Declaration of Guild War
It was like being powerless clams swept away by massive waves, tumbling this way and that before smashing against rocks and shattering.
"What the hell is thiiiis?!"
"Just hold them off, you bastards!"
That was the state of the Paradox Guild members right now.
Miserable was the word for it.
They were being utterly trampled by 200 armored cavalry without a chance to fight back.
No reinforcements were even needed.
"Insane…!"
Aside from about 30 survivors, the rest of the Paradox Guild had been wiped out.
Of course, thanks to the bindings, the corpses hadn't despawned. Daepotan, the raid leader, spat curses at the gruesome sight of them lying motionless like truly dead bodies.
"Hah, damn it."
I'm gonna lose my mind. They had backup like this?
He'd never heard of anything like it.
We can't hold out.
How massive would this battle grow? Would the side with heavier losses bow their heads, while the lighter losers wrapped things up with some compensation?
No, that wouldn't happen.
Daepotan could feel it instinctively.
They intended to see it through to the end.
Which meant, in the end…
It would come down to who survived.
What do I do?
To survive, he had to minimize the enemy's time advantage as much as possible.
Whose time?
The man at the center of it all.
His head turned naturally.
There was the monster who was still alive.
Mu-hyuk entered his view.
You have to die, at least you.
Gripping his sword, he shouted.
"Hold on somehow! Hold no matter what!"
"Leader! How the hell are we supposed to hold?!"
"Just hold, damn it! I'll talk to the guild master after respawn—he'll lend you good gear!"
The survivors roared in response.
"Woooaaah!"
"Top-tier stuff, please, Leader!"
As they squeezed out their last reserves of strength.
Thud.
Daepotan closed in on Mu-hyuk.
"HP?"
"It's fine, don't worry."
"Grrgh! Pretty high, huh? I'll block as much as I can, so stay alive no matter what!"
"Oppa, just hold on a bit longer!"
He ignored the two users clinging to him. Some Paradox Guild members were already pressuring them anyway.
Just target Mu-hyuk. Only Mu-hyuk.
He picked up speed.
Haste! Blade…!
Just before activating the skill, immense pressure hit him from behind. He flung himself sideways in a panic, but his reaction was a beat too slow—a greatsword pierced straight through his shoulder.
Crazy.
20% of his HP vanished in an instant.
-20% HP
"Where do you think you're going?"
He looked up to see a man on horseback gazing down at him.
The knight captain leading the NPCs.
Daepotan didn't know his identity, but the aura alone marked him as no ordinary foe.
The knight captain dismounted and approached leisurely. The sight drew a bitter laugh from Daepotan.
"Hah, this is ridiculous."
That composure wasn't an act.
And it pissed him off.
It meant he was being seen as a total joke.
"A mere NPC dares…!"
Fury boiling over, Daepotan charged.
The two closed the distance in an instant.
"Haaap!"
Daepotan struck first.
His body glowed silver and vanished—or rather, it felt that way from the sudden speed surge. The knight captain retreated swiftly, slamming his blue-glowing greatsword into the ground. Its flat collided with Daepotan's blade.
Kagak!
It wasn't just for defense. Blue light seeped into the earth, shaking the ground. Cracks split open, sharp spikes erupting to strike Daepotan. He twisted away from the rising earth, grimacing at his dropping HP.
Damn! Fall back?
Would retreating even help?
No—just close the gap!
Another spike surged up.
-350 HP
-350 HP
He endured several hits, pressing forward even more ferociously.
And thanks to that…
He finally reached the knight captain.
Got you, bastard!
His red-energized sword slashed out—a perfect strike exploiting the opening. The knight captain had no choice but to take it.
"Grk…!"
His face twisted in pain.
Yes!
Daepotan moved to follow up, but a group approached from behind. Staying put would mean encirclement. He tried to retreat, but the knight captain held firm.
"Where are you off to?"
"You son of a—!"
He rolled to dodge a dagger swing, sprang up, and slashed upward.
Kak!
He shoved the greatsword back with force and retreated, but the ground behind erupted, blocking his path. The approaching foes formed a encirclement. No escape. He dodged the onslaught as best he could, but reached his limit.
"Cowardly bastards…!"
"That's rich coming from you."
"…"
More strikes landed in the meantime.
-669 HP
-444 HP
He rolled desperately, but there was nowhere to go.
Just face it.
In the end, he fell without taking down a single one.
Mu-hyuk flashed through his mind.
That bastard… how?
How had he endured so desperately, so fiercely in this situation?
No time to find answers before darkness swallowed his vision.
"Hah, damn it."
He shook his head and hurriedly messaged a Paradox Guild executive.
*
Both HP and MP were rock bottom.
"Hoo."
If they'd arrived just 3 seconds later, there was a 99% chance he'd have died. But Mu-hyuk held out to the end and survived. That was all that mattered.
Barely made it, for real.
Maybe because he'd poured everything into it.
Even in VR, his body felt heavy, unresponsive.
This feels way too real.
"Up we go."
Shaking off idle thoughts, he flopped down onto the ground. Yerin settled beside him.
"You okay, Oppa?"
Mu-hyuk grinned.
"Yeah, I'm good."
"Thank goodness. You did amazing."
"Thanks."
Sung Min-woo chimed in next.
"Man, you're insane. How'd you hold out there?"
"Eh, just kinda did."
His absurdly high defense had been a huge help.
That experiment…!
He shoved away the unwanted memory and lay back. Staring at the blindingly blue sky and whiter-than-cream clouds, a massive shadow blocked his view. Lifting his head slightly revealed the source.
"Are you alright, my lord?"
The knight captain leading the NPCs.
Mu-hyuk forced himself upright.
"Yes, I'm fine."
He caught his breath and stood.
"Those were the ones we had to fight?"
"That's right."
"Aside from a few, they weren't that impressive."
Mu-hyuk nodded.
"The real skilled ones—the ones better than that bunch—are probably training hard right now."
"I see."
"Just keep doing like you did in the guild war."
"That's the plan."
"Alright, let's head to the village."
"I'll prepare."
As the captain moved to the others, Mu-hyuk summoned his warhorse and mounted up. Sung Min-woo and Yerin did the same.
"Let's go."
"Yeah!"
"Okay!"
They'd crossed the dangerous hurdle.
Now it was time to prepare for the guild war.
A short while later.
Arriving at Column Village, Mu-hyuk smiled in satisfaction at the surprisingly numerous inns. Still, it wasn't enough for all 1,700 NPCs, so he had everyone except the soldiers unpack at the inns.
"Sorry, but the rest will need temporary tents."
"I'll see to it."
"Yes. And once unpacked, they need to join the guild, so have them gather at the guild office. To avoid long waits, send them in groups of about 100 at staggered times."
"Understood."
"Oh, and once they're in, call me vice guild master from now on."
"I'll relay that."
With the knight captain gone, Mu-hyuk headed to the guild office with Sung Min-woo, Yerin, and Doran.
"Welcome…! Lord!"
Kahomer greeted them.
"Been a while."
"Yeah, it's pretty tidy now, right?"
"Sure is. Looks good."
"Thank you!"
"By the way, a ton of people will arrive soon. Planning to enlist them all, so get ready."
"Ah, yes! But the guild master's permission…"
"It's the lord's orders—of course!"
"Got it."
Kahomer hauled out stacks of paperwork.
Right on cue, the NPCs arrived.
All knights, apparently the first to unpack.
"Line up in order. State your name and fill out the application."
The briefed knights did so one by one.
NPC 'Kano' has joined First Guild.
NPC 'Barmo' has joined First Guild.
The long line vanished in a flash.
"We'll go."
"Yes."
Before long, all 100 knights had joined. The next 100 knights appeared immediately, lining up and enlisting in First Guild. Then more knights, mages, priests and holy knights, infantry and archers, and finally the cavalry.
"N-next, please…"
With so many, Kahomer looked utterly exhausted.
"N-next. N-next one too…"
How many more joined? When the last cavalryman finished, Kahomer asked with a fearful expression he couldn't hide.
"L-Lord!"
"Yes?"
"A-any more…?"
"Uh, who knows?"
Kahomer paled.
"Uh, ugh…"
"Kidding. That's all."
"Hah! Th-thank goodness. Thank you, thank you! Lord!"
His intense reaction made Mu-hyuk feel a bit guilty.
"That tough?"
"Of course! Why so many people…!"
Realizing his slip, Kahomer clamped his mouth shut.
"No, I don't mean First Guild is bad or anything…"
"It's fine. Anyone would think that. But give it a little time—you won't feel that way anymore. I've got something fun prepared."
"Something fun?"
"Yeah. Before I say what, everyone's joined, right?"
"Y-yes."
"How many?"
"1,700 joined today."
"Perfect. Time to reveal the fun part."
"What is it? I'm dying to know."
"One request."
"Request?"
"Yeah. You know Paradox Guild?"
"Of course. I've researched them while managing—size, brutality, the basics."
"Good. We're declaring guild war on them."
Silence fell.
Kahomer stayed quiet for a long moment.
"Um, Lord?"
"Yes."
"I must've misheard."
"Declaring war on Paradox Guild."
"L-Lord?"
"Guild war in exactly 3 days. Make sure word reaches them by then."
Kahomer nodded hurriedly at Mu-hyuk's firm expression, realizing it was no joke.
"U-understood."
"Thanks for your work."
Mu-hyuk left the guild office.
Sung Min-woo, Yerin, and Doran followed.
"My lord, it finally begins?"
"That's right."
"I'll give my all."
"Let's do that—all of us."
"Yes!"
Doran showed resolve in his eyes, Yerin worried about potential issues.
"It'll be fine, right?"
"Of course."
Sung Min-woo, meanwhile, looked thrilled.
"Heh, Paradox Guild. Let's crush those bastards proper."
"That exciting?"
"Hell yeah. Been ages since a real fight. Ah, reminds me of back then. What was it? Hayaku Guild? Leader was Miyamoto, right? Dismantling them was such a thrill."
"Ah."
Miyamoto—he remembered. Hired mercs, figured out login and village exit times, killed them dozens of times.
"Kekeke, remember?"
"Obviously."
"We went pretty hard on them."
"Did we?"
"Aigoo, you say you remember then act like that? Can't even recall properly. Wonder what that guy's up to now… Anyway, point is—let's win big like back then."
Like back then.
"Sounds good."
Short, but Mu-hyuk's reply carried immense weight.