“Hahaha, with such a grand setup here, are you all waiting for the main character to show up? Well, Stormwind is truly honored.”
With a burst of hearty laughter, a group of well-equipped players emerged from the parted crowd, led by none other than Black King Caesar, the president of Stormwind Guild, who had arrived fashionably late.
The leaders of the other guilds, who had been wondering why Stormwind hadn’t made a move, seemed to suddenly realize the truth.
Especially after hearing that line from Black King Caesar, their expressions soured, inwardly cursing his shamelessness.
This guy was definitely doing it on purpose, timing his entrance to capitalize on the current stalemate and claim the spotlight.
While it was hard to say about other aspects, Stormwind had already gained the upper hand in terms of momentum, overshadowing all the other guilds present.
This was evident from how all the attention was now drawn to Stormwind.
“For the first time, I’ve seen someone make being late sound so noble. Don’t you think, Coral?” Roseheart had always been at odds with Stormwind, and Doran naturally wouldn’t let them off easily on this matter.
Red Coral beside her covered her mouth and chuckled lightly. “Hehe, making so many girls wait isn’t very gentlemanly. Always being so rough doesn’t exactly win over the ladies, you know.”
Their coordinated banter subtly pinned a big label on Stormwind, making it seem like they’d done something outrageous.
As expected of old rivals, they played it well.
Other guilds silently gave them a thumbs-up, and some opportunistic guilds even joined in.
“Stormwind’s folks are indeed a bit crude, but our guild’s brothers are always gentlemen. How about it, Roseheart sisters, want to consider us?”
“Oh, ho, turning this into a matchmaking session? But I agree with that first part.”
Despite the teasing remarks, Black King Caesar didn’t seem to mind.
Touching his slightly stubbled chin, he maintained his easygoing smile.
“Haha, just joking earlier, don’t take it to heart. Besides, when it comes down to it, there’s no such thing as being late for something like this, right?”
The crowd was momentarily stunned.
Thinking about it, he wasn’t wrong—there was no set schedule like a school class, so being “late” didn’t really apply.
“Alright, everyone, now’s not the time to waste on this kind of thing. Since Stormwind has the resolve to play the lead, President Caesar must have some ideas. Why not share them with us supporting actors?”
Xueying clapped his hands and stepped forward.
It seemed like he was giving Stormwind an out, but in reality, he was putting them in an awkward spot.
Black King Caesar knew that if he couldn’t convince the others, Stormwind would lose face.
But that was fine—it was all within his expectations.
Or rather, he should thank this old vulture for indirectly acknowledging Stormwind’s starring role.
“I don’t have any grand ideas. Just that, instead of all of us standing around wasting time, why not go all in together?”
“President Caesar’s suggestion is for all guilds to attack together?” Zhenmo hadn’t expected such a straightforward plan.
Black King Caesar laughed heartily. “After all, our main goal is to take down this boss. So, let’s each do our best to claim the loot. Cooperate, backstab, whatever—do it your way.”
“And Stormwind’s way is the simplest, purest fight. I also welcome everyone to a fair and square showdown. I won’t judge, but personally, I look down a bit on those who play dirty behind the scenes.”
As he said that last line, Black King Caesar seemed to glance intentionally or unintentionally toward Roseheart.
Doran calmly looked away, while Red Coral smiled slightly and winked.
This time, it was Black King Caesar who coughed awkwardly.
Though the idea was simple, it seemed the most direct solution.
Setting aside other complications, it was straightforward to compete for loot based on the system’s evaluation.
And it matched his usual style.
Zhenmo chuckled lightly, the first to agree. “Starry Myth supports this approach.”
“Since President Caesar’s gone this far, Epic of the Empire agrees too.” Xueying’s face held his usual unchanging smile, showing no shift in emotion.
“Fine.” Eternal Spire’s response was curt.
“No big deal, as long as there’s a fight.” Ares’ leader seemed like a battle maniac.
“Minority follows the majority.” At this point, Doran couldn’t object either, especially since the decision itself wasn’t harmful.
With these major guilds leading, the other guilds quickly agreed to the plan.
“Since I proposed it, Stormwind will naturally take the lead. But a word of warning: the Orwin Empire’s forums are full of people livestreaming this. Hide in the back like a coward, and you’ll be the laughingstock, hahaha.”
After preparing his team, Black King Caesar threw out one last remark.
Without waiting for their reactions, he laughed and led his elite squad charging forward.
That guy was definitely planning this.
The leaders of Starry Myth and other guilds quickly caught on and immediately followed with their own teams.
They had plenty of schemes initially, but after Caesar’s words, those plans were instantly scrapped.
Losing the spotlight was one thing, but hesitating now would leave a terrible impression of their guild.
For a guild, reputation was a measure of external influence.
Failing to maintain it could be fatal.
Driven by this, the previously hesitant guilds charged in with full force, transforming from a stagnant “long shield” into a sweeping “sword blade.”
And the sharpest point of that blade was undoubtedly Stormwind, leading the charge.
“Big guilds are really something else. That unstoppable momentum is just too cool!” Mushui watched from afar, her blood pumping with excitement.
Nightwish saw it more deeply.
“Taking control from the start, steering the entire situation step by step—such seasoned tactics and meticulous thinking. No wonder he’s Stormwind’s president. I almost suspect he orchestrated the earlier incident.”
“Huh? Was it Stormwind?” Mushui was shocked.
If that were true, her opinion of Stormwind would plummet—that kind of tactic was just too low.
“Just speculating. With Black King Caesar’s personality, he wouldn’t do something like that.”
“You talk like you know him so well, A-ya.”
Nightwish and Mushui’s conversation was just a small corner of the Forest Ruins.
Without a doubt, the players here were completely won over by Black King Caesar and Stormwind’s actions.
“No wonder it’s Stormwind—charging in right away. Real men!”
“I misjudged this guild before.”
“Hahaha, that’s how it’s done—so refreshing. Stormwind’s totally my style.”
Other guild members mixed in the crowd, hearing these comments, could only smile bitterly.
Stormwind had stolen the show this time.