Finished scouting

"Sylvanwood actually has Mythic Units?" Ethan suddenly felt an immense pressure, his brows furrowing tightly.

With his current foundation, given enough time, he could easily sweep through 11-Tier and 12-Tier Royal Units, even take on 13-Tier Legendary Units without breaking a sweat!

But Mythic Units were a whole different story.

After all, anything worthy of being called divine wasn't just for show…

"Yeah, I'm guessing you must've started out on the outskirts of Sylvanwood. Otherwise, you'd already be dead by now! You have no idea how terrifying that place is. They say the wilderness there is crawling with 5-Tier, 6-Tier, 7-Tier, and even 8-Tier creatures. One of the top ten guilds, Legion of Shadows, once launched an expedition into Sylvanwood's outer regions, and the result? Thousands of elite troops—completely wiped out! The losses were devastating."

Emily paused for a moment, a flicker of fear flashing through her bright eyes before she continued.

"Even Legion of Shadows' second-in-command, the S-rank expert LoS_Ironfist, lost several 9-Tier units and nearly a hundred 8-Tier units in that operation! It was a massive blow—he almost got kicked off the Monarch Leaderboard entirely… And because of that mission, Legion of Shadows paid a steep price."

"Before this, Legion of Shadows was ranked fourth among the top ten guilds. But after that disaster, they dropped two spots and are now sitting at sixth."

At this point, the top ten guilds had become the undisputed powerhouses of Glory Lords X in North America.

They were the backbone of the game's world.

The only force that could rival them was the government's military.

Because of that, every move these top-tier guilds made was closely watched. Even the slightest shift in rankings was a huge deal. You could pull a random person off the street, and they'd probably be able to recite the rankings from memory.

After all, the world had changed.

It wasn't even an exaggeration to say that, for many, the game world had become more important than reality itself.

"That does sound pretty terrifying…"

Ethan gave a half-hearted response, but his mind was already racing with other thoughts.

But if I play this right, Sylvanwood's Mythic Units might actually work in my favor as a natural barrier to keep me hidden while I grow stronger.

If Sylvanwood really did have Mythic Units, then sure, they posed a huge threat to his Emerald Castle. But looking at it from another angle, with those Mythic Units acting as gatekeepers, the chances of Emerald Castle being exposed to the public would drop significantly.

As long as he remained unnoticed, he could focus on building his strength in peace.

Until the day came when he no longer had to fear anyone in Glory Lords X…

And when that time arrived, the name Emerald Castle would shake the entire game world!

Everyone—every player, every guild—would fear him!

Emily, however, didn't notice Ethan's change in demeanor.

She was too busy struggling with her own thoughts.

After hesitating for a long moment, she finally clenched her teeth and said, "Bro, since you can't delete your account and start over, you'll just have to wait three more months… But it's fine! Once you reset and come to Winterkeep, I'll gift you a 6-Tier Royal Griffin!"

Ethan was stunned for a moment.

"Are you crazy? You're just gonna give yourself away like that?"

"You're my brother!"

Emily's tone was firm. She then patted her flat chest confidently and said, "Besides, I already figured out how to upgrade a 5-Tier Griffin into a 6-Tier Royal Griffin. It's just 10,000 gold! Who knows? I might even earn that much in the next three months!"

Looking into Emily's determined, unwavering eyes, Ethan felt a warmth spread through his chest. He was touched.

"You silly girl…" Ethan reached out and ruffled Emily's hair, smiling. "I'm not as weak as you think. Just wait a little longer, and I'll give you a huge surprise!"

"A surprise?" Emily asked, tilting her head in curiosity.

"You'll find out when the time comes."

"Fine… Oh, right! Bro, I won't be able to come home for the next two weeks. My school is organizing a mission event, and all students have to participate…"

"Got it. Do your best!"

"Mm! I will!"

After finishing their meal, the two took a short walk outside before Emily reluctantly left, heading back to Harvard University.

As one of Harvard's most promising gaming talents, Emily held a high status and had a lot of privileges. But at the same time, she was also under strict supervision.

If she wanted to become one of North America's future gaming elites, she still had a lot to learn despite her young age.

More than that, this was also a form of protection.

Because in this world, assassinations were rampant.

Assassins from rival nations, hostile factions—these attacks were all too common.

The failure and obsolescence of high-tech weaponry had indeed changed the world, but it had also emboldened many people—some to the point of recklessness.

That's why, in Ethan's mind, this new Earth was best described with one word: chaos.

It was like the great wars of history.

A turbulent era, where countless factions clashed for dominance.

And in such a world, how could one not only survive but rise to the top?

Two words: absolute power.

...

After returning home from his walk, Ethan wasted no time. He put on his VR headset and logged into the game.

"Hm? They're all at Emerald Castle?"

As soon as he was online, Ethan checked the map to locate Elynn, Seraphina, and the others.

To his surprise, they were all inside Emerald Castle—including Cicero!

"Finished scouting?" Ethan's eyes flickered as he sent a message to Seraphina: "Come pick me up."

A moment later, a powerful gust of wind swept through the air as Seraphina descended from the sky, landing gracefully in front of him.

"Let's go."

Ethan climbed onto Seraphina's back, and with a mighty flap of her wings, she soared into the sky, heading straight for Emerald Castle.

"Chirp! Chirp!"

The moment Ethan arrived, Cicero let out an excited cry and rushed toward him, playfully tugging at his pants like a spoiled child.

At the same time, Elynn stepped forward and greeted him with a respectful knight's salute.

"Welcome back, my esteemed master."

"Mm." Ethan nodded, casually scooping up Cicero and giving him a good, thorough ruffling. Then, he asked, "What have you all been up to?"

"Master," Elynn replied, "based on the intelligence brought back by the honorable Cicero, I have been working on mapping the area."