Guild Creation (1)
"We have some truly astonishing news to share today. The Ma Shin Sword and the titan Dainess—those divine items of immense power that we showcased extensively on our broadcast not long ago—were dropped last night by Phoenix's Hellfire."
"There are many rumors circulating, but Phoenix Guild is keeping it all under wraps, so the exact details remain unclear. However, multiple eyewitness reports point to a small-scale field battle near Kaljen Castle between Phoenix and Taesung Guild."
Neither Taesung nor Phoenix users mentioned Hidden Card's betrayal from yesterday. But they couldn't silence everyone—some players who had been spectating the raid near the waterfall where it all went down spilled the beans.
Thanks to them, within a single day, every Taitonic player across the server learned that Hellfire had died to Taesung and lost the Ma Shin Sword.
"If the reports are true and Taesung claimed the Ma Shin Sword, it must have gone straight to Darius, right?"
"I can't confirm that for sure, but something big has definitely changed for Darius. As of midnight today, his ID vanished from the rankings board without a trace."
"It's just like what happened to Hellfire a few days ago! So the rumor about a level-down penalty when acquiring the Ma Shin Sword must be false? In that case, does it really belong to Darius now?"
"The only player to claim both the Holy Sword and the Ma Shin Sword. Darius is always the one making history in Taitonic."
"Fuck!"
Clunk!
He tried to stay calm and watch, but he couldn't hold back anymore and went to hurl the TV remote—only to stop short. The thought of the cleanup if it shattered killed his rage.
"That goddamn personality of yours... Kang Jihwan, you think that fast? Controlling your emotions in that split second? How the hell didn't a guy like you see it was Darius setting the trap? Huh? You idiot!"
The TV announcer and forum users had no clue about the real reason Darius ended up with the Ma Shin Sword.
Even the spectators watching from afar didn't know the full details. Hell, they probably didn't even realize it was Hidden Card who picked up the dropped sword.
Phoenix members, worried about their already shattered Hellfire, kept quiet about the betrayal by their vice-guild master, who was like a brother. No point in that getting out.
Which meant he had to sit through this bullshit on TV, praising Darius like he was some king.
And that was more than enough to dredge up childhood trauma.
Park Taehu hasn't changed one bit. Always scheming without a shred of honor, only caring about his own gain... He'll crush anyone who gets in the way of his goals or pride without hesitation. Trash.
That's why he hadn't logged into Taitonic once since last night, holing up in his room all day.
I turned a crisis into an opportunity with my proposal, but in the end, Hellfire took the hit...
The guilt gnawed at him; he couldn't face Hellfire in-game.
But the world of Taitonic didn't stop just because he was binge-watching TV alone all day.
Even with the Ma Shin Sword in hand, Darius's grudge wasn't sated.
Ring ring ring!
His phone buzzed—Hyunjung calling.
"Yo. It's me. What's the update?"
"Jihwan, let's meet up and talk. I'm at the convenience store in front of your place right now."
"Got it. Be right out."
Hyunjung's gloomy tone already told him everything before they even met.
"No change at all. I kept hoping, checked all day, but no sign of him lifting the kill order. Guild chat's dead silent... Half the guild's already wiped today, so everyone's holed up in town. This ain't sustainable."
"Figures, huh? I'm really sorry. I got nothing to say..."
"Why you looking like someone died? This ain't on you. It's all that fucker Park Taehu."
"I dragged you into this. I figured even if shit hit the fan because of me, I could cover for you somehow. Hell, I was ready to just hand over the sword if it came to that... But I never imagined that bastard would target your guild out of nowhere. Guess I forgot how vicious he is."
Should've just stuck to solo play like always. None of this would've happened.
Thinking his personal grudge had wrecked a guild that'd been fine for over a decade made him want to crawl into a hole.
"I told you, it ain't your fault. After dealing with that prick myself, I get why you hate him so much and wanna get revenge. He's just lashing out for kicks. Blows up a whole guild on a whim to feel like a big shot. He tossed a rock with no thought, and we just happened to be the frog that got smashed this time..."
"Hyunjung... What do you think happens to your guild now? Can't keep tanking this, right?"
"Noobs might hold out hope, but the guild master and most vets have already given up. Users can sometimes dodge a kill order, but Taesung's never lifted one on a whole guild."
That's why Taesung ran exclusive hunting grounds everywhere—and why other big guilds just watched without fighting back.
Taesung was infamous for showing zero mercy to guilds that crossed them.
Back in Taitonic's early days, plenty of guilds rivaled them. But unlike the rest, Taesung would utterly demolish any guild in a war, like they wanted to force them to quit the game.
It worked scarily well. Now, just flashing Taesung's mark kept you safe from any bullshit.
Even on Tiese's founding day, the big guilds united for that Darius assassination attempt for a reason.
