I Am An Idiot

"I see."

That was all Liam could mutter after discovering why he had been dragged to this place.

He paid no attention to the blood flowing down his cheek, nor did he care about his bruised and battered body.

Using the last ounce of his strength, he locked his gaze on the two people looking down on him: his best friend and his enemy.

It was truly an unexpected pair, but it all made sense to him now.

He had been the guild leader of Everlasting. After three years of battling for dominance, his guild had risen to become the fifth most powerful guild in the entire VRMMORPG Infinite Glory Online.

However, some people were not happy with their success, particularly the guild Silverfang.

Silverfang was the second-strongest guild in IGO. Both Silverfang and Everlasting were based in the same region. Because of this, Silverfang wanted to drive out and destroy Everlasting, as if clearing an ant colony from their backyard.

To Silverfang, this grassroots guild had no right to the region they considered their own—a sore in their eyes.

Thus, a guild war broke out a year ago.

However, despite Everlasting's smaller numbers compared to the large Silverfang guild, they managed to hold their ground. It was a matter of quality versus quantity.

The guild war between the two top guilds naturally aroused the interest of players all over IGO.

The news of how Everlasting, a three-year-old guild, could stand toe-to-toe with Silverfang, a titan with six years of history in the game, became a hot topic.

Fearing the war could sully Silverfang's reputation, the guild changed tactics and approached the problem practically.

Silverfang offered Everlasting an alliance contract. But the contract was anything but decent; it was more like a slave contract. Even during negotiations, Silverfang treated Everlasting with blatant mockery.

The Everlasting executives, along with Liam, refused the contract, and the guild war continued...

'Well, I guess it would end now,' Liam thought bitterly.

He recalled what had happened earlier. He had been invited by his best friend, along with some executives, for a drink outside the game.

He never expected that such a bonding event would lead to betrayal.

His best friend had offered to drive him home, but instead of his house, he was taken to a dark cliff.

Because of alcohol, he couldn't immediately discern what was happening. Before he could react, people in black suits surrounded him and beat him again and again until he was incapacitated.

"Brother Liam," uttered one of the two people looking down at him, his voice dripping with false sympathy.

"I trust you're intelligent enough to understand that I only did this for the future of our guild."

The man speaking was in his late twenties. He was tall and well-built, with sharp features and piercing eyes.

"Wake up, Liam. Ideals are for children," he continued.

"Resources, money, fame... Our guild is going to lose them all if the guild war of attrition continues."

His voice was solemn, but the grin plastered on his face said otherwise.

"So Liam, why don't you do the smart thing for once? Let's stop the war and hand over the guild to me."

Eliot Haress. He was the man Liam considered his best friend. He was the vice leader of Everlasting and one of the people who had helped him build the guild from its very roots.

It seemed that Silverfang had changed their approach again. Unable to get his agreement in-game, they resorted to coercion outside the game with the help of his so-called best friend.

But Liam refused to yield. With difficulty, he opened his bloodied mouth.

"...I refuse."

He declined for the last time. He would not submit simply because he was in pain. He couldn't afford to lose his pride and abandon the glory that his guild had painstakingly built over the years.

"Hahaha, excellent! Indeed, guild leader Liam."

The other man, in his early twenties, laughed as he squatted in front of Liam. He was tall and lean, with perfectly coiffed dark hair, and his sharp blue eyes gleamed with amusement.

"You never cease to amaze me with how stubborn you can be."

He added, clearly enjoying the scene, as evidenced by the mocking smile on his face.

Liam shifted his hazy gaze to the man.

This person was Kenneth Lazaro, the guild leader of Silverfang. He was the son of the founder of Lazaro Corporation—an influential enterprise in the gaming industry throughout history and one of the companies that first expanded its influence inside IGO.

"However, I've finally run out of patience. Stubborn guy, you just need to sign the agreement, and everything will be fine," Kenneth said, patting the bloodied head of Liam. "Why don't you copy this best friend of yours?" he continued with a laugh.

The agreement Kenneth was talking about was the alliance contract, requiring Liam to step down as guild leader and give Eliot the position. It was supposedly for the betterment of the guild, to stop the meaningless war of attrition, and for peace between their guilds.

But Liam knew this was just a facade. It was still the same 'clearing a pest' strategy that Silverfang had always done to lower-ranking guilds.

He knew too well that Everlasting's history would fade if they became allies. In no time, Silverfang would bear their fangs and devour his guild.

"Tch, you're boring. We're done here."

Without hearing a response, Kenneth became impatient. He stood up, annoyed, and ordered the men in suits to move. Eliot simply said a curt goodbye and walked away with Kenneth.

Upon seeing this, Liam realized that this was the end for him.

If the guild leader did not log in within 20 in-game days, the system would automatically revoke his rights and pass the leadership to the vice leader.

That's why asking him to hand over the guild was just a pretense. From the beginning, they had no intention of listening to Liam's refusal. His enemies had only wanted to toy with him.

'I was an idiot.'

If, from the start, they had not fought Silverfang and obediently left the region... If he hadn't been prideful and had given different orders to the guild...would he have reached an outcome different from this?

'Haa... I couldn't even curse Eliot or spit in the face of that annoying bastard. Really, an idiot!'

Whether for his enemies or himself, he just wanted to curse out loud. But his lips refused to move as his consciousness began to fade.

Liam could only helplessly stare at the dampened ground.

Soon, the men in suits forcefully grabbed him without regard for his injuries. With no strength to struggle, they simply tossed Liam over the cliff, where the deep water awaited.

Splash!

Liam felt a cold sensation run through his body, but it was only for a moment as he lost all feeling.

His body went numb.

Unable to move, his limbs felt heavy. He had lost control over them.

He noticed the reflected light above the water growing more distant. He stared at it, unable to lift his hands.

But he was calm now.

His eyes slowly closed, and then a voice echoed in his head.

⟨The item [Undying Soul Ring] has activated⟩

⟨Starting Soul transfer...⟩