CHAPTER 24: GUILDS CREATION
A month had passed since Nemesis and his partners began their guild preparation by purchasing guild buildings in the physical world and accommodations for would-be guild members to ensure they remained consistent in their gaming activities. Of course, Will George had helped them smooth out the situation, and today was the day for the creation of guilds.
"Alright, it's been a month. You all should be at level 30 by now and have likely changed your class," Nemesis said to the soon-to-be guild leaders.
"Yes, we all have. Now let's cut the chit-chat and go create the guild. I don't have all day to converse," Dual Blade said, clearly impatient.
Nemesis ignored him, of course, and continued. "I see the good work you have all done—purchasing gaming helmets and a place for guild members to stay. We plan to build this guild for one thing: to utilize the masses to achieve our goal. Of course, the masses we utilize will benefit as well. As long as they stay under our control, we ensure they rise with us."
After some back-and-forth conversation, they all separated, each finding their gaming helmet. Today, of course, was a special day.
---
[Welcome back, Nemesis]
The system interface greeted Nemesis after he had logged in. Taking the guild token, Nemesis crushed it, a system prompt appearing in response to his actions.
[Create a guild?]
[Yes/No]
Nemesis chose Yes.
[Name your guild]
[...]
Nemesis paused, thinking deeply about the name for his guild. It was a guild created for his selfish ambition of ruling the world, serving as the foundation for his future plans. But it was also a guild that would improve humanity's standing against the demons in the near future.
After a long moment of contemplation, he finally decided on Black Star. Nodding to himself, he entered the name and pressed Confirm.
[Congratulations on creating your guild. You are the second person to do so and have achieved a medium feat: Pioneer.]
[Guild forum is now available.]
[Players can now join your guild.]
[Guild functions are now available. Go through them to familiarize yourself with their features.]
Nemesis received several notifications but couldn't help but shake his head. It was agreed that he would create the first guild, but it seemed Dual Blade had been too impatient and eager to beat him to it. He merely shrugged—well, he expected such actions from Dual Blade. That had always been his behavior, even in Nemesis's previous life.
---
[World Announcement]
[Congratulations to player Dual Blade for creating the first guild, Steel Heart. Await the recruitment process.]
[Congratulations to player Nemesis for creating the second guild, Black Star. Await the recruitment process.]
[Congratulations to player Scarlett for creating the third guild, Rose. Await the recruitment process.]
[Congratulations to player Shadow for creating the fourth guild, Nyxon. Await the recruitment process.]
[Congratulations to player Odin for creating the fifth guild, Argus. Await the recruitment process.]
[Congratulations to player Gold Goblin for creating the sixth guild, Hedj. Await the recruitment process.]
For a few seconds, every player logged into the game was silent, trying to process the announcement.
"Crazy, crazy! Six guilds were formed in a matter of minutes! Log out, log out! This is a great scoop! Hahahaha, finally, a piece of news worthy of reporting!" A random player, clearly working for a press company, exclaimed before logging out immediately. Others like him did the same.
After a long stretch of nothing but grinding, players finally found something to discuss enthusiastically—a topic that had been lacking since the impossible feats achieved by Nemesis and Scarlett.
"Hurry up and open the recruitment process! I want to hug God Nemesis's lap and sail smoothly through Apocalypse!" Player A said.
"Go away! It's more fun to go for the underdogs, especially Dual Blade. He created the first guild. He's probably the one for me," Player B argued, opposing Player A's choice.
Of course, Player A did not back down, and so the intense argument over which guild to join began—not just between them but among several players all debating the best guild to align with.
---
Kyle couldn't help but frown after hearing the announcement.
"Shit! How dare those low-lives get ahead of me? That damn Nemesis—once again, he steals my spotlight. I will make sure to break him thoroughly when I find and capture him. Those damn fools better hurry up and find some leads on him."
Of course, Kyle wasn't the only powerhouse showing interest in the announcement.
Brian, the Sword God, was training rigorously among the elite knight trainees when he paused momentarily upon hearing the news.
"Hmm, I guess I have more than one rival now. How exciting. It's making me all fired up and eager to improve," Brian thought.
"Sword God, focus! Losing concentration on the battlefield is no different from death—and also risks the lives of your teammates!" the training instructor yelled.
"Sorry, sir!" Brian shouted back, earning a nod from the instructor and a loud tongue-click from Walter.
