Guild Founding (2)
“Ahem, you seem to not know this, but healers have combat skills too, you know?”
“Ah, yes, yes……”
I get that, but I'm a mana shield thief who doesn't need healing, bro.
Those words never made it out of his mouth.
“Someday while playing, you'll need a healer. If it was just us fighting, I was planning to grind field battles for a few months and then quit…… But with you here, it's different. Now our fight has to turn into a long-term war!”
“Oh yeah! Then I don't have to quit Taitonic! Boom!”
Maybe because they'd known each other for so long, Hyunjung and his wife's chemistry clicked perfectly.
“That's not what I meant. But as a healer, you might die a lot in field battles going forward. You'll have to steel yourself for that.”
“Didn't you hear from Hyunjung? We were gonna catch a few Taesung guys and quit. Honestly, we never thought we'd even scratch Taesung in field battles. But fighting alongside someone who's holding his own against them solo…… Maybe it's possible?”
“Huh? Oppa? Possible how?”
“To wipe Taesung…… off the face of Taitonic.”
Tae-gyu, the sharp-featured guy in his early thirties. A flash of venom crossed his face.
Well, he's holding it in while talking, but inside, he's gotta be boiling with rage. Maybe as much as me…… or even more. He might hate Taesung even worse.
“I understand you two's resolve. Then I won't dodge anymore. Let's form a guild, the four of us, and bring down Taesung!”
“Oh yeah, perfect! We won't give up until we reclaim the Saint name, got it? Promise?”
“Yes! Promise, noona. And bro!”
“Yeah?”
“Anything else, I don't know, but Darius is mine. I'm calling it now.”
“Haha! Good. Hearing that gives me real hope we'll take him down someday. Cheers!”
He had every right to blame me. But instead of resentment, with those two promising forgiveness if we crushed Darius and Taesung, I had no choice but to end my three years of solo play.
Maybe it was fate. The moment Darius got the Ma Shin Sword and a Lord-grade titan, I could no longer see a way to take him solo. And right then, comrades appeared.
Stubbornly insisting I could still beat Darius—even with the demon sword and titan—alone would be pure arrogance.
So I had to admit it. To face him and Taesung, I needed at least a team.
A group united solely to crush Darius and Taesung. Betting our remaining gaming lives on it, we were few but packed with immense potential.
I'd raise this elite squad to the top of Taitonic. If even a few got titans, no matter how small, we'd be an unstoppable force no one could ignore.
And so, the elite guild Burning Star was born—to take down Taesung.
A week had passed since Hidden Card's betrayal.
A lot had happened—and slipped away—in that time.
First, Hellfire logged off for three days after the incident, going completely dark. Losing the Ma Shin Sword was a shock, but the betrayal from his trusted vice-guild master hit harder.
But he was the legend of old. If he crumpled every time defeat or hardship came, he wouldn't have held the top spot for so long.
True to form, he overcame the wound, returning with eyes deeper than before, standing tall before everyone.
Even in the conversation when I left Phoenix briefly, Hellfire was the same considerate, mannerly guy.
A lifelong only child with no real bonds in society, I'd never known what a “reliable big bro” felt like…… until Hellfire kept showing me.
Part of me wondered if staying in Phoenix to repay my debt to him was better than starting a guild.
Phoenix's enemy was Taesung, sure—but they weren't playing just for that war. My new comrades and I, driven purely by destroying Taesung, would only drag Phoenix down.
But ghosting them would've been the spineless move I hated most, so I made some offers.
True to his word, Last Chance messaged me the very next day after founding.
Hidden Card had ditched all contacts and SNS, even hastily moved and gone dark. Last Chance, who'd hung out IRL most, had searched everywhere but found no trace—like he'd fled overseas or something.
Different motives, same goal. In the end, I accepted Last Chance.
Thus, Burning Star debuted in Taitonic as a five-member elite squad.
It felt awkward at first, but guild chat was second nature now.
Stalwart comrades for the bloody battles ahead. But unlike me, the rest still had a long way to prep.
Even I wasn't fully ready for full war with Taesung. My level was still a bit low—my biggest weakness. But that ended today.
Huford Mountain Village and Gartwell Mountains. The highest-level hunting spots, ignored by most. For two weeks, I'd grinded like a hermit in seclusion.
Sometimes summoning my titan for mob pulls, accelerating the gains. Now I'd hit the minimum benchmark for what I had in mind.
Level 335 achieved. Against players, accuracy and evasion penalties were basically gone.
Field hunting, exp bonus achievement, operator's exp buff. Without that combo, this explosive growth would've been impossible.
The guild was grinding hard for the real war too. Still on Taesung's hit list post-Saint disband, but Phoenix hooked us up with Kaljen Castle's private zones—no leveling issues.
Despite the cheery chat vibe, they poured everything in. Nearly 10 hours daily pure hunting—not your average players.
Until now, Taitonic players thought “hit lists” were big guilds' exclusive game.
Today, that illusion shatters.
My indiscriminate PK on Taesung members starts now. My solo field war begins.