Chapter 54: Return to War Lord

[Logging into War Lord.]

[May you become a hero shining amidst the Great War.]

After finishing the call with the Guildmaster, Sungwoo apologized to Oh Jaehyun, who had been waiting for him.

He asked if they could delay the reward negotiations for a bit.

He explained the reason.

Of course, he had to mention everything in the process: how he’d been captured by the Plague Guild, and even the surprise prank by the Freedom Guild.

But upon hearing the story, Oh Jaehyun actually welcomed it with open arms.

It was because the parts he couldn’t handle were being resolved by other players, so to Oh Jaehyun, it was as if a relief pitcher had appeared.

So he even lent Sungwoo one of the company’s capsules and encouraged him so things could wrap up well.

Upon logging into the game, Levan obtained a Teleportation Scroll from the package sent by the Guildmaster.

And as soon as he tore the scroll, he was able to arrive once more at the Plague Guild’s workshop, where the Freedom Guild members were waiting.

“Levan-nim!”

“Levan!”

Romantic Sword and CutieCutie greeted Levan’s arrival with friendly recognition.

However, Levan’s gaze was cold as ice.

“Ahahaha……”

Especially when Romantic Sword realized that gaze was directed at him, he could only give an awkward laugh.

Levan spoke.

“Where’s the Symbiotic Pendant?”

“Ri-right here!”

At Levan’s cold question, Romantic Sword quickly handed over the five Symbiotic Pendants he’d prepared in advance.

Hoping at least that might cool Levan’s anger a little.

But Levan immediately put the items in his inventory, then pulled out his Black Iron Rod.

“Thunder Strike.”

[Thunder Strike is activated.]

Bzzzt!

Blue sparks crackled at the tip of the Black Iron Rod.

Levan approached Iron Dragon, who was still bound by the skill.

Locking eyes with Iron Dragon, he spoke.

“We sure see each other a lot, don’t we?”

“You…!”

“First, let’s take a few hits. Hup!”

Levan drew a short breath and gripped the Black Iron Rod like a baseball bat.

Then, like a cleanup hitter, he swung with all his strength at Iron Dragon’s head, as if batting a baseball.

[Critical Hit!]

[You have made a preemptive strike against a user.]

[However, the attacked user’s Karma value is high, so no Karma is generated.]

‘Just as I thought.’

As expected, Iron Dragon was also a Karma user.

And in War Lord, Karma users are ranked lower than ordinary users and are saddled with numerous penalties.

‘That’s what happens to ill-mannered players.’

This is why people should live virtuously.

Users who pile up Karma through unsportsmanlike conduct can’t complain to anyone even if a stranger sucker punches them or PKs them.

But as expected from the leader of the Plague Guild.

Even after taking a direct Thunder Strike—which ignores defense—to the head, Iron Dragon only lost a few percent of his health.

But Levan actually liked that about him.

“Tough bastard. I like it. Means I can hit you some more.”

“You little…!”

“Yeah, screw off.”

Crack!

Levan’s club rained down on Iron Dragon like a torrential storm.

For a while, chilling sounds echoed in the workshop, and the Freedom Guild members watched the scene with grim expressions.

After some time, when Iron Dragon was near death, Levan finally exhaled a long breath, looking satisfied.

“Whew, can’t have you die, so I’ll stop here for now.”

Maybe because he’d beaten him until he was satisfied, Levan’s anger eased a bit.

Leaving the blood-soaked Iron Dragon behind, Levan finally smiled brightly and addressed the Freedom Guild members.

“Alright, then. Shall we have a little chat now?”

Seeing Levan’s bright smile, the Guildmaster, Romantic Sword, and CutieCutie felt a strange sense of dread.

Even though their levels were much higher than Levan’s.

Levan spoke.

“First, thank you for destroying the Plague Guild on my behalf. And for capturing Iron Dragon alive. However, that aside, I’m a bit hesitant about rejoining the Freedom Guild.”

“Were you really that hurt…?”

“Hey, don’t speak informally.”

At Romantic Sword’s casual tone, Levan drew a clear line. CutieCutie, the Guildmaster, and Renya all glared at Romantic Sword.

“Sorry… sir.”

“Anyway, so I’ve been thinking. If you want to invite me back into the guild, I have a few conditions.”

“What kind of conditions?”

“First, I want you to disclose your character information to me.”

“That’s…”

The Guildmaster started to answer, then looked at the others. After a moment, everyone nodded.

“Understood.”

With that, everyone temporarily revealed their character information, and Levan dryly scanned the guild members’ profiles.

Then, in an instant, the dryness vanished from Levan’s eyes.

Having finished reviewing, Levan smiled and spoke.

“All done. The next condition is that you’re responsible for retrieving the remaining Symbiotic Pendants from that guy.”

“Huh? Weren’t there only five Symbiotic Pendants?”

“Nope. I’m actually here right now in the middle of consulting with the head of the Mega Company’s development team about the Symbiotic Pendants. That person said this: the Symbiotic Pendants dropped by Amthoslin are limited to fifty total.”

“F-fifty?!”

“Yup. If you don’t believe me, I can prove it separately. Anyway, I have one, the Guildmaster has one, and with the five just returned, there are forty-three left. Considering the recent auction prices, you can understand why I’m so obsessed with the pendants, right?”

