Chapter 19: Stormwind Guild

Nightwish and her companion Mushui had just finished resupplying in Soma Town and were now making their way toward the Forest Ruins.

Thanks to their recent grind sessions, both had reached level 4, but most of the nearby level 4 training zones were already monopolized by major guilds.

The remaining monster zones were either too dangerous or too inefficient.

Fortunately, the Dark Bats still yielded decent experience, and as long as they worked in sync, Nightwish and Mushui found their leveling efficiency comparable to that of those top-tier areas.

What’s more, the number of Dark Bats in the Forest Ruins had mysteriously doubled the day before.

With no fear of competition for monster spawns, they had happily continued grinding there.

Even so, a lingering worry weighed on Nightwish—what if one of the big guilds decided to lay claim to this area next?

And what would they do after level 4? She and Mushui needed a plan to catch up to their friends’ progress.

While Nightwish pondered this, Mushui seemed entirely carefree.

Hugging her staff, she hummed a tune and glanced around the forest like she was on a relaxing stroll—though that casual gaze was what led her to a surprising discovery.

“Ah, A-Ye! Look over there! That loli is so cute~”

Drawn by the faint sound of battle, Mushui peeked around a large boulder and spotted a small figure locked in a fierce struggle with a group of monsters.

Nightwish recognized the monsters instantly—fuzzy ball-beasts from the local training zone.

With their high defense and tricky movements, they were notoriously difficult to handle, which is why this zone was often abandoned by players.

She was about to wonder aloud why someone would bother grinding here, but as her gaze landed on the tiny figure fighting the monsters, her breath caught.

This girl… wasn’t ordinary.

Others might not notice, but Nightwish had been playing rogue classes in MMOs for years. Her experience instantly picked up on the high-level combat technique on display.

Attacks that should have landed were dodged with precise footwork, and each counterattack followed a pattern—as if the little rogue danced like a ghost around her enemies, waiting for the perfect moment to strike with deadly precision.

“A-Ye, should we help her out?” Mushui’s voice pulled her back to the present.

The girl seemed to notice them as well, pausing briefly and eyeing them with wary alertness.

Nightwish caught sight of a faint treasure chest outline tucked between the nearby rocks and quickly understood.

“No need. That kid is way more skilled than we are,” Nightwish said, tugging Mushui away.

Mushui pouted but didn’t resist, offering a friendly wave toward the tiny rogue.

The girl, having just finished off the last of the monsters, waved back with a small hand—prompting Mushui to light up with joy.

“She’s too cute! I wanna keep her~”

Even after returning to the Forest Ruins, Mushui kept gushing.

Normally, Nightwish would tease her companion for being a hopeless lolicon, but her mind was consumed by what she had just witnessed.

How did she do it?

Up ahead, a group of Dark Bats hovered ominously.

Driven by curiosity, Nightwish approached them.

Mushui was startled to see her partner initiate combat without warning, but before she could cry out, she froze.

Nightwish’s body moved like it was possessed—dodging every attack with strange, fluid steps, then countering with sharp precision.

Mushui stood in stunned silence as Nightwish dispatched the bats one by one.

Only when the final bat fell did she find her voice.

“That was… amazing…”

“Ghost… Step?” Nightwish murmured, her mind still half-lost in the rhythm of her earlier movements.

She had no idea the name she casually muttered was, in fact, the name of a legendary rogue technique in her past life—one she herself had once pioneered.

***

“Hmm, those two looked a bit familiar,” I muttered, glancing in the direction the two figures had vanished.

Shrugging, I turned back and scooped the contents of the chest into my backpack.

During the earlier fight with the fuzzy ball-beasts, I had impulsively used Ghost Step—a top-tier rogue skill from my past life.

But I wasn’t too concerned about being noticed. After all, a divine-tier technique like Ghost Step wouldn’t be easily replicated just by watching it once.

Even in my previous life, it had taken me ages of study and experimentation to fully grasp its mechanics and use it as a lifesaving ace against top-tier rogues.

Leaving the training area behind, I immediately made for the nearby treasure chest locations.

Some had already been looted, but most were untouched. I managed to open several bronze and silver-tier chests—an impressive haul.

“Once I’m done with this one, I’ll go grab that other chest too…”

While fantasizing about finding that perfect Dark Verbal Mage skillbook, I opened the bronze chest in front of me—only to freeze at the sudden sound of heavy footsteps approaching.

Stuffing the loot into my bag, I turned around—only to be met with a squad of fifty players emerging from the brush.

Leading them was a warrior clad in jet-black armor, exuding a powerful, commanding presence.

Stormwind Guild.

I recognized them instantly—not because of their uniforms, but because of the man at their head.

Black King Caesar.

Even in my previous life, Caesar had been a famous name in the MMO world, leading Stormwind Guild across multiple games. After Epoch launched, he earned the title of “No.1 Warrior in the Alwyn Empire.”

And as expected, where there’s a strong leader, there’s a strong guild.

Stormwind Guild had become one of the most dominant factions in the game, ranking easily in the top five of the Bright Faction.

From the Seven Arcane Lords to the Phantom Ranger, the Thunder Shield Titan, and the Dragonflame Pontiff—many legendary players of my past life had hailed from this very guild.

Had it not been for an unexpected twist of fate, they might’ve even claimed the title of top guild in the human empire.

And the man behind it all, Black King Caesar, was a legend in his own right.

He was charismatic, bold, and believed in strength above all.

A battle enthusiast to the core, he valued honest combat over politics and had earned near-divine reverence within his guild.

That said, Stormwind Guild’s aggressive style had earned them quite a few enemies—and I, in my past life, had clashed with them more than once.