"So... you're ditching the Saint name?"
"Probably. Changing it won't help; they'll keep slaughtering us. Guild's gotta scatter..."
"Hyunjung, hear me out... Why not merge everyone into Phoenix Guild?"
"What? Phoenix?"
"Yeah. Phoenix is gearing up for all-out war with Taesung anyway. If you merge, they'll welcome it. Especially after this mess—if I pull strings, they'll slot you into first or second string easy."
He hadn't considered it, apparently—Hyunjung, nursing his canned beer in a daze, suddenly sat up straight.
"Huh, not a bad idea? We've got a ton of achievement points banked; that'll help. And with all their castles, we can hunt in private zones—no more fearing Taesung scum!"
"Right? I'll talk to Hellfire. Oh, shit, though..."
"What?"
"Come to think of it, no clue if Hellfire's okay. Hasn't logged in since yesterday... Feels like it's my fault for pushing to take down Darius. Too guilty..."
"Dude, you didn't make Hellfire drop the sword. No idea why Hidden Card flipped, but that backstabber was gonna betray eventually anyway. Hell, you nearly got targeted too! Why you apologizing to Hellfire?"
"Argh, fuck it! What kinda game makes your head and heart hurt like this? Hyunjung, those pocket-change grinding days were the best! This fight with that prick... Was I dumb to start it?"
In reality, without "violence" or "anonymity," relationships stayed polite. But in VR, they got brutally honest—and savage.
Grudges in Taitonic, big guild rivalries... Suddenly, he missed the pure gaming days, free of it all.
"Too late. The day you started using the Holy Sword, and the moment Park Taehu hit our guild—we're locked in. Can't stop now. Jihwan, that's why I gotta tell you something."
"Yeah? Shoot."
"Merging Saint into Phoenix? Cool, I'm down. But me and a few others? Not joining."
"Why? Someone quitting over this?"
"Opposite. They wanna proper revenge on Taesung for striking first. Quit or not, they gotta land a hit to feel better. Even if it's endless field PK!"
"Whoa, for real? Classic your guild... Not everyone could make that call. How many?"
"Not many. It's rough. Just the guild master and one close sis. So... You ever thought of starting a guild?"
"What? A guild? Me?"
"Yeah. Talked to them before coming. They're set on it. Whaddya say? Wanna meet 'em now?"
"I heard Blessed Face knows Sandro, but I had no idea you were real-life friends."
"You're the Sandro who borrowed my gear way back? Haha, explains why Hyunjung never bugs me for favors—you're tight! I'm Blessed Moving, Saint's guild master. And this is Blessed Pabol, our main DPS."
Choi Taegy u and Lee Seojin—the two already deep into drinks when he and Hyunjung joined them.
I suggested meeting first, but you sure it's cool?
Totally. Wasn't planning to hide forever anyway. Leveled up, did some streams—exposure was coming. And would folks you got hit by Taesung because of me sell me out? You're both loaded, right?
True, they're on another level from a scrub like me. Sweet, let's roll!
Sudden guild creation pitch... He was born a solo player, hated guild life—never even dreamed of it.
Sure, he'd made throwaway guilds for sieges, but officially creating one with members? Whole different beast.
But Hyunjung's story changed his mind. Saint's downfall was on him. He had to own it.
Now that he'd met these two vowing revenge till they quit, he couldn't let it end that way.
He'd always dodged doxxing, but this time, he wanted to apologize in person.
"I'm really sorry... My carelessness got your guild in this mess."
"Don't say that. Sandro didn't sell us out. Darius always had a grudge anyway—don't sweat it."
"Yeah. Remember that Minotaur King hunt? Beef started then. We snagged it first... Guess he held it against us. Petty asshole confirmed!"
"Oh, that? Over a year ago—really because of that?"
"Totally. After this stunt? Guy who scarfed the Ma Shin Sword had zero excuse to grind us forever. Just been nursing that grudge."
Longtime guildmates bantered easy. Right choice? He wasn't sure. But he was in now.
"You're both older—drop the formal talk."
"Huh, yeah? Makes sense for fighting Taesung together."
He'd heard: Taegyu's dad was a three-term assemblyman; Seojin's family birthed two ministers. True "saints."
Unlike Park Taehu, no arrogance showed.
"Yeah. Hyunjung mentioned, but you two really going all-in against Taesung?"
"Yep. Phoenix is solid, but I was Saint's master for 11 years. Gotta avenge the name they trashed. Unlimited PK on Taesung scum? Can't do that in Phoenix."
"Gotcha... Didn't know your classes. Seojin-noona's a mage, right? Taegyu-hyung, gotta be tank as ex-master?"
"Dude, you know nothing? Hyung's a healer."
"What? Healer?"
Didn't expect such confidence for field wars. A healer PK plan? No wonder.