancing her stability. No sooner had the direwolf come to a halt did Lunette swiftly dismount and rush to the daeben's side while holding a black electronic guitar with weird, yellow strings.

"Ready for the show?" Kashi asked, an excited gleam in his eyes as several lances appeared in his hand. At Lunette's nod of affirmation, Kashi grinned and flung the lances with everything he had.

Even though Kashi was not a spearman and hence did not receive the appropriate bonuses when using a lance, each thrown lance still produced an instant kill. The three-meter tall poles stood proudly on the field, their cold brilliance emphasized by the trails of blood that dripped down the shafts.

The spectators watching were too shocked by the daeben's skills to pay attention to the strange gems securely tied to each spear handle.

Kashi, still seemingly choosing to ignore the peanut gallery, swapped out for his bow as soon as the jackals reached within twenty meters of their location. He notched an arrow at fifteen meters and trained it at the onrushing horde as they split apart to surround him.

At ten, Kira's eyes flashed with a murderous light as she stood with her back to the daeben.

Five meters from contact, a four-meter tall black monolith suddenly appeared behind Lunette, along with a mic stand upon which a microphone was firmly secured—both of which had strange runes etched onto them.

Three meters.

Kashi's gaze suddenly turned sharp. "Let them have it!"

BOOOOM!

Ninety percent of the Summoned present nearly blacked out from the sudden assault upon their ears by the loudest guitar riff ever played.

The players whose levels were high enough to resist that blast, paled in fright as they watched the direjackals drop to the earth one after the other, stunned beyond repair by the ruthless attack on their ears.

The very next second, the onlookers could only quake in their boots as the daeben, direwolf, and unbelievably, the stallion(!) descended upon the stunned direjackals with all the vigor of wolves on a defenseless henhouse.

The utterly defenseless jackals could do nothing but surrender their lives as they were stabbed, stomped, bitten, and hacked to the death by the merciless trio, whose eyes gleamed with all the excitement of children who had held back their desires for far too long.

All this played out in front of an audience who did not know whether to fear Kashi’s slaughter or break in cheers as the lovely Lunette seemed to completely change to a rockstar, shredding her guitar with a skill that would leave professionals dumbfounded.

It did not take long, really.

Within the span of an epic guitar solo, say about fifty seconds, the jackals all lay dead on the earth, the entire valley bathed red with their blood.

Kashi's visage resembled a crazed murderer as he brushed pools of blood from his face, grinning in delight at the successful hunt. It had not been easy pulling and maintaining the aggro of so many direjackals while also managing their size.

Doing a mental calculation, Kashi estimated he had killed about two hundred of their numbers within the forest, which temporarily granted him the title: [ Enemy of the Direjackals ] .

With that status, any jackal that spotted or smelled Kashi instantly chased him down for the slaughter without pause. It was the world's way of punishing those who farmed only one type of monster for too long, but it was also an excellent method of pulling aggro for those who knew how to manage it well.

Of course, no one would be as crazy as Kashi was to run around the forest with that title, attracting nearly seventy percent of the jackals within. Then again, not all of them had a bard like Lunette, with Kashi's loudspeakers invented for Project Fame.

Kashi took inspiration from the rinks when designing the loudspeakers. The little gems fixed to the end of the lances simultaneously functioned as receivers and broadcast stations of sound waves transmitted by the parent gemstone placed within the microphone.

Slightly larger models of the ones currently in use were applied during the war for Aygorzi, hidden below sand and rocks. These gems allowed the orchestra's songs to be broadcasted across the entire battlefield on both ends with relative ease, albeit with a penalty of 30% to the songs' effectiveness.

The black monolith behind Lunette, however, was a proper amplifier. Its interior consisted of gemstones, the size of a tennis ball, whose larger mana capacity allowed them to withstand the runes for amplification of sound waves transmitted into it.

The monolith differed from the smaller gemstones in its ability to 'sync' with any microphone, rink, or sound device, instead of the small gemstones that were forever bound to their parent gemstones.

Kashi initially designed this device, but it was later improved and finished by Jerxas. This was its first field test, and the daeben was pleased to see it was just as effective as he hoped. Usually, roughly a third of a bard's song's boost was lost when transmitted to receivers.

However, the monolith's amplification improved a song's effects by 10%, significantly reducing the deficit. With this field test, the daeben was certain the deficit could be largely reduced even further through the use of higher-grade materials or by increasing the monolith's size.

Of course, there was still a limit to how much Kashi could increase its size before it ceased to be portable, so it would be more prudent to focus on improving its performance rather than its size.