Sitting on a rock while watching his undead relentlessly attack the nearest beasts, ending their lives and moving to the next target. The dead beasts rose as undead and joined the battle.
"Hmmm, Nemesis, Dual Blade, Scarlett, Odin, Gold Goblin, and Shadow—you have been added to my hit list. I will ensure I crush everyone until I alone remain on top and rule the world with fear. Maybe then, no one will cross me and hurt you, Maria," Cain said, his face plain until he mentioned the name of the one he loved. At that moment, the plain expression was replaced with anguish and hurt.
"No, I will kill everyone and turn them into my obedient undead. Then no one will be able to go against my will. That's even better," he muttered, his voice low and hoarse.
After some minutes, he stood up from the rock, his undead having cleaned out all the beasts within the vicinity.
"Well, on to the next prey," he said, walking in the company of his undead.
---
*********
A month had passed since the creation of the six guilds, now known as the Big Six Guilds. With time, other guilds had been created, of course through the normal process of signing with affiliated kingdoms or empires and providing the minimum required guild members. The guilds created this way didn't enjoy the benefits of the Big Six, which were formed through the Guild Token.
The benefits included not having to be affiliated with any kingdom or empire and receiving a 50% bonus in all guild special functions—a perk that made the top ten guilds unparalleled in Nemesis's previous life and one that would make the Big Six unparalleled in this life.
The four remaining tokens? Well, Nemesis destroyed them.
Despite strong opposition from his fellow guild leaders, he destroyed them anyway. He wasn't interested in adding more powerhouse guilds to the Big Six.
Of course, despite the lack of Guild Tokens, some powerhouse guilds were still created—like the Golden Lion Guild, founded by Kyle; the Abyss Guild, founded by Cain; the Pirate Guild, founded by Jacob, who bore the moniker "Sea King"; and several others.
Within one month, over a hundred guilds had been created, including powerhouse guilds, mid-rank guilds, and low-rank guilds. Naturally, the creation of over a hundred guilds led to the first major event in Apocalypse.
---
[World Announcement]
[Congratulations to players for reaching the milestone of creating one hundred or more guilds. An event to commemorate this achievement will begin in one week.]
[Guild War will begin in one week. Prepare your men, improve your strategy—only the strongest guilds will remain standing.]
[Countdown to Guild War: 6 days, 23 hours, 58 minutes, 10 seconds.]
---
"Guild Master, this event… I think this is the perfect opportunity we need to solidify our place as the number one guild," a voice suggested.
"Indeed, Red Witch. Ensure our guild members are prepared for the event. I'm counting on you," Nemesis replied.
"I understand. I will not disappoint you," Red Witch—Jessica—responded with determination.
Indeed, Jessica was the Vice Guild Master of the Black Star Guild.
---
*********
"Hmmm… You, Red Witch, an extremely talented player, are willing to join my guild when you have the chance to create your own in the future. Why?" Nemesis asked Jessica, his gaze exerting a pressure she never knew was possible.
She was unable to make out his face, as he wore a high-quality mask that prevented anyone from seeing anything besides his eyes.
"I've seen these eyes before… but where?" Jessica thought to herself, trying to recall where she had felt such a gaze before.
"Well?" Nemesis spoke again, knocking Jessica out of her thoughts.
"Revenge. Revenge against someone who took someone I cared for dearly from me. And for that, I need power—a very strong one, which I likely won't be able to obtain on my own. So, I'm here, joining hands with you to build it."
Of course, saying outright that she needed his guild for revenge was definitely the wrong move. But for some reason, she couldn't bring herself to lie to the man before her. In fact, she felt a strange sense of comfort telling him the truth.
"Hmm, revenge, huh? Well, I guess we are in the same boat," Nemesis mused. "It's going to be an arduous task, but if you are determined and willing to suffer to get your revenge, then I welcome you into my guild."
He stood up, tossing her the Vice Guild Master Token.
"Familiarize yourself with the guild. Its administration and management will rely solely on you," he said before walking away, leaving a stunned Jessica behind.
---
Upon reaching his private quarters, Nemesis removed his mask and sighed, collapsing onto a cushion.
"Jessica… it seems you still haven't forgotten about me," he muttered.
For a brief moment, he felt happy about it—but only for a moment.
His heart grew cold immediately.
"I'm sorry, but I'm not meant for you. After all, I will have your parents' blood on my hands soon," he whispered, his voice low.
Recalling the results of his investigation, he clenched his hands in great anger.