Declaration of War (1)
La la la, la la. The sweet, gentle song of the wind spirits. As always, their healing melody welcomed me as I logged in, and I found that all the guild members were already online.
Everyone's grinding so hard. Heh heh.
Among them, Ra Chan had been waiting just for me to show up, immediately striking up a conversation.
I wanted to ask what special skills everyone had picked, but I'd find out soon enough. For now, I headed to Dumein Castle.
Hellfire must have gotten the message already, because he was waiting alone at the main gate to greet me.
"It's been a while, Sandro. First off, my heartfelt congratulations. You caused a massive stir this dawn!"
"Haha! Thanks. It was a huge gamble with slim odds, but luck was on my side and I barely pulled it off."
"Keeping something this big from me... I'm a little hurt?"
"Sorry, Hellfire. The raid itself was tough, but security was paramount. With the high risk of failure, I didn't want to burden you. Still, I really wanted you in on it."
"Haha! I was joking. I get the situation without you explaining. You went all-in on a risky raid, so you wanted to play it safe. That sword you're wearing must be the new reward, right?"
"Yeah. It's the divine item that guy dropped, the Dragon Slayer Sword."
He immediately noticed the unfamiliar sword at my side—especially since I was now dual-wielding two of them alongside the holy sword. It was clear I'd acquired something incredible, enough to pick up the new Two-Sword Mastery skill...
The holy sword was already quite long for a longsword. But Shark Tu Mertus was even longer. Its blue blade was forged from dragon bone, rough in appearance yet exuding an inexplicable air of elegance.
"Two-sword style... It's not an easy path, but words like that don't apply to someone already wielding two divine swords. Truly impressive, Sandro. I've never heard of anyone growing this fast, and I doubt we'll see it again."
"You're too kind. Without meeting you, Hellfire, I doubt I'd have made it this far alone. Borrowing those high-level NPC soldiers from Gevel Castle for the raid was a huge help too."
"I figured... As soon as I heard about the first kill, I suspected you'd used the escort knight system. And I was right. Who else would think to bring paper soldiers into a raid? A brilliant idea most wouldn't dream of. As expected from you, Sandro."
"Haha! You didn't call me out here just to butter me up, did you? Come on, spill it. What's so urgent?"
This could go on forever, so I shifted the topic to the main issue.
"Truth be told, I hadn't mentioned it before... But the evening after hitting 7 castles—exactly 24 hours later—the chief administrator NPC relayed a message. A declaration from the Gaira Empire."
"A declaration?"
"Yes. To put it bluntly, it was a declaration of war. With Gevel as our seventh castle, Rozentas and Kaljen now put three of ours on the empire's border. The notice said we'd pay the price if we didn't immediately surrender one."
It was utterly out of left field—a variable no player could have predicted. The one empire on the continent, ruled by an NPC emperor, declaring war on players?
Is this one of the first major events?
Being the top dog in Tayen came with perks, but also risks. 5-castle guilds were rare enough; as the first to hit 7, Reverse was pioneering content no one else had touched.
"Ah... Even hearing about it secondhand is shocking. You must have been floored... An NPC attacking players first? What kind of game is this? Anyway, with Taesung already breathing down your neck, can you really fight an NPC war too? If you were just going to surrender, you wouldn't have called me..."
"I did seriously consider giving up a castle's ownership. But now I can't, which is why I called you, Sandro."
"What do you mean...?"
"I only shared it with our officers, figuring nothing would happen right away. But this morning, another message arrived. 72 hours. A final notice—they attack in three days."
"Three days?!"
"Yes. According to this one, first strike 15 days after our last siege, follow-up on the 30th day of the next siege cycle. Even if we repel the first, our forces will be spread thin for the siege. We'd lose for sure."
On the surface, it was framed as imperial policy, but it was obviously Illusion's system to curb top guilds' dominance. Who knew how many more pre-built events lurked in the game.
This content was probably meant for Taesung first... But with Phoenix's rise, they got hit instead.
I'd helped a lot, but I couldn't deny some responsibility—after all, I'd egged them on to recruit more as the first 7-castle guild.
"Surrender! Can't you just do it now? Drop to two border castles and you're good, right?"
"Of course I considered that. But the latest notice specifies Rozentas Castle. Yesterday, any castle would do—but now, only Rozentas stops the war. As you know, it's too valuable to give up lightly, especially without knowing their strength."
"So, surrender another during the siege, but test them this time? Scout the empire's forces?"
"Exactly. What do you say, Sandro? Will you help Phoenix again?"
I had no choice but to help. Midway through, it hit me—this curveball might actually be an opportunity.
It was called a war, but it sounded less like PvP and more like...
A monster wave.
"Of course! Haven't I said a dozen times I'd help Phoenix with anything, wholeheartedly? And from what you've said, this is right up my alley."
"Your alley?"
"Yeah. Back in the day, I mastered defense games to perfection."
I'd long lamented Tayen's lack of one mode: players uniting against endless monster hordes. The ultimate exp and loot fest—a monster wave. Most MMORPGs had something similar, or standalone defense games were a dime a dozen. I'd been hooked on them once.
So yeah, I was confident. Not just repelling the empire, but squeezing every drop of value from it!
"Is that so? With your assurance, I feel much more secure."
"Hellfire, one thing I'm curious about—short guild experience and all. If we fight the empire, do we get achievement points?"
"99% yes. No one's fought them yet, so it's early, but it's officially a national war. Against an NPC empire? They planned achievement rewards from the start."
"Oh, perfect then. You worried for nothing."
"Huh? What do you... I figured you'd help, but success odds were low."
"Think about it—if achievements are on the table, how many guilds would join? And solo players?"
"...!"
Guild wars gave achievement points to victors; losers lost some. Some abused it with fixed matches, but Illusion limited consecutive wars from launch.
For achievement hunters, guild wars were rare bonuses. Most grinded raids, quests, or sieges.
But war with the empire? Empire troops were NPC soldiers—essentially monsters in human form.
They won't send a measly few thousand to save face. Tens of thousands? That's an all-time achievement bonanza!
Exp and achievements from one event. Who knew—they might even drop items.
"But not just anyone can join. With the declaration on our Reverse kingdom, it'll be us, sub-guilds, and allies only. The unknown is the wildcard—can a few guilds hold?"
"Why worry? This is a golden opportunity!"
"Huh? How...?"
"Pull in guilds that ignored sieges or stayed neutral—make them Phoenix allies!"
"My god... You're right!"
"Exactly. Advertise quick achievements, and at least one in ten guilds will bite. Think how many that's gonna be?"
Achievements raised guild levels, unlocked quests, traded for gear, or gacha pulls. Tons of players hunted them obsessively.
Yet most avoided risks like death penalties or drops in raids/sieges. People hated losses more than they loved gains—hence safe arena grinding.
But farming achievements on NPC "mobs"? Guild apps and alliance requests would flood in.
Turning disaster into fortune. Played right, this "war" could make Phoenix Tayen's top guild—an AI gift.