Kashi swiftly looted the jackals, taking advantage of his different gathering professions to gain the maximum amount of loot drops, then walked over to Lunette, a brilliant smile flashing past the coat of red and black his face had become. "Nice job! How many levels?"

"Three times," Lunette revealed with a satisfied smirk as the electric guitar returned to her inventory. "You?"

"Seven," Kashi revealed with a nod. "Finally at 120. We should do this more often."

It was a good thing the warriors above did not hear them, or they would have vomited blood.

Seven post-hundred levels in a single day!?

That leveling speed was beyond insane!

No, it was just not insane.

It was broken!

Broken beyond repair!

One could only imagine how they would have reacted if they knew that Kashi shot past seventeen levels over the past two days.

So, how was it the daeben could level up so fast?

It was simple, really. Pure, overwhelming power!

Even without transforming into his draconic form, Kashi was currently strong enough to instantly kill normal monsters twenty to thirty levels above him. If he changed to his draconic form, he could solo boss-level monsters thirty levels above himself.

Kashi shamelessly took advantage of this to farm aggro around spawn zones, either through killing or taking advantage of Lunette's [Pied Piper] skill, which attracted beasts in a 20m radius.

The daeben would gather as many high-level monsters as possible, find a place to bottle them, and then unleash [Gilgamesh] , instantly decimating their numbers. The few survivors would then be easy pickings for Kira and himself to clean up.

Now, why did Kashi decide to make a public appearance and show off his skill?

Well, Kashi heard of the Maggots’ harassment problem while leveling. He also overheard several people mention that Leila was the only thing that stood between the guild and annihilation.

So, Kashi, for some weird reason, suddenly wanted to portray the image of a good, responsible guild leader and decided to do something to alleviate the issue.

Of course, the daeben was no good at politics or diplomacy. Hence, Kashi decided to fix the issue the only way he knew how. "Thanks," Kashi said as he sat on a chair provided by Lunette.

The songstress took a seat next to him, smiling softly as an acoustic guitar appeared in her dainty hands. She adjusted the mic stand so the microphone was level with her, chuckling softly as Kira, still bathed in blood, lay down to her left, steady breaths exuding an air of arrogant peace.

The spectators atop the hills could only warily stare as a ridiculous scene played out before them.

The daeben they all came for, as if oblivious to their attention, had his eyes closed, head slightly dropping as if sleeping to the beautiful, gentle music that funneled out of the valley.

Likening Lunette’s voice to that of an angel felt like a disservice. Its grace and beauty were enough to instill, even the staunchest of warriors, a desire to drop their weapons.

When viewed over the divine song, the scene down in the valley did not look so macabre. The red splotches upon the green grass resembled the unrestrained inspiration of an artist upon his canvas, the four seated at the center of this once gruesome image now akin to weary guardians taking a rest after fighting a hard day's battle for the nation and its people. Indeed, accompanied by this voice, even the devil himself would seem sympathetic to the holiest of men.

The spectators, feeling weary from waiting for their respective bosses, suddenly felt an urge to relax and take it easy for once. After all, in the end, it was still a game. They should be enjoying themselves, not confining themselves to such tense moods all the time.

Reaching a silent agreement no doubt spurred on by the song, the warriors began to mingle among themselves, sharing past experiences and conquest tales. The more solitary ones took a seat on the earth, their minds wandering off to the clouds above, as they reveled in and appreciated the beauty and realistic nature of this world for the first time in a very long time.

Alas, the ceasefire was not to last.

Some bigshot’s arrival shattered the peaceful break from reality with thundering of hooves accompanied by an obnoxious. Just as that horn sounded off, four more blared across the hills, their intensity not losing out to the first at all, as if refusing to lose to each other even in something as insignificant as foghorn blowing.

Seconds later, five impressive battalions of mounted warriors consisting of Summoned and Residents surrounded the hills overlooking the blood-soaked valley. These battalions, flying their guilds’ respective emblems froze in their steps, frowns creasing their foreheads as they witnessed the amiable, calm scene before them.

Some of the newcomers even began to feel an urge to dismount and join in the pleasantries.

At this moment, five extremely sharp auras exploded outwards, snapping the warriors out of their stupor. The earlier spectators shuddered as they came back to their senses, sending wary glances at the devil woman who still gently plucked the strings, a small smile on her face like it was none of her business.

Their fear stemmed from the fact that Lunette’s song was not just a status effect but directly influenced their mental state. Like, they were certain if they had listened to her in reality, the only outcome would be an exact repeat of what just transpired.