“Yes, I understand.”

“Okay. That’s my second condition.”

When Levan finished speaking, it wasn’t just the Freedom Guild members who were surprised.

Iron Dragon, lying on the ground drenched in blood, was also shocked.

‘Of all times, why now…!’

He thought it was a perfect lie, but with the development team backing it up, he couldn’t deny it any longer.

Romantic Sword’s eyes glinted as he stared down Iron Dragon.

“I’ll take responsibility and get them.”

“You’ll get them?”

“…sir.”

“I’ll say it one more time: don’t speak informally. I really hate being spoken to casually by people I’m not close with.”

“…yessir.”

The other guild members shook their heads again at Romantic Sword’s attitude.

The Guildmaster spoke.

“Understood. We’ll do our best with the second condition. But you know as well as I do, Levan. Even if you kill a Karma user, the dropped items are random, and unless he gives them up directly, it’s tough to recover them all.”

“I understand. But if he tries to hold out, just keep harassing him. Until he deletes his character on his own. I’m not a generous person—I can’t just sit back and watch someone else enjoy the fruits of my labor.”

“Understood. Then, what’s the next condition?”

“The next condition… Honestly, I wouldn’t have asked if I hadn’t seen your profiles, but after looking at them, I’m convinced.”

“What kind of condition?”

“Be my backing.”

“Your backing?”

“To be honest, I need powerful support. People who can handle situations like this for me in the future. But after seeing your info, I feel like I can trust you to have my back.”

“Isn’t that something that comes naturally with being in the same guild?”

“That’s true, but I’ve actually been preparing to be a streamer for a long time. That’s why I need backing—to prevent troublemakers like him before they start anything.”

“A streamer?”

“Yeah. I think I’ll definitely succeed if I debut as a streamer. But I’ve heard if a low-level, unknown guy suddenly becomes a major streamer, it attracts all sorts of trouble—people like him.”

“Well, there are other big guilds out there, too.”

“There’s no such thing as a free lunch. From what I hear, they demand a lot from streamers. But you guys are a social guild, right? That’s why I’m asking you. If you really want to build camaraderie and invite me into your guild, please protect me as a guildmate. Let me play the game safely as a streamer.”

“Hmm, that’s…”

The Guildmaster hesitated.

Because Freedom Guild was truly created for socializing, and didn’t participate in guild wars or other large-scale activities.

But if Levan ever clashed with a big guild, then they’d have to function as a guild, just as Levan requested.

At that moment, as the Guildmaster pondered, Romantic Sword nudged him hard in the ribs.

“Hey, just agree.”

“Why?”

“I was getting bored anyway with a lack of content. I really think Levan-nim will succeed as a streamer. I have a feeling.”

“You sure?”

“Actually, I’ve always wanted to try a guild war. I mean, just because we agree to this doesn’t mean a guild war event is guaranteed, but… it’ll be fun, right?”

“Yeah, okay, fine.”

After checking with CutieCutie and Renya and getting everyone’s agreement, the Guildmaster accepted Levan’s conditions.

“Understood. Now that we’ve accepted you as our guildmate, we’ll do our utmost to protect you.”

“Thank you. Of course, I won’t just take—so don’t worry too much. Well… to do anything for you guys, I’ll need to grow quickly, though.”

“Haha, you don’t have to feel pressured. We really are just a social group created to enjoy the game.”

“Thank you for saying that. Those are all my conditions. Since you’ve accepted all of them, I’ll let this incident go.”

“Thank you for forgiving us. And we’re really sorry again, Levan-nim.”

“No, it’s nothing… Honestly, the Freedom Guild could have just blown me off, but I appreciate that you kept your manners until the end.”

In truth, the Freedom Guild had no reason to go this far or accommodate Levan’s demands just to invite him back.

The Freedom Guild was, unlike the Plague Guild, a pure social group without profit motives.

But the Guildmaster maintained his manners to the very end, and Levan respected that.

‘They might have gone a bit overboard with their pranks, but the people themselves seem decent. That’s a relief.’

This much was enough for reconciliation. Once the negotiations were settled, Levan was the first to extend his hand to the Guildmaster.

“Then, I’ll be counting on you from now on.”

“Of course. We look forward to playing with you, Levan-nim.”

With the handshake, this time it was the Guildmaster, not Romantic Sword, who sent the guild invitation, and Levan gladly accepted.

[You have joined the Freedom Guild.]

[Your rank within the guild has been promoted from Newbie Guild Member to Regular Guild Member.]

[Guild-exclusive skills are now active.]

[Skill cooldown reduced by 10%.]

He regained the 10% cooldown reduction benefit he’d lost for a while.

Seeing the system notification, Levan smiled much more warmly than before.

“Alright, I’m still negotiating rewards with the development team, so I’ll head off for now.”

“Sure, don’t worry about us and good luck with your negotiations.”

A heartwarming conclusion.

Right before logging out, Levan approached Iron Dragon one last time.

Then, tapping Iron Dragon’s cheek, he raised the corner of his mouth.

Iron Dragon gritted his teeth.

Watching him, Levan spoke.

“Idiot, you think you’ll break your teeth like that?”

Levan mocked Iron Dragon to the end as he logged out of the game.