Evelyn’s side of the guild was in an uproar.
"Damn it, is Blood Gorge looking down on us? My Queen! Let’s form a party for that Willitan Estate and clear the dungeon before they do!"
The outburst ca from a rogue nad Solo Dancer, who, true to his na, never missed a chance to stir the pot. As one of the guild’s unofficial jesters, he had a knack for keeping things lively.
Rumor had it he was trying to pursue Evelyn, but Ryan had never seen even a flicker of chemistry between them. Solo Dancer might’ve claid to be into her, but he never took any real steps beyond playful banter. It felt more like he was using Evelyn as a convenient excuse—either to boost his own image or deflect from sothing else.
Evelyn had personally invited him into the guild, but she spoke to him with the sa tone she used for anyone else—blunt, casual, indifferent. That only added to Ryan’s confusion.
Mia, on the other hand, clearly knew sothing. But whenever Ryan tried to press her, she’d just giggle behind her hand like she was guarding so juicy secret.
"Forget it, you little level-10 rogue," Evelyn snapped. "Go cool off sowhere else."
Still, Solo Dancer’s comnt had sparked an idea.
"Forming a group for the Willitan Estate... hmm. Yeah, let’s do it," she announced, her voice rising with excitent. "Let’s clear that dungeon first and show those Blood Gorge guys what real players look like!"
Tyrant Queen was in full command now. Her words sent a jolt through the faction heartland—players rallied imdiately, their energy far surpassing the buzz Ryan’s team had drumd up earlier.
"Hey, hold on!" soone called out.
It was a female priest from Evelyn’s faction nad JadeVex. "My husband and I are about to hit level 15 after we turn in this quest. Let’s make this interesting—we’ll compete too!"
Her husband, SwordSaint01, a warrior—as his overly proud na suggested—chid in without missing a beat.
"My wife and I are tank and healer. We’ll need three DPS for the run. Anyone is welco. We’ve got buff items and plenty of skills to back us up. No one who joins us will regret it."
He was already recruiting, capitalizing on the sudden burst of montum.
Then Evelyn’s voice ca over the guild channel again, a spark of inspiration in her tone.
"Featherlight—Guild Leader," she said, addressing Ryan directly. "How about this? We form two groups for Willitan Estate. You form two for the Outer Corrupted Forest. Let’s make this the guild’s first official event."
Ryan paused, motioning for his team to halt.
"I’m listening."
She laid it out. "A speed competition. First team to clear their dungeon wins a reward. Think of it as a little friendly rivalry."
The idea exploded across the guild chat. Excitent flared instantly.
Ryan grinned. "Alright, it’s a deal. Let’s raise the stakes. I’ll put up 50 gold coins. First team to clear their dungeon takes the prize!"
"Yeah! Let’s get first place!"
The teams were instantly abuzz—strategy, team comp, roles. Everyone wanted a piece of the action.
"Wait, wait!" SwordSaint01 called out, half-laughing as he scrambled to finalize his squad. "Let’s start when everyone’s at their dungeon entrance! I still need to turn in a quest—I’m just shy of level 15."
The guild chat was now pure chaos—but the good kind. Four teams, energy high, everyone locking in roles, sharing quick plans, and hyping each other up.
Then, with Ryan’s signal, the event began.
Simultaneously, all four teams stepped through their respective dungeon portals.
The competition was officially on.
—
Inside the dungeon, Ryan’s group was imdiately greeted by the squelching sounds of sli.
The first wave of monsters had arrived.
—
Sli Guardian
Elite
Level: 15
Health: 5,200
Type: Sli
—
Two of them. Massive, writhing, and far more aggressive than the regular ones.
Gatekeepers.
Ryan’s group braced for battle. To move forward, they had to take these two down—and fast.
"Everyone, be careful," Ryan warned as he pushed ahead, eyes sharp. "Rember the Guardian we fought before? These elites might have similar abilities."
His armor clinked softly as he moved, a walking fortress glowing faintly with a blue mist that radiated from his gear—an unmistakable sign of rare-quality equipnt. At this stage of the ga, Ryan was easily one of the best-equipped players around.
—
Heavy Cudgel (One-Handed Mace)
Binds when equipped
Level: 15
Quality: Rare (Blue)
Damage: 24–46 (13.53 DPS)
Attack Speed: 2.6 seconds
3 Strength
3 Stamina
Stormhold City Guard’s Shield (Off-Hand)
Binds when equipped
Level: 15
Quality: Rare
Armor: 672
4 Strength
4 Stamina
Gantai’s Guardian Stone (Trinket)
Binds when picked up
Quality: Rare
Effect: Reduces physical damage taken by 9
Use: Increases Strength by 20 for 10 seconds (3-minute cooldown)
—
The trinket had been his reward for opening the Outer Corrupted Forest dungeon. The shield ca from a lucky encounter with the wandering rchant. Only the cudgel had cost him—30 gold at the main city’s auction house. Still, it was worth every coin.
As soon as they entered the dungeon, two hulking slis blocked their path—Sli Guardians, elite monsters and the dungeon’s first test. Without missing a beat, Ryan stepped forward and pulled aggro with his Avenger’s Shield, drawing both creatures to him in one swift, glowing strike.
The group knew what to do. No orders were necessary. Spells and attacks lit up the screen as everyone fell into rhythm.
Compared to his old level-13 uncommon weapon, Ryan’s new gear was a beast. The impact was obvious. His damage numbers surged, leaving everyone else trailing behind—especially Nightwalker, who stared at the ters with quiet horror.
He was used to dominating the charts. Any party, any quest—he was always at the top.
But not here.
Not with Featherlight.
Every ti he joined Ryan’s team, he wound up at the bottom. This ti, he had hoped the unfamiliar mage in their group would be the one to lag behind. Instead, she was second. Even above Moonlight Beauty—a player with much better gear.
"Impressive work, Archress mageress. Your DPS is high—fire spec really is top-tier for mages," Ryan said, glancing at the ter and nodding approvingly.
"Guild Leader is more amazing," she replied sweetly. "A tank doing top damage? That’s not sothing you see every day."
Her voice was gentle, almost teasing, and it made Nightwalker’s expression twitch.
The Sli Guardians weren’t pushovers. One of their attacks, a poison arrow that hit all players, still managed to deal over 200 damage even to Ryan—with his rare shield and trinket absorbing the brunt.
Compared to Guardian Isdal, these monsters were clearly more dangerous. But at level 15, Ryan held his ground easily. His job was simple—so long as he held aggro and the healer kept the group alive, the damage dealers could let loose without worry.
No one was panicking. No one was struggling. Everyone knew their roles.
And just like that, the gatekeepers of the Outer Corrupted Forest fell.
Effortlessly.
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