Five mounted individuals trotted alone ahead of the battalions, their very presence sending waves of pressure crashing down on the peanut gallery, who could not help but make way for them to pass. In no particular, these individuals were the guild leaders of the top five ranked guilds beneath the Maggots in Rosendun. All of them boasted plenty of influence and prestige, and had the power to back up their arrogance.

First, there was CyanidePilgrim, a notorious teenage monk with short, sandy brown hair. Leading Unarmed Assault , the cerulian headed the largest guild of specialized monks in the entire game. Unlike other guilds, he was not interested in guild rankings and whatnot. He was only interested in raiding the most challenging dungeons and fighting the strongest beasts, fully immersing himself in the thin line between life and death.

Next was PsyoniousPH, a wisben healer who led the Blood Roses, a guild made by women for women, with the sole purpose of ensuring the fairer species remained protected in a world without laws. However, underestimate them at your peril. These women were more ruthless than tigers and more dedicated gamers than most men in the game world. As such, they did not lose to any other guild in guild strength.

The second lady, a blonde Retribution Knight in her early twenties, went by the simple moniker, Paragon4x. Like her name, she wore a traditional knight's light armor attire that favored speed over defense. She led the Stormlanders, a guild of warriors who devoted most of their time to completing quests and helping the Residents of Rosendun to alleviate their burdens. It was a guild well-loved by the Residents and only slightly lost out to the Hopeful Maggots in terms of positive outlook.

To her right, a scholarly-looking young cerulian in his late twenties confidently strode across the field, gaze exuding a straight-laced arrogance that stemmed from his very marrow. The man, whose brown hair was carefully styled, so his bangs fell to the left side of his face, sported an almost businessman look that contrasted sharply against the other guild leaders, complete with a tie and plaid jacket. This guild leader, going by the name Just Matt led the Metalbrand and was particularly famous for focusing on hot weapons despite their clear disadvantage in a world with superhuman reactions. Despite the criticism, his guild had successfully manufactured some practical weapons in the field, an example of which was the rifle securely strapped to his back.

Finally, but certainly not least, was a buoyant mertian by the name of DogFighterPro, but everyone just called him Dawg. DogFighter, also in his late twenties, led the Free Spirits, a guild consisting of the romantic brethren of this world who just wanted to have as much fun as possible, explore, find new places and generally chill out without being pressured by others. The mertian noticed that casual Summoned were oppressed by the more hardcore ones and decided early on to make a guild for the everyday guys who just wanted to enjoy themselves. It was nigh unbelievable the amount of both Summoned and Residents who flocked to the guild. What they lacked in strength, they more than made up for with numbers, which forced the other guilds to take them seriously and treat them with respect.

Oh, and fun fact: DogFighterPro was not his username. He just picked it up to appeal to the Summoned, who had funny names. That's right...

DogFighterPro was a Resident.

These five trotted through the bloodied battlefield, gazes surveying the massacre and drawing a mental picture of what could have transpired here. Who knew why, but when they were within thirty meters of the daeben, the five dismounted and walked the rest of the way on foot, eventually coming to a halt three meters or so from the sleeping daeben.

The proud guild leaders frowned upon seeing how the four beings ignored their presence like they did not exist. Kashi's head still drooped, while Lunette hummed a tune while plucking the guitar, her gaze never rising to meet the leaders. There was no need to speak of Kira, while Drixlia only spared them a glance before snorting and returning to munching on what may have been bloodied grass but disturbingly resembled a brain.

Eventually, unable to contain his embarrassment, DogFighterPro let out a light cough. "Uh... Kashi-kun, don't you think it's rude to ignore us like this?"

Lunette fingers paused momentarily, her gaze rising to meet the mertian. She flashed him a warm smile before returning to her guitar, though this time, she only plucked the keys. "Kashi, you have guests," she murmured gently.

The drooping head suddenly stiffened and then rose, eyes blocked by locks of unruly black hair. The daeben brushed his hair backward, stifling a short yawn, as a pair of blood-red eyes lazily revealed themselves to the five.

Staring into those limpid eyes, the guild leaders suddenly felt an enormous pressure crash down on their shoulders. If they were lords, then the young man before them was a sovereign, a being destined to rule above all! This was the pressure exuded from that man's gaze alone.

No one dared to take this daeben lightly, and as his lips rose in a half-smirk, the leaders felt their chests tighten.

"You're finally here," Kashi teased with a confident grin. "Good. All of you; Come at me!"