Clan Wars

Clans in DOJ functioned like guilds in most MMORPG games. Upon reaching Level 20, players could create their own clan or join one to participate in clan missions and more. Every clan could only recruit a maximum of 100 players so higher-ranking players were hotcakes.

Knights of Freedom were one of the first clans that existed since the beginning of DOJ. When Lucas created it, he didn't have the intention of it becoming the most sought-after clan. He only wanted to build his own "home", something he didn't have with his dysfunctional family. All clans had their own headquarters in the game, it was like a virtual home where members could hang out. It was where met like-minded players and people who loved the game as much as he did.

Clans also felt very much like cliques in real life...and that was another not-so-fancy part about them. Birds of a feather flock together, so most clans created by higher-ranking players who wanted to dominate the game would recruit newcomers selectively. If they didn't meet certain criteria, they wouldn't be accepted. Average players or newbies who were discriminated against felt disheartened by this harsh reality.

At Level 25, Lucas's avatar Ash Knight was well ahead of other players and had made a name in DOJ. The number of records and first kills under his name were alarming so everyone wanted to join a clan headed by this godly player, especially veteran gamers who knew that teaming up with the strongest means they can advance in the game faster and get better rewards. Completing a dungeon with elite players like Lucas on their team was much faster as his damage was high and he had excellent skills. They had no patience to deal with average players, not to mention newbies who needed a lot of guidance.

But unlike those clans that only recruited the strongest, Lucas welcomed everybody to join his clan, even newbies who just reached Level 20. He occasionally helped to lead them through dungeons and complete other missions whenever he could. He was a true hero who didn't abandon the weak. But that was during the beginning stages of the game when things weren't complicated.

As his clan expanded, other members demanded that the clan should kick the lower-level players who had previously joined and suggested they should stop accepting mediocre players. They wouldn't be able to contribute much in clan wars and would only pull them down in the clan rankings. Being the clan leader, Lucas had to make the decision that made the most sense. As much as he didn't like it, he agreed to stop recruiting mediocre players but on one condition - he would not kick out anyone who had joined the clan previously, even if they were just average players.

Not everyone was happy but the average players in his clan were thankful and sang praises about him. And soon, his fanbase began to grow. People called him benevolent, charming and the true knight of DOJ. Several new clans claiming to be 'fan clubs' were created: Ash Knight the Greatest, Support Ash Knight BB, and so on. Some were created by girls who wanted to get him as their CP, some were created by haters as a joke. A bunch of female players who were trying to hook up rich guys in the game had him on their list. After all, he wore the most expensive clothes, used the best weapons, and was the biggest spender in DOJ. Well, he can't deny that they found the right target as he was indeed a rich guy. But they could be quite disappointed if they ever found out that the legendary Ash Knight was the guy who had a mere 0.9% votes in the list of [Top 10 Rich Guys You Want to Date] poll.

As for Dream Heroes, they were established a little later in the game. The clan leader, RavenX, was a public enemy. It was well known that he would attack players who were idling and kill them or target those who were weaker. When different clans tried to make peace after a misunderstanding, he would start a fire. There were also rumors that he sent spies to every clan and created many accounts to infiltrate them. In almost every game that Lucas had played, there would be one guy who loved watching the world burn. RavenX was this sort of person. Needless to say, his clan was full of idiots like him and the two Bashers who killed him on his very first day.

RavenX hated Ash Knight for being that prince who was well-loved by everyone so their clans were enemies right from the start. The first rule of joining Dream Heroes was: You must hate Ash Knight. The second rule: You must scold him on the public chat channel at least once a day. The third rule: RavenX has the last say in EVERYTHING.

Lucas wondered what sort of person RavenX was in real life. He was a slightly above average player but was a lousy commander. Some players who teamed up with him complained he was hurling swear words if they didn't perform up to his expectations. If they failed to pass a dungeon, it was everyone else's fault except his.

Oh, and he was a mage too, like his 'best friend' Janson. Seemed like mages didn't really like him.

By now, the public chat was full of discussions about what could be the 1067895th clan war between Knights of Freedom and Dream Heroes.

[Public chat channel]

"Oh gosh, RavenX is like a nightmare that never ends."

"I can't remember a time where they ever won Knights of Freedom. What's the point, seriously?"

"Y'all know Dream Heroes Clan is just here to annoy everyone."

"I have my popcorn ready for tomorrow."

"I want to see Ash Knight beat the hell out of RavenX (again). It's a classic."

"Ash Knight sucks - don't mind me, just doing what my clan rules say I must do every day."

Had this been a regular day in the human world for Lucas, he wouldn't be bothered at all. In the past, he had always led his clan to victory against Dream Heroes in less than fifteen minutes. He was the one who always instructed everyone what to do and this was the problem - no one else had commanded the clan before. Though most members are familiar by now with what to do, there was a chance that things could go a little differently without his presence.

In a clan war, a maximum of 30 players can enter the battle arena. There were buffs and equipment that could be collected to boost every clan member's stats like attack, agility, or HP. Each clan had to protect their own tower in their base and try to bring their opponent down. Players who were killed would revive after waiting fifteen seconds so if too many members were down at one time, there might not be enough people to defend the base and their tower can be destroyed easily. The clan that defeated their opponent's tower first would be the winner.

However, there was another way of securing victory but most players wouldn't bother trying. There was a cannon located in the central region which was surrounded by deadly traps and NPCs that dealt high damage. But once a player overcomes these obstacles and gains control of the cannon, they can use it to fire at the opponent's tower and destroy it within five shots. Many players avoided using the cannon as the traps were sneaky and they could die much faster than on the battlefield. And fighting like a real man in clan wars was much cooler.

Anyone could watch the clan wars live and comment as they happen. The battles between Knights of Freedom and Dream Heroes had become entertainment for many players who enjoyed watching the feud. Fangirls, especially, were always ogling when their darling Ash Knight performed cool moves and take out his opponents. Lucas was going to disappoint his clan and the audience this time.

Maybe he didn't have to worry about tomorrow. His clan had fought at least a hundred times with Dream Heroes. They were even familiar with their enemies' tactics. Most of them were skilled players and besides, there were still Snowman and the others whom he could trust. It would be the first time where he was sitting out and watching the clan wars unfold. He was a newbie who hadn't even reached Level 10, his hands were